In a message dated 12/17/2007 1:39:51 A.M. Eastern Standard Time,
dhomstad@xxxxxxxxxxx writes:
I bought a piece of chrome pot-metal script for my car on eBay,
about 10
inches long, a year ago. The idiot seller packed it in a thinly
padded
flexible envelope and sent it USPS parcel post. Nobody in their
right mind
should ship that item without a box. When it arrived, 2 of the
mounting
posts were sticking through the outside of the envelope. But
wonder of
wonders, the piece was not broken or even bent. I don't know how
it ever
survived!
Dave Homstad
56 Dodge
D500
One of the last stops on my career path was to be a Quality Assurance
Representative for the Department of Defense. I monitored production,
final inspected and accepted machine parts for the military. One of the
required inspection points of these contracts was "PPP&M".
Preparation, Packaging, Packing and Marking is considered every bit as
important as making the parts right in the first place. The best parts in
the world can be rendered junk by someone in a shipping department or a truck
that just doesn't care. They are also useless until they reach the final
user, so they'd better be correctly addressed.
I've seen lots of nightmares. One of the worst was a box of Craftsman
wrenches, supplied by Sears, to be sent to an airfield in Saudi Arabia.
When I arrived for final inspection/acceptance, I was presented with a cardboard
box 2' x 2' x 5' long, full of loose wrenches. It wouldn't even hold its'
shape on the warehouse floor. The top was already loose with shiny tools
peeking out at me before it had even left the Sears warehouse! I had a
mental picture of people helping themselves all the way to Arabia! I
wouldn't/couldn't accept it until the required preservation, wooden crates, etc.
had been supplied.
One of the standard complaints was that they couldn't make any money on the
contract if they had to package things as required. The logical answer is
(and was) to "Read and understand the requirements before you bid on a
contract."
(Oh, darn, I just got up onto my PPP&M soapbox again. The thing
is just plain sturdy!) :-)
Joe
Savard
Lake Orion, Michigan
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