10-07-2003, 08:33 PM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 189
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The car analogy is not so off base. All the big auto manufacturers use the same handfull of huge suppliers to provide parts etc for their cars. To ensure that their supply lines are not disturbed they get the same parts from different suppliers. BrakesRus in Texas will make brake parts for Honda's Accord and some of those same supplies will be provided to Ford for their Explorer's brakes. Honda will get the same brake parts from BrakeUniverse over in Korea while Ford diversifies w suppliers from Mexico. This isn't a big deal as the standards all the suppliers have to meet in order to sell the product are extremely high and extremely uniform. Sometimes the supplier will only provide parts of the part and other times the entire part, MOMO brakes anyone? The difference here seems to be that we are getting screens, parts made from DIFFERENT TECHNOLOGIES as well as to DIFFERENT SPECIFICATIONS. No-one would care if the screens from all the various suppliers were just as good. The problem here is first one of quality control and second one of using entirely different technologies and branding it as the same thing, 'TFT' or what have you.
The manufactures should dump the sucky suppliers or force them to make better products. They should also be more specific about the technology being used so we know if the brakes are MOMO disk brakes with HUGE calipers and cross venting that can stop on a dime or AC DELCO drums that can barely stop a festiva. aka an Omron screen with new front light technology that's as good or better than backlighting or a TFT front light that barely works like the one on my Genio.
As for diversified suppliers, the earthquake in Kyoto reminded everyone that it's critical to diversify suppliers at least geographically. If a crucial part is only made in one place and there's a disaster there, it will also spell disaster for your product bc you won't be able to make it anymore.
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