So seriously ... would you buy one of these Kawasakis?

[Grumpy Goat]

Interesting story ... Good too ...

[Lee]

The title makes it sound like you would not buy one.
Am I reading that right?

I wonder what percentage of the employees work the short shift?

[TriangleRider]

The title makes it sound like you would not buy one.
Am I reading that right?

I don't understand the question either.

[maxredline]

Do you want a Deli worker putting your bike together?
I assume these workers are not getting benefits with a sort shift.

[Lee]

Do you want a Deli worker putting your bike together?
I assume these workers are not getting benefits with a sort shift.

It used to be places would only pay partial benefits for those kind of hours.
Hard to say now. Places are desperate to get people to work.

I wonder if the motorcycle plants are trying the same short shift? The Lincoln plant builds ATV, UTV and watercraft.
We have a Kawasaki plant 70 miles south of us that builds engines for yard and garden equipment.
I don't know where the motorcycle plants are in the US.

[TriangleRider]

Do you want a Deli worker putting your bike together?
I assume these workers are not getting benefits with a sort shift.

Are you saying they aren't being trained? If they are building motors on a Kawi assembly line they aren't deli workers, they are engine builders.  It doesn't require an engineering degree to assemble a motor on a well-designed factory assembly line.  

Who is more likely to make a mistake, the assembler working five hour shift or the assembler working the 12 hour shift?  

Their benefit is a 9 to 2 shift five days a week.  Good for them.

[Lee]

Are you saying they aren't being trained? If they are building motors on a Kawi assembly line they aren't deli workers, they are engine builders.  It doesn't require an engineering degree to assemble a motor on a well-designed factory assembly line.  

Who is more likely to make a mistake, the assembler working five hour shift or the assembler working the 12 hour shift?  

Their benefit is a 9 to 2 shift five days a week.  Good for them.

I agree.

[Grumpy Goat]

Great discussion so far ... one that I hoped the subject line would provoke.

I personally think it's a fine idea and if they are trained properly, I see no difference between these workers and the "regular" ones. However, there are some people maybe in this Forum Community (maybe even in this thread) who might think twice before buying, say an RS assembled in Vietnam vs one assembled in Berlin. Forget Vietnam ... China ... ? 

Some of us have pre-conceived notions of quality based on who is assembling / where the factory is located ...

[Lee]

However, there are some people maybe in this Forum Community (maybe even in this thread) who might think twice before buying, say and RS assembled in Vietnam vs one assembled in Berlin. Forget Vietnam ... China ... ? 

Some of us have pre-conceived notions of quality based on who is assembling / where the factory is located ...

You lost me.
What does the video have to do with any of that?

[Motorhead1977]

I wouldn't have an issue buying a product made on that line/shift. It sounds like those workers are very motivated and satisfied. Should make for exceptional quality output I would think. Thanks for posing the question GG.

[Ray]

The debate is interesting, but as I recall, at this point it is moot. The engines built in Lincoln don't go into motorcycles, and I don't need a 4-wheel ATV or mule.

I know part of the folklore of US-built Kawi's was that the original plant was an old slaughterhouse in Chicago.

My era - the '75 KZ400 was a Lincoln NE product and for one year - the KZ900. Later ZX-11 and others.

Lots of cruisers and - more folklore - a few times, US-built Kawasakis outsold US-built Harleys.

My understanding is that Kawasaki stopped building bikes in the US in 2005.

[36654]

The only problem with the plan is health insurance. All the other benefits can be pro-rated to the hours worked. But, US Health Insurance is priced on a per person basis at $800~1100 / month (total, employee and employer cost).

[Lee]

I think it was a smart move by the plant to try the 5 hour shift. Companies need to be creative now to get people to apply and stay.
The ones with kids in school probably want to stay with that shift but others may move up to full time as they get experience.

I didn't know motorcycle or auto related plants did not use part time workers so it would have no impact on my decision to buy from that company.
When I purchased my John Deere mower I did not check to see if there were part time employees at the Maryville plant.

[Grumpy Goat]

I wouldn't have an issue buying a product made on that line/shift. It sounds like those workers are very motivated and satisfied. Should make for exceptional quality output I would think. Thanks for posing the question GG.

That was my take as well. 

As a purchaser of the products, I'd only be concerned that their operating processes ensured that the people were properly trained and that their assembly tasks were broken down in such a way that it supported an initially less skilled workforce could do it while maintaining the same level of quality assurance. 

If that is the case then the fact that they are well motivated (due to the good pay), probably less tired (due to the shorter hours), and (probably most importantly to those people) more at ease (due to the timing of the shift) means that the output would probably be even better than a conventional shift operation.

I applaud Kawasaki for taking that initiative and giving it a go.

[Lee]

Here's a 2014 video of the plant.
https://youtu.be/7Oe7besB6XM


This 2014 video shows the Rail Cars.

https://youtu.be/gqvEyRQMUVs

[maxredline]

I think it was a smart move by the plant to try the 5 hour shift. Companies need to be creation now to get people to apply and stay.
The ones with kids in school probably want to stay with that shift but others may move up to full time as they get experience.

If companies are doing this for the right reasons and training is not just in name, good on them.
In my experience I have never seen this, call me jaded but that is my truth.

[Harry]

I think it's a good idea obviously these people are trained in the assembly of whatever parts they are making and I assume there are inspectors there who would check everything before the products leave the plant. If the company are prepared to have shift patterns that suit people then well done them. Truth is it's a global economy now and no bike / car is 100% American / British / German etc. Triumph who make a big issue of being a British bike manufacturer and  cover their bikes with Union Flag graphics are mostly built in Thailand although they are bringing more production jobs back to the UK.