On Tue, 22 Nov 2005 06:32:24 -0600, "Swingman" wrote:

"mike from American Sycamore" wrote in message
I have been traveling and doing the Woodworking Shows across the
country. I work daily with the crews from Delta, Porter-Cable, and
Dewalt. I have been to Black & Decker University and I am very pleased
that I have worked with and met most of the top management from Black &
Decker in the woodworking department. Everyone has been so nice and so
very professional. Everything I hear and my gut feeling is that Black
& Decker will be good for everyone. Black & Decker is investing a lot
of capital into their brands to make them better and to make them even
more of a good value.

While I have no reason to doubt your observations, Mike, for some reason the
words "Black & Decker" are just not associated in my mind with quality ...
and I'm as suspicious of the ultimate outcome of that association as I would
be if Lee Valley were taken over by Home Depot.

In my mind it goes straight back to the fallacy in thinking that is
perpetuated in MBA schools - that you can "acquire" instead of develop, and
"manage" without the knowledge that development imparts.

Just look around ...


In 1999, Pentair, the owners of the tool group companies, Delta,
Porter Cable, and Devilbiss Air Power changed from a philosophy of
independent autonomous companies to one of consolidation and
globalization very popular with the consultants that many in top
management had been. It was a complete disaster for all stake holders
(stock owners, customers, distributors, suppliers, etc.). Their
ulitmate solution, sell the group to B & D.

Having lived through that horrific transition up close and personal,
it is hard for me to imagine B & D being anything but an improvement.
But time will tell.

Frank