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I'm a little worried about this guy building cars.
In all seriousness, this is a good move, one that Mazda needs given their small size and absence from Ford monies. They have an interesting take on cars that is certainly niche, and partnerships with Toyota may be key to assuring we still get to enjoy the Miata for years to come, and who knows what else.
Money talks and bullshit walks. Alabama gave them HUGE tax breaks on local and state level. Throw in it's a non union right to work state, they have cheap labour costs.
This is for final assembly it appears, I wonder what engines (and transmissions) will be coming into the facility and from where. (You know where I'm going on this regarding a hybrid engine with a certain troichoid shape thingy inside...)
One thing I have noticed over the decades LIVING with Mazda is the headwinds and issues that happen which are beyond their control.
YES it is the challenges of life, but boy at every major event, asset or announcement or new model release there is always a major world disruption which takes away the marketing momentum.
Every time MAZDA announces a major capital investment something happens and runs down all their projections, budgets and planning.
I could list these events if anyone is alive out there??....hello... and interested.................?????
I'm reading just not interested or knowledgeable enough on the subject to reply, sorry. Maybe after current world events settle down Mazda will get lucky for once. I'd put my money on them over Nissan.
One thing I have noticed over the decades LIVING with Mazda is the headwinds and issues that happen which are beyond their control.
YES it is the challenges of life, but boy at every major event, asset or announcement or new model release there is always a major world disruption which takes away the marketing momentum.
Every time MAZDA announces a major capital investment something happens and runs down all their projections, budgets and planning.
I could list these events if anyone is alive out there??....hello... and interested.................?????
I have felt the same about Mazda for years. They seem to time things poorly, probably because they have little choice. Because they are small and have limited capital, they rely on broader economic expansion to fill their r/d and expansion budgets. By they time they are ready to invest, build, roll out new product, the economy is beginning to contract. Others have the capital to not only weather bad times, but invest during those times, so when the business cycle starts its upswing, they already have capacity, new designs, etc. So, Mazda is like a small business, and is more captive to the business cycle than other makes. Just my opinion.
Well I have faith...
Really cant compare Flat Rock built in early 80s (from memory, and I think may have been a conversion from an old plant site?),
to this brand new from ground up AL MTM Plant.
Today every possible 'human' error is either AI operated (robot) or human plus AI.
This is the latest generation and the most modern equipped plant anywhere in the world, fully computerised delivery systems.
Human handling will be very minimal, usually restricted to soft touch or install products, like door seals, door trims/cards and the bolting down of Seats, Dash.
Every tool that a human uses is software controlled and torqued and counting of the SOP, any errors and alarms happen, like engine assembly.
I think will be great for Mazda in US.
why Alabama,
surely they could have made use of derelict factories in the rust belt?
The derelict factories are that way because they are not "right to work" -aka "non union" states.
No company is going to invest heavily in those states until the labor laws are changed, especially in automotive manufacturing.
So, they go elsewhere, because they can.
One thing I have noticed over the decades LIVING with Mazda is the headwinds and issues that happen which are beyond their control.
YES it is the challenges of life, but boy at every major event, asset or announcement or new model release there is always a major world disruption which takes away the marketing momentum.
Every time MAZDA announces a major capital investment something happens and runs down all their projections, budgets and planning.
I could list these events if anyone is alive out there??....hello... and interested.................?????
Agree 100%. Also, when Car and Driver, (or whatever) does their "Most Expensive Supercar" issue, get ready for a global recession. Its like clockwork, each time.
I really hope Mazda does well.
The derelict factories are that way because they are not "right to work" -aka "non union" states.
No company is going to invest heavily in those states until the labor laws are changed, especially in automotive manufacturing.
So, they go elsewhere, because they can.
Labor Unions are why we have the modern system labor laws and benefits.
Unions always get blamed for jobs getting outsourced when the main reason is corporations making billions of dollars in profits are beholden to shareholders, increasing profit and cutting costs as much as possible is the Be All, End All mantra of Big Business.
The more Labor Unions are weakened, more American hourly workers wages will weaken or remain stagnant, while inflation and the cost of living eat into their standard of living, perpetuating the 'working poor' class.
Average American workers who don't like unions are jealous because they're not in one.
I was.
Right to Work is just corporate speak for union busting.
Labor Unions are why we have the modern system labor laws and benefits.
Unions always get blamed for jobs getting outsourced when the main reason is corporations making billions of dollars in profits are beholden to shareholders, increasing profit and cutting costs as much as possible is the Be All, End All mantra of Big Business.
The more Labor Unions are weakened, more American hourly workers wages will weaken or remain stagnant, while inflation and the cost of living eat into their standard of living, perpetuating the 'working poor' class.
Average American workers who don't like unions are jealous because they're not in one.
I was.
Right to Work is just corporate speak for union busting.
And that's why factories are being built in RTW states, but not in Union states.
I knew many friends who worked for Boeing in Seattle when I lived there. All of them got tired of strikes. Many left and started their own businesses, before retirement. The local paper at the time did a couple of stories, during an especially long strike.
American Union labor is very expensive, especially when looked at globally.
I have a lot of problems with corporations, one of which is when they prostitute themselves to cheap labor worldwide. Its shameful. I can agree with you there.
I don't want to argue the merits of unions or not, but they are expensive, and there are limits to everything.
But, that is why the rust belt is the rust belt.
Its the same thing now with mandatory $15 min wage. There will be less workers, and probably less businesses.
Labor Unions are why we have the modern system labor laws and benefits....
blah blah blah.....
says the long time union employee.
of course you're going to believe that BC but you've shared plenty in the B@W about how your Union has let you down.
Now, lets get this topic back on track because the Union vs Non-Union conversation will get old real quick and I somehow doubt that the 'Average American worker' as you put it BC will actually agree with all of your sentiments.
I will be at my union steelworker job 21 years next month, we never had a strike, and rejected only 1 contract offer, which was approved 30 days later after renegotiating.
It may be because we're one cog in a diverse global corporation, and/or we're not a typical assembly line factory.
We make all kinds of different pumps and parts.
Some of the prints we work from are 50+ years old because they're so dependable people can easily rebuild them rather than investing in new ones.
We still R&D new designs.
We have 2 large testing pits and various pipes and fittings that would be really expensive to duplicate, and our skilled labor force takes time to train because of the wide variety of products and the knowledge required to make them work the way they're supposed to. Every pump has to be tested before shipping to make sure they reach efficiency specs.
We don't have the work force we used to because the company started buying some of the more common finished parts from China.
From small fire pumps to water treatment and huge flood control pumps.
I will be at my union steelworker job 21 years next month, we never had a strike, and rejected only 1 contract offer, which was approved 30 days later after renegotiating.
It may be because we're one cog in a diverse global corporation, and/or we're not a typical assembly line factory.
We make all kinds of different pumps and parts.
Some of the prints we work from are 50+ years old because they're so dependable people can easily rebuild them rather than investing in new ones.
We still R&D new designs.
We have 2 large testing pits and various pipes and fittings that would be really expensive to duplicate, and our skilled labor force takes time to train because of the wide variety of products and the knowledge required to make them work the way they're supposed to. Every pump has to be tested before shipping to make sure they reach efficiency specs.
We don't have the work force we used to because the company started buying some of the more common finished parts from China.
From small fire pumps to water treatment and huge flood control pumps.
That's pretty cool. I would be proud of my job too.