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Did Musk really say that? The one impression I get of Tesla in terms of manufacturing...even overcoming all those setbacks is how they promised they to would bu

by fma 6y ago

Did Musk really say that? The one impression I get of Tesla in terms of manufacturing...even overcoming all those setbacks is how they promised they to would build ventilators for hospitals. Everyone Ooohhed and Aaahed over it. Tesla never produced any ventilators. They bought basically CPAP machines from China. And my current google says as of October, their partnership w/ Medtronics to produce ventillators never materialized. As of October, they're going to help Medtronic build a single part. A single part...9 months after Covid...Not impressed. Meanwhile, GM & Ford turned around and produced ventilators for our National Strategic Stockpile. https://www.tesmanian.com/blogs/tesmanian-blog/medtronic-partnership-with-elon-musks-spacex-will-save-lives https://www.tesmanian.com/blogs/tesmanian-blog/medtronic-par... https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-tesla-ventilator-controversy-explained-2020-4 https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-tesla-ventilator-c...

axaxs 6y ago
People in USA should really read about world war efforts. You had a typewriter company make the most iconic handgun of all time, and fledgling car companies building plane engines. It was a true feat of modern engineering, one I wonder if could ever happen again, given our lack of production prowess. The US now is full of product people who build overseas. While it's currently economically smart, it's a race to the bottom which eventually ends in completely foreign owned companies eating your lunch. It will be interesting to see how and if countries counter this eventuality.
- danielscrubs 6y ago
  How would you solve the incentives though? If you increase the import duty you can no longer compete globally (because of less competition), which has happened for steel for example. Is there any other way that works?
- simonh 6y ago
  Surely it's a race out of the bottom (low value assembly) towards the top (high value design, prototyping, software and services). What's the value of racing back down to the bottom again? I don't know the current BOM, but for most of it's history more of the value in the components in an iPhone was actually manufactured in the US than in China. Gorilla Glass in New York state, flash memory in Kentucky, the CPUs used to be made by Samsung in Texas. Final assembly is only a few bucks. A friend of mine here in the UK said the same ting to me a few years ago, his 6 year old boy was playing nearby so I asked him. Which would you prefer for your son, a job in design or software, or a job on an assembly line?
  - yazaddaruvala 6y ago
    I’m not smart enough to know, but my guess is that there is so much inefficient interconnection between components that it’s worth the effort for Apple, et-al to become supply chain specialists. For example with the M1 they didn’t just make a CPU they made an SOC that reduces the need for a heatsink and all the supply chain costs that go with it. If it were a simple one to one swap, without other efficiency improvements, I agree there is no incentive to take over that responsibility.
  - axaxs 6y ago
    I don't really follow. Why in your example can a locale not have both jobs? Doing one doesn't prohibit the other.
    - simonh 6y ago
      Sure, if you can make low end low skill low value final assembly economic go for it. I just think the race to the bottom narrative is inverted with respect to reality.

by fma 6y ago

axaxs 6y ago

People in USA should really read about world war efforts. You had a typewriter company make the most iconic handgun of all time, and fledgling car companies building plane engines. It was a true feat of modern engineering, one I wonder if could ever happen again, given our lack of production prowess. The US now is full of product people who build overseas. While it's currently economically smart, it's a race to the bottom which eventually ends in completely foreign owned companies eating your lunch. It will be interesting to see how and if countries counter this eventuality.

danielscrubs 6y ago
How would you solve the incentives though? If you increase the import duty you can no longer compete globally (because of less competition), which has happened for steel for example. Is there any other way that works?
simonh 6y ago
Surely it's a race out of the bottom (low value assembly) towards the top (high value design, prototyping, software and services). What's the value of racing back down to the bottom again? I don't know the current BOM, but for most of it's history more of the value in the components in an iPhone was actually manufactured in the US than in China. Gorilla Glass in New York state, flash memory in Kentucky, the CPUs used to be made by Samsung in Texas. Final assembly is only a few bucks. A friend of mine here in the UK said the same ting to me a few years ago, his 6 year old boy was playing nearby so I asked him. Which would you prefer for your son, a job in design or software, or a job on an assembly line?
- yazaddaruvala 6y ago
  I’m not smart enough to know, but my guess is that there is so much inefficient interconnection between components that it’s worth the effort for Apple, et-al to become supply chain specialists. For example with the M1 they didn’t just make a CPU they made an SOC that reduces the need for a heatsink and all the supply chain costs that go with it. If it were a simple one to one swap, without other efficiency improvements, I agree there is no incentive to take over that responsibility.
- axaxs 6y ago
  I don't really follow. Why in your example can a locale not have both jobs? Doing one doesn't prohibit the other.
  - simonh 6y ago
    Sure, if you can make low end low skill low value final assembly economic go for it. I just think the race to the bottom narrative is inverted with respect to reality.