6 ms·

One possibility: that mindset of mediocrity doesn't produce excellence. Apple, for example, is famous for caring about things that rationally they shouldn't ca

by kjksf 8y ago

One possibility: that mindset of mediocrity doesn't produce excellence. Apple, for example, is famous for caring about things that rationally they shouldn't care, like the insides of their computers. And since history is written by victors and we apply post factum rationalization, no one says that Apple is wrong to care about details that are arguably irrelevant to the success. The same will happen with Tesla. If Tesla is successful then Musk will be a genius with uncompromising standard for quality. If Tesla will fail then Musk will be an idiot whose hubris, micro-management and inability to prioritize doomed the company. And reality is that neither you or me have enough information to judge this decision one way or another. You weren't there and the it was probably more complicated that what you assume based on zero data. According to reports Tesla started doing seats in-house when a contractor that was supposedly an experienced seat maker failed to produce Model X seats which contributed to 18 month delay in delivering the car.

FireBeyond 8y ago
> One possibility: that mindset of mediocrity doesn't produce excellence. > Apple, for example, is famous for caring about things that rationally they shouldn't care, like the insides of their computers. Except, by all accounts and opinions, there's a fair degree of interior "mediocrity". Whilst the screen is all flashy and showy, the dash, console are pretty "average". And by average I mean, creaking, flimsy-ish, plastic parts. Even on a $100,000+ Model S. My Altima has a comparable dash to the Model S. My Audi S class? Hugely better, objectively and subjectively.
Pywarrior 8y ago
A key elements of successful outsourcing are defining quality standards and remediation processes in the case the supplier quality changes and fails to meet those standards. Outsourcing can often and if managed well likely lead to higher quality components. A successful automotive supply chain is deeply rooted in the division and specialization of labor in the supply chain. Partnering with Recaro is one option that would have resulted in high quality seats built to OEM spec, it would have also brought a lot of positive media, it would have allowed cross marketing between the companies, it would have allowed Tesla purchasing executives and engineers to collaborate with experts in seat engineering and manufacturing. They could have also shared all the warranty costs with Recaro or whatever supplier they chose. Using suppliers does not automatically mean lower quality. My bet is on internal Tesla disorganization and or low standards that caused the supplier relationship to fail. Recaro for reference: https://en.recaro.com/business-areas/automotive-seating.html https://en.recaro.com/business-areas/automotive-seating.html
hndamien 8y ago
I believe this is also to do with political power (as is much of this play). The car dealship issue/ selling direct, was about power. The reasons the seats were delayed was because they also contract with other car companies - so, priorities. This political mechanism applies to ever aspect of the car. If you build it all yourself, your competitors have 0 power over what you do.

by kjksf 8y ago

FireBeyond 8y ago

> One possibility: that mindset of mediocrity doesn't produce excellence. > Apple, for example, is famous for caring about things that rationally they shouldn't care, like the insides of their computers. Except, by all accounts and opinions, there's a fair degree of interior "mediocrity". Whilst the screen is all flashy and showy, the dash, console are pretty "average". And by average I mean, creaking, flimsy-ish, plastic parts. Even on a $100,000+ Model S. My Altima has a comparable dash to the Model S. My Audi S class? Hugely better, objectively and subjectively.

Pywarrior 8y ago

A key elements of successful outsourcing are defining quality standards and remediation processes in the case the supplier quality changes and fails to meet those standards. Outsourcing can often and if managed well likely lead to higher quality components. A successful automotive supply chain is deeply rooted in the division and specialization of labor in the supply chain. Partnering with Recaro is one option that would have resulted in high quality seats built to OEM spec, it would have also brought a lot of positive media, it would have allowed cross marketing between the companies, it would have allowed Tesla purchasing executives and engineers to collaborate with experts in seat engineering and manufacturing. They could have also shared all the warranty costs with Recaro or whatever supplier they chose. Using suppliers does not automatically mean lower quality. My bet is on internal Tesla disorganization and or low standards that caused the supplier relationship to fail. Recaro for reference: https://en.recaro.com/business-areas/automotive-seating.html https://en.recaro.com/business-areas/automotive-seating.html

hndamien 8y ago

I believe this is also to do with political power (as is much of this play). The car dealship issue/ selling direct, was about power. The reasons the seats were delayed was because they also contract with other car companies - so, priorities. This political mechanism applies to ever aspect of the car. If you build it all yourself, your competitors have 0 power over what you do.