On Mon, 17 Nov 2003 16:59:38 -0500, "Tom Gardner"
wrote:


My newest built machine will eliminate 2 more jobs and a hefty bonus
structure. I just came to realize that the next 3 projects will be such a
boost in productivity that 4 or 5 more jobs are in jeopardy. So does this
make me a bad guy? I don't really think so, but multiply this around the
country and that's a LOT of jobs lost with a net gain in products produced.
So, who's going to have money to BUY products in the future?

I wrote this on a similar thread on another newsgroup yesterday:

design, electronics, computer networking, management and scheduling, and a
variety of other skills. That is, the people like me who could get 20% more
out of the very expensive equipment than the ambitious uneducated schlubs
who usually are the cream of the crop on a factory floor.

Put that together with the fact that productivity has soared in the
manufacturing base that is left and you can see the future. I have.

It happened in agriculture. It's happening now in computer-controlled
manufacturing.

"Ayup. The US is STILL the leader in productivity. The recession is
nearly over. Manufacturing is coming back. However..there are a ****
load of jobs that will never be regained in manufacturing, as the
surviving US companies, in an effort to weather the recession, and the
sucking sound as work goes out of the country, have learned to work
smarter, and faster, and with less labor.

What used to be manufactured in the 60s, on manual lathes and mills,
over the course of a couple hours, by $25 hr machinists, , is now
manufactured in 30 seconds by a single machine, with a $11hr operator.

Its only going to get worse for employees who didnt keep pace with
technology. But then..this is old news. Technology has always
outpaced the worker. The textile mill turning thousands of yards of
material replaced the hand weaver and his 5 yrds a day. The mechanic
whom repaired milk wagons and shoes milk horses, was replaced by an
auto mechanic. The Ice Cutter whom cut lake ice, moved it and stored
it in the winter, has been replaced by refridgeration. The draftsman
has been replaced by the CadCam guy. The list is endless.

One has to either be able to keep up with technology, or find a
special niche, or retrain for a new trade a number of times in his
life. The joys and pain of the modern world.

Its not helped either, that labor is the #1 expense behind virtually
all products. And the more the labor costs, due to bennies, wages,
unions etc etc..the more incentive the company has to reduce labor as
much as possible. If a trained machinest, gets $60,000 a year, and he
can be replaced by a $60,000 machine, which does 100x the work, with
no wastage...and you had to both compete with Turd world labor, and
answer to the stockholders..what would you do? Keep the machinist or
buy TWO of those $60k machines?

Gunner, CNC machine tool tech."

I made $22k gross last year, after the big machine tool slump. My
overhead was $23k.
If Im really lucky..and sell a couple more machines out of my back
yard, unplug a few more toilets, and patch another roof or two..I
might gross $27k by the time this year is over. Of course..my overhead
is now $25k, and my kid and his pregnant new wife moved in, my wife
still is in deep **** medically, and so forth. I turned 50 on the
11th, and I live in a dying town, but have to keep a place in $o.Cal
to work out of. This does not include all the back medical bills and
taxes the wife dumped on me...

So Im screwed no matter what I do. Shrug. Im no different than any
of the weavers, wool sorters, horseshoe makers and milk wagon
mechanics through out history. We either die in poverty, or find some
gig to keep the wolf from the door. One of the reasons Im a
survivalist, and live frugally. **** does happen, both in society and
in real life. Not a day goes by that I, and most here, dont listen for
that other shoe to fall. All we can do is the best we can, and keep
looking and preparing for that niche. And bitching about it doesnt do
a damned bit of good.

Gunner



"The British attitude is to treat society like a game preserve where a
certain percentage of the 'antelope' are expected to be eaten by the
"lions".
Christopher Morton