Subtitle:How to take a really good concept and roger it senseless.
I'm mostly a patient person and very few things really get my goat. One of the things that does is incompetence. Not from people who are incapable but from those who should be able to achieve better than they actually do. This applies equally to organisations that do not perform as well as the sum of their parts indicates they should and at the moment I am putting FPV fair and square in that category. Underperformers.
This is no reflection on the many hard working people who strive to produce a quality product but rather more a shot at some of the back room boys who seem to have not quite got their heads in the right place. Or more correctly they seem to have them in the wrong place which is up their ass.
From an outsiders view, FPV gives the appearance of an organisation that has bitten off a fair bit more than it can chew at the moment. With the introduction of the BA XR, FPV GT and the added burden of FPR it may well be a case that the resources are being stretched a bit too far. But I'm not here to make excuses - in the final analysis the paying punter has a right to expect that he is handing over his folding stuff to people who have a clue what they are doing and I'm not overly convinced that this is the case. If that upsets some people then so be it. It's an opinion and you can do with it what you will.
Now I don't like to present unsupported arguments so bear with me while I build my case.
It is fairly well documented that there have been extensive delays in the release of various FPV related product.Let us look at some of these in a little more detail.
1. XR8 automatic transmissions - not directly FPVs fault but the delays still impacted on the release of this product and caused delays for customers and this process should have been managed better both from an engineering view and customer expectations.
2. Shortages. Here we can list wheel shortages, paint shortages, painted part shortages (bumpers), trim shortages (well none isn't actually a shortage) and probably others as well that I don't know about. Worse still they are still continuing. The worst thing you could order at the moment would be a Blueprint GT-p with cloth seats - good luck if you have one on order. Now these shortages are in the control of FPV even if they are reliant on external providers - the responsibility for ordering sufficient stock is in the hands of both the product planners (to predict build numbers and mix) and those who actually order components and deal with suppliers. Seems that FPV have traded JIT (just in time) for WTL (way too late) in this area and it isn't good enough.
3. Production scheduling. Not probably known by many but the assumption that cars are built in much the order they are ordered is a fallacy at FPV. For whatever reason (presumably the shortages mentioned above) the only orders that were filled when production first ramped up were those that fit the available parts. Consequently a number of newly ordered cars that were fortunate enough to meet the available build specs got built before those who had been waitring for months. Another positive step on the road to customer loyalty and satisfaction.
.. and the delays continue......
I'm reminded of a comment made by one of the US Ford Engineers who expressed his surprise that the FPV engineers had managed to produce the Boss "hybrid" engine in such a short time but perhaps we are starting to understand now that there might have been a small lack of attention to detail in that development process. Not that all of the blame for the present delays can be laid at FPVs door but some of it belongs there. Either way it's the customer that gets the short end of the stick again although the lack of cash flow must be starting to bite at FPV by now. Don't ship - don't get paid.
It is admirable that FPV are making an effort to ensure that the product is free from major bugs and I am happy about that but there is also such a thing as timeliness and communication and frankly on both points the score is a big fat zero. The dealer network is fed half baked information (mostly because they aren't trusted) and thus the customer is fed a combination of half truths and garbage that isn't terribly palatable. Heaven forbid (of course) that a manufacturer would publicly acknowledge problems until well after the fact (where they get referred to as "challenges") but it would be really nice for someone to start the trend. Dreaming again I know.
In conclusion let me say that I am disappointed in the performance of the totality that is FPV. I'm sure that HJ isn't overly impressed with some of it either but as a good boss he will defend his people as he should. They are mostly good people - certainly those I've met who have a committment to excellence that must be causing them some frustration in the present unfortunate circumstances. None the less I return to the view of the paying punter. It is unacceptable that cars have sat at FPV for months (as some have) and that the car park there presently resembles a Coles car park (but with better parking). In my view it is time the game was lifted a few notches and quickly.
If this has rambled a bit then please accept my apologies. It's been edited numerous times to remove some of the detail, invective and potentially defamatory comments made in the original version.
I'm mostly a patient person and very few things really get my goat. One of the things that does is incompetence. Not from people who are incapable but from those who should be able to achieve better than they actually do. This applies equally to organisations that do not perform as well as the sum of their parts indicates they should and at the moment I am putting FPV fair and square in that category. Underperformers.
This is no reflection on the many hard working people who strive to produce a quality product but rather more a shot at some of the back room boys who seem to have not quite got their heads in the right place. Or more correctly they seem to have them in the wrong place which is up their ass.
From an outsiders view, FPV gives the appearance of an organisation that has bitten off a fair bit more than it can chew at the moment. With the introduction of the BA XR, FPV GT and the added burden of FPR it may well be a case that the resources are being stretched a bit too far. But I'm not here to make excuses - in the final analysis the paying punter has a right to expect that he is handing over his folding stuff to people who have a clue what they are doing and I'm not overly convinced that this is the case. If that upsets some people then so be it. It's an opinion and you can do with it what you will.
Now I don't like to present unsupported arguments so bear with me while I build my case.
It is fairly well documented that there have been extensive delays in the release of various FPV related product.Let us look at some of these in a little more detail.
1. XR8 automatic transmissions - not directly FPVs fault but the delays still impacted on the release of this product and caused delays for customers and this process should have been managed better both from an engineering view and customer expectations.
2. Shortages. Here we can list wheel shortages, paint shortages, painted part shortages (bumpers), trim shortages (well none isn't actually a shortage) and probably others as well that I don't know about. Worse still they are still continuing. The worst thing you could order at the moment would be a Blueprint GT-p with cloth seats - good luck if you have one on order. Now these shortages are in the control of FPV even if they are reliant on external providers - the responsibility for ordering sufficient stock is in the hands of both the product planners (to predict build numbers and mix) and those who actually order components and deal with suppliers. Seems that FPV have traded JIT (just in time) for WTL (way too late) in this area and it isn't good enough.
3. Production scheduling. Not probably known by many but the assumption that cars are built in much the order they are ordered is a fallacy at FPV. For whatever reason (presumably the shortages mentioned above) the only orders that were filled when production first ramped up were those that fit the available parts. Consequently a number of newly ordered cars that were fortunate enough to meet the available build specs got built before those who had been waitring for months. Another positive step on the road to customer loyalty and satisfaction.
.. and the delays continue......
I'm reminded of a comment made by one of the US Ford Engineers who expressed his surprise that the FPV engineers had managed to produce the Boss "hybrid" engine in such a short time but perhaps we are starting to understand now that there might have been a small lack of attention to detail in that development process. Not that all of the blame for the present delays can be laid at FPVs door but some of it belongs there. Either way it's the customer that gets the short end of the stick again although the lack of cash flow must be starting to bite at FPV by now. Don't ship - don't get paid.
It is admirable that FPV are making an effort to ensure that the product is free from major bugs and I am happy about that but there is also such a thing as timeliness and communication and frankly on both points the score is a big fat zero. The dealer network is fed half baked information (mostly because they aren't trusted) and thus the customer is fed a combination of half truths and garbage that isn't terribly palatable. Heaven forbid (of course) that a manufacturer would publicly acknowledge problems until well after the fact (where they get referred to as "challenges") but it would be really nice for someone to start the trend. Dreaming again I know.
In conclusion let me say that I am disappointed in the performance of the totality that is FPV. I'm sure that HJ isn't overly impressed with some of it either but as a good boss he will defend his people as he should. They are mostly good people - certainly those I've met who have a committment to excellence that must be causing them some frustration in the present unfortunate circumstances. None the less I return to the view of the paying punter. It is unacceptable that cars have sat at FPV for months (as some have) and that the car park there presently resembles a Coles car park (but with better parking). In my view it is time the game was lifted a few notches and quickly.
If this has rambled a bit then please accept my apologies. It's been edited numerous times to remove some of the detail, invective and potentially defamatory comments made in the original version.