This will be an interesting thread moving forward......

[kshansen]

Sad thing is there are probably "some" good hard working people in the lower levels of that outfit that will end up paying with their jobs because of the total mismanagement of the upper levels of the company.

 

[TCat]

Sad thing is there are probably "some" good hard working people in the lower levels of that outfit that will end up paying with their jobs because of the total mismanagement of the upper levels of the company.

The good hard working men (and women) will pick themselves up and grow. Hard times make strong men. The weaker ones will do what the weaker ones do.

 

[mowingman]

There is such a shortage of both skilled and unskilled labor in that area, that anyone who wants to work will have a job the next day. Especially if they are good at whatever they do.

 

[kshansen]

There is such a shortage of both skilled and unskilled labor in that area, that anyone who wants to work will have a job the next day. Especially if they are good at whatever they do.

Hope so!

Somewhat unrelated but the place I retired from in 2016 after working there since 1968, I never recalled them having advertised for help in all those years. Now the last two or three years they have had a 8'X10' sign hanging on the fence next to the entrance. Also the superintendent who was there for a few years before and after I retired quit to go back to running crane for a local company, said he got tired of lack of support from corporate level.

 

[Welder Dave]

I think this company is finally realizing that they are spending too much money and basically blaming Vetech because repair costs are out of hand. Maybe they/Alan were expecting Vetech to just tell the LMM how to fix things and they wouldn't have pay him as much since he wouldn't actually be doing the repairs? Locking him out of the shop makes no sense. It sounds like things are so lax that nobody really cares if something needs fixing but it becomes an emergency if a machine goes down on a job.

Maybe they are taking on too many projects and it doesn't allow them to have time for regular maintenance and repairs. It's hard to turn down money but sometimes you have too. It reminds me of Bucyrus Erie declining to bid on the NASA transporters that they had originally designed. They had such a backlog of orders that building the transporters would have cost them millions. Build them would have taken too much of their resources away from other jobs. They had so much backlog that they doubled their production facilities in 1974.

 

[DDoug]

There is nothing new to report since my last post. I’m still working at the machine shop and my service truck sits idle for this company. The longer this goes on, the less likely I will return under most circumstances. My shoulder issues are healing up and I’m not dying in the heat. Being away from this permanently may be what the doctor ordered. If anything new comes up then I’ll let you guys know.

Noooooo....we need our daily dose.
How about "As the machine shop turns" ?

 

[Vetech63]

Well, I stopped by their shop yesterday. I was supposed to start on a paving machine repair, but I didn't. The company was supposed to get me paid up this last week, and as of 230 pm yesterday it hadn't happened. I called the office, and they said it would be next week...........fine, but I'm not repairing anything until then. I called the paving super and told him it wasn't happening and that the machine would have to go out as is if he wanted to use it Monday. He, of course, asked why..............and I had no problem telling him. Can't work for free, nor can I when my operating capital is being held. He made a call to the office, called me back within 10 minutes........had a $20K check ready in 30 minutes for me to pick up. Funny how things work huh. Now I have 10 hours of repair work to do tomorrow so the machine can go out Monday.

Since I was there Friday morning, I got to talk to several employees there. Man, moral is in the gutter. I talked to LMM first. He complained about Alan constantly being up his ass over everything. Too much work still and a yard full of broke down equipment. He even complained about his helper they hired. Said he doesn't know anything and isn't much help.

Then I got to talk with the helper (PAH). He proceeded to bitch about LMM.........sloppiness, being gone for hours a day on simple stuff, not cleaning up after himself, and sitting at a desk that is now in the shop for hours a day. He says the same thing.......very little is getting done. It shows badly. He also complained about Alan and agrees he knows nothing about heavy equipment and repair. He bitched about the state of the service truck, which is a mess, all the parts that have been bought that are sitting around for the last 2 months, and the state of the shop and supply room............which I had organized and cleaned right before LMM showed up.

Both of their attitudes are bad. They both made comments about finding different jobs.

Lube truck guy was next. He told me there is a lot of supers just pissed off. Equipment isn't getting repaired and what does get a fix takes way too long. He said everyone is recognizing Alan as the main problem. It's a classic case of the blind leading the blind. It's his opinion that they will be calling me real soon......LOL.

If they do, the first thing I will make perfectly clear.........I will take no orders from Alan. In the meantime, I will continue to watch the chaos from afar.

 

[AllDodge]

Thanks for the post, the DT's where getting bad

 

[TCat]

Thanks for the update V I know many of us have been missing this and check in hoping for the updates on this thread. It’s like a slow motion chain reaction crash that you’re watching from a distance and unfortunately the people involved just don’t have the perspective to avoid it.

 

[thepumpguysc]

Like a football team..
When the team is doing poorly, they don’t fire the players, they fire the coaches/managers.!!

Feel free to use that when talking to the OWNER.. cuz it’s coming.. lol

 

[Vetech63]

 

[Welder Dave]

So they hired a helper for LMM and now LMM acts like a foreman or supervisor? Seems like it might have been better if they paid more to get one good helper for you with much more experience working on equipment. It's also pretty clear Alan is in way over his head and the wrong person to be in charge of repairs. If overall moral is poor will just make things worse if that's even possible. No wonder nobody gives a damn. It sounds like some of the super's do though but that could be because all the pressure is on them to get the jobs done. Something needs to change really soon. Bye bye Alan seems the best option to start.

 

[cfherrman]

Well, I stopped by their shop yesterday. I was supposed to start on a paving machine repair, but I didn't. The company was supposed to get me paid up this last week, and as of 230 pm yesterday it hadn't happened. I called the office, and they said it would be next week...........fine, but I'm not repairing anything until then. I called the paving super and told him it wasn't happening and that the machine would have to go out as is if he wanted to use it Monday. He, of course, asked why..............and I had no problem telling him. Can't work for free, nor can I when my operating capital is being held. He made a call to the office, called me back within 10 minutes........had a $20K check ready in 30 minutes for me to pick up. Funny how things work huh. Now I have 10 hours of repair work to do tomorrow so the machine can go out Monday.

Since I was there Friday morning, I got to talk to several employees there. Man, moral is in the gutter. I talked to LMM first. He complained about Alan constantly being up his ass over everything. Too much work still and a yard full of broke down equipment. He even complained about his helper they hired. Said he doesn't know anything and isn't much help.

Then I got to talk with the helper (PAH). He proceeded to bitch about LMM.........sloppiness, being gone for hours a day on simple stuff, not cleaning up after himself, and sitting at a desk that is now in the shop for hours a day. He says the same thing.......very little is getting done. It shows badly. He also complained about Alan and agrees he knows nothing about heavy equipment and repair. He bitched about the state of the service truck, which is a mess, all the parts that have been bought that are sitting around for the last 2 months, and the state of the shop and supply room............which I had organized and cleaned right before LMM showed up.

Both of their attitudes are bad. They both made comments about finding different jobs.

Lube truck guy was next. He told me there is a lot of supers just pissed off. Equipment isn't getting repaired and what does get a fix takes way too long. He said everyone is recognizing Alan as the main problem. It's a classic case of the blind leading the blind. It's his opinion that they will be calling me real soon......LOL.

If they do, the first thing I will make perfectly clear.........I will take no orders from Alan. In the meantime, I will continue to watch the chaos from afar.

Be careful of the wording about not taking orders from Alan, don't be too blunt it might make you put to blame when obviously it's not.

Maybe say that when the supers tell you what's wrong or what needs to be done it's much simpler and you already know how the company operates so going through Alan just slows everything down.

 

[nicky 68a]

The balloon is going up into the sky.
At least you are well aware of it Vtech.
Tread carefully buddy

 

[Joe H]

Guess we're done with this ?

Did the 10 hours work get done or it's still waiting for you ?

Joe

 

[oarwhat]

Maybe he's too busy fixing all their junk to post.

 

[Vetech63]

Well, I was banned so I couldn't do anything. Now that I'm back I can update this weekend. Seems the company may be changing their tune since the last 3 days they have pushed some big money repairs my way.

 

[DMiller]

Cannot believe I missed this entire Running SHAT Show postings since April!!! DAMN!!!

Still Making Popcorn as the Suspense is KILLING Me!!!

 

[Monkeywithawrench]

Cannot believe I missed this entire Running SHAT Show postings since April!!! DAMN!!!

Still Making Popcorn as the Suspense is KILLING Me!!!

Now you got some reading material for the reading room to keep you occuppied!! LOL

 

[Vetech63]

This last Tuesday I got a call from the general super. I haven't heard a word from anyone for a while so I was surprised. I could definitely hear the frustration in his voice as he requested my help with 3 rollers, so I accepted.

The first was the Sakai that someone had started, and it immediately shot oil from under the hood. Seems LMM took of the vibrator drive valve from the pump and left the machine sitting there for a few days. I called LMM about the valve and why it was removed. He stated that he had a new valve to install but he was home sick..........it was removed and to be replaced hoping to correct the vibrator issue it was having. I go get the new valve from him and install it with new bolts (he had cut the bolt heads to remove it)...........and of course it wasn't the problem. The system won't work without electrical power which it had none. I had it picked up and hauled to the yard.

Roller 2 was a Bomag BW211.........vibrator sluggish and slow. LMM told me he had changed a vibrator motor hose and that the vibratory started acting up right after. I started it and set the vibe on high amp.........I could hear the motor bypassing fluid. I pulled the back of the motor off and sure enough.........the valve plate and rotating group are trashed. I assume when he changed the hose that he knocked a chuck of dirt in the port. That machine I also sent to the yard..........going to be a $8K repair by the time this one is done.

The 3rd was another Bomag BW21. Would drive fine on flat hard ground but on an incline or soft material it would stall. Come to find out, it wasn't stalling...........I could hear the rear diff gearing grinding. This will be a huge repair cost. I did see where it looked like the rear diff was leaking oil so at the moment, I am assuming it is out of oil....for a while now. It is at the yard waiting on me to get to it.

They also want 2 700K dozers gone over and repair whatever they need as the are NOT going to be sold now. I'm currently installing 2 track groups on the first one. Lots of expensive work...........and the wife's machine shop is buried with work. It's going to be a long few weeks ahead.