Wikiposts
Search
Australia, New Zealand & the Pacific Airline and RPT Rumours & News in Australia, enZed and the Pacific

QANTAS - Last To Spot A Trend

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old 24th Oct 2011, 02:57
  #1 (permalink)  
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: moon
Posts: 3,564
Received 90 Likes on 33 Posts
QANTAS - Last To Spot A Trend

Hey! I know! Lets all get our aircraft maintained by dirt cheap Chinese labor in China!

It's taken how long for Qantas to spot a trend? Ten years? Bunnings was selling Chinese power tools at least Ten years ago.

So anyway Qantas management heaves itself off its backside, looks around and decides that China is the flavor of the moment - Ten years to Fifteen years after retailers and miners worked this out. But Hey! Airlines are conservative right? So why does it matter when we go to China as long as we go?

Because the Chinese cost advantage is already disappearing! Qantas is too late, you missed the boat! Remember you heard it first from Sunfish:

Meanwhile, the China-US seesaw is about to swing the other way. Offshoring is out, 're-inshoring' is the new fashion.

"Made in America, Again" - a report this month by Boston Consulting Group - said Chinese wage inflation running at 16pc a year for a decade has closed much of the cost gap. China is no longer the "default location" for cheap plants supplying the US.

A "tipping point" is near in computers, electrical equipment, machinery, autos and motor parts, plastics and rubber, fabricated metals, and even furniture.

"A surprising amount of work that rushed to China over the past decade could soon start to come back," said BCG's Harold Sirkin.

The gap in "productivity-adjusted wages" will narrow from 22pc of US levels in 2005 to 43pc (61pc for the US South) by 2015. Add in shipping costs, reliability woes, technology piracy, and the advantage shifts back to the US.

The list of "repatriates" is growing. Farouk Systems is bringing back assembly of hair dryers to Texas after counterfeiting problems; ET Water Systems has switched its irrigation products to California; Master Lock is returning to Milwaukee, and NCR is bringing back its ATM output to Georgia. NatLabs is coming home to Florida.

Boston Consulting expects up to 800,000 manufacturing jobs to return to the US by mid-decade, with a multiplier effect creating 3.2m in total. This would take some sting out of the Long Slump.





World power swings back to America - Telegraph
Sunfish is offline  
Old 24th Oct 2011, 03:26
  #2 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: May 2000
Location: vic
Age: 23
Posts: 297
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
boston consulting says so. It must be right then eh Brucey boy?
dodgybrothers is offline  
Old 24th Oct 2011, 03:28
  #3 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Sydney
Posts: 498
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Qantas is too late, you missed the boat! Remember you heard it first from Sunfish:
That sounds all too familiar. QANTAS missed the boat on 777's, new generation 747's and John Borghetti.

What did we get instead? A380's, getting 787's, Alan Joyce and a shrinking company!
QF94 is offline  
Old 24th Oct 2011, 03:33
  #4 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Look up and wave
Posts: 359
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Don't forget the pride of the southern hemisphere, Bruce Buchanan. The rattle snake salesman himself.

The only thing more worrying than Alan Joyce as Qantas CEO is Bruce Buchanan.

Mark my words, he will replace Joyce at it will be business as usual at RedQ HQ on Coward Street.
MACH082 is offline  
Old 24th Oct 2011, 03:39
  #5 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Brisbane
Posts: 219
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
RedQ HQ
I thought FarQ had a better ring to it...
virgindriver is offline  
Old 24th Oct 2011, 03:46
  #6 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Alabama, then Wyoming, then Idaho and now staying with Kharon on Styx houseboat
Age: 61
Posts: 1,437
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
No doubt BCG hand delivered a copy of this report to both Bruce and Alan, and it was encrusted with diamonds and gold borders, all for an attractive fee?

What a load of bollocks, as Sunfish said, this is old news, China is no longer 'the new black'. Actually, why don't QF hire Sunfish as a Consultant, he could provide better advice at a third of the cost of other 'consultants' and still make enough coin in 1 year to live happily off for the next half century.
gobbledock is offline  
Old 24th Oct 2011, 05:02
  #7 (permalink)  
Sprucegoose
 
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: Hughes Point, where life is great! Was also resident on page 13, but now I'm lost in Cyberspace....
Age: 59
Posts: 3,485
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like on 1 Post
There's always India, although they aren't far behind China in growth.

Africa will be the home of cheap manufacturing over the next 30-40 years. The recent over throwing of despots will go some of the way to making this a reality.
Howard Hughes is offline  
Old 24th Oct 2011, 06:58
  #8 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Sydney NSW Australia
Posts: 3,051
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
i was thinking the same thing, India is the next big factory.
Ultralights is offline  
Old 24th Oct 2011, 06:59
  #9 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Always changing
Posts: 202
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Do you really want India maintaining anything - Dodgy brothers country.
Baileys is offline  
Old 24th Oct 2011, 07:01
  #10 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Sydney NSW Australia
Posts: 3,051
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
and China wasn't? all that matters is the $,
Ultralights is offline  
Old 24th Oct 2011, 07:13
  #11 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: The Bubble
Posts: 642
Likes: 0
Received 2 Likes on 1 Post
The only thing that has protected the aircraft maintenance of Qantas aircraft in Australia is the clause in the Qantas Sale Act that says the majority must be done here.

But it never stopped Qantas management threatening their workers with their jobs in an indirect way or 'no getting the contract' if they didn't sign up to particular clauses in the previous EBA's. Or as they would probably call it, robust industrial relations.
600ft-lb is offline  
Old 24th Oct 2011, 07:31
  #12 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Alabama, then Wyoming, then Idaho and now staying with Kharon on Styx houseboat
Age: 61
Posts: 1,437
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
So where is the 'R' regulator in all of this? Is the regulator ensuring that QF is carrying out 'change management' processes in line with its necessity to comply with it's safety management system? Do the comments that QF management are making about staff redundancies and the threatening manner these messages are being delivered via media outlets as well as unproven statements about death threats being made constitute a 'just culture' which is also required under the regulations?
gobbledock is offline  
Old 26th Oct 2011, 22:19
  #13 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: Outofoz
Posts: 720
Likes: 0
Received 10 Likes on 7 Posts
Stick with it victor two. You say it enough times you'll begin to believe you're own propaganda. As for virgin, the latest press releases highlight the burgeoning gap.......
News and Press Releases | Virgin Australia
News and Press Releases | Virgin Australia
The little birdie is telling everyone within qantas, the enemy is outside, not within.
It's a shame Strambi, Joyce, Clifford and Buchanan fail to understand this.
hotnhigh is offline  
Old 26th Oct 2011, 22:35
  #14 (permalink)  
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: moon
Posts: 3,564
Received 90 Likes on 33 Posts
Victor Two, the sheep are the Board and Senior Management of Qantas who do not understand reality.

Chinese minimum wages grew 22% this year.

China's minimum wage shows average increase of 22% this year

If you extrapolate that trend and combine it with the inevitable decision to float the Yuan instead of keeping it pegged ludicrously low, then your costs of offshoring and outsourcing to China are only going to rise in future.

From my own experience as a senior manager in an outsourcing operation, once Qantas puts all its eggs in the outsourcing basket by closing/downsizing the remainder of its heavy maintenance facilities, the MRO's will raise their prices - negating any outsourcing advantage.

Then there is the issue of losing control of a core competency - for example outsourcing RB211 maintenance was such a good move wasn't it? A double engine shutdown on a B747 is now on the cards.

The net effect of all this is that once the Board realises that outsourcing has not only cost them money, but surrendered control of core competencies, and with it the Qantas reputation for safety and reliability, then they will have to bring these functions back on shore, and I don't think the airline has the capital to allow that to happen.

I've watched this cyclical behavior play out in the IT industry many times.

Last edited by Sunfish; 27th Oct 2011 at 00:08.
Sunfish is offline  
Old 26th Oct 2011, 23:04
  #15 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Alabama, then Wyoming, then Idaho and now staying with Kharon on Styx houseboat
Age: 61
Posts: 1,437
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Victor two stroke, you better get back to your trailer before somebody steals your flannelette shirt and overflowing ashtray.
gobbledock is offline  
Old 26th Oct 2011, 23:07
  #16 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Stralya
Posts: 577
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
The whole Chinese miracle hasn't worked so well for Sue Morphett and Pacific Brands...
QFinsider is offline  
Old 26th Oct 2011, 23:29
  #17 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: goulburn
Posts: 393
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Pac Brands certainly worked well for Sue because she got to keep her total remuneration despite dismal strategy and poor outcomes for all.

Therein lies the lesson...they don't give a stuff as long as they get the money and move on before it has any consequences for them.

It is up to the Boards to take a stand and the other problem is if they penalise the CEO they have to admit to their own errors unless they can prove strategy was correct and just poor implementation.

Qantas will not get away with that one because history will show the strategy was the problem.
ohallen is offline  
Old 26th Oct 2011, 23:37
  #18 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Apr 2000
Location: Oz
Posts: 754
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Originally Posted by victor two
Blah rant insult rant blah insult insult something indecipherable
Nice day for trolling, eh?
DutchRoll is offline  

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off



Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.