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Report: new Chicago Transit Authority El cars had defective parts
Maybe, China won’t take over the world, as predicted!
We get what we pay so much for.
Buy American!
Parts and good’s from china may be cheap but not cost effective.
This is a failure by Bombardier to provide on site engineering surveillance of the quality control procedures at the foundry. Much of my career as a metallurgical engineer in the aerospace industry was to perform such tasks.
This is a failure by Bombardier to provide on site engineering surveillance of the quality control procedures at the foundry. Much of my career as a metallurgical engineer in the aerospace industry was to perform such tasks.
And as John Ruskin said over 100 years ago:
“There is scarcely anything in the world that some man cannot make a little worse, and sell a little more cheaply. The person who buys on price alone is this man’s lawful prey.”
“Bombardier is paying for all inspection and replacement work, providing the agency with an extension on the car warranty and will reimburse the CTA for any costs associated with the equipment problem, Sullivan said.”
So maybe we have at least one smart bureaucrat in Chicago.
That’s what happens, keep Walmart-ing out the work to China trying to save.
We can tell you’re not from Chicago. It’s “L”, not “El”!
How many American jobs were lost with Bombardier buying from China?
We can tell you’re not from Chicago. It’s “L”, not “El”!
How many American jobs were lost with Bombardier buying from China?
Just another example of cheap foreign outsourcing for components. Unemployment in the US is still 8.3 percent and I’m sure a slight increase in cost from quality domestic suppliers wouldn’t be an issue. I bet the rework costs will far exceed the origional bid cost when this issue is resolved and put to rest.
Mr. Hayes and Mr. Holmquist, so much of the steel casting and machining industries have been moved offshore in the last 20 years, it is hard to find companies capable of bidding the job in the U.S. Also, note that there are currently no U.S. based companies even building passenger cars anymore.
Cheap “railroad” parts from China? How dumb & unsafe can a mfgr go!!!
The lowest bidder syndrome wins again. Bombardier’s or the CTA’s specifications were not sufficiently stringent and further Bombardier’s QC was obviously lacking.
Maybe there should be a “buy American” clause enforced for any taxpayer funded projects. (At least I can dream, hope, and pray.)
Rail vehicles for American transit should be manufactured in America. Maybe we need a new “standard” design for our transit systems cars, similar to the PCC cars of the 40’s nd 50’s. That would reduce costs - by having one uniform design that could be purchased by all transit agencies in the country. That way all the manufacturing could be done in the USA also. It would also eliminte the “design” costs of all these different vehicles operating now.
This article again demonstrates why manufacturers should buy parts from experienced United States’ suppliers, who maintain high quality control.
Amen to Maxwell R. Holmquist’s statement. Keep heavy industries here in North America. How does a North American company keep their eye on quality control from thousands of kilometres away. It will probably cost more now to have the inferior product replaced than if it had been done properly the first time. But I guess the big money guys know best!