Big_Mack Posted February 20, 2008 Author Share Posted February 20, 2008 "They" the employees don't pay for them. "They" the company has to pay for them from whoever they are getting the lease. It's quite common practice in most larger companies. It's easier to just return old machines at the end of lease and get a brand new machine from the supplier than to have to deal with mountains of outdated junk every few years. I was about to say...I didn't think Ford was in that bad of shape... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theoldwizard Posted February 21, 2008 Share Posted February 21, 2008 It's quite common practice in most larger companies. It's easier to just return old machines at the end of lease and get a brand new machine from the supplier than to have to deal with mountains of outdated junk every few years. In general, your statement is true, but only if you are leasing the absolute bottom of the line. Another example. About 6 years ago, we leased about 150, top of the line, Dell "workstation" class PC. After the 3 year lease expired, I worked with some folks and we did a cost analysis (Yes, engineers know how to do a cost analysis.) We looked at the buyout cost, (which was still pretty high, despite the fact that the lease rate is basically cost/lease time), the cost of extending service and the cost of software maintenance versus leasing new equipment over the next 3 year period. We would have had to take a serious "downgrade" in computing capability to save any money. No one was willing to "downgrade", but a handful (10-20) needed to upgrade. The upgrade candidatess were traded in and new lease were procured. The real issue was the bureaucracy. It took over 3 months to get the cost numbers. Then we had to go to multiple meetings with IT and finance to explain them. Their immediate response was always, "Your numbers are wrong !" Our response was, "You gave them to us !" After many meetings and haggling the purchase went through, but not until the lease company got an addition 6 months worth of lease fees, pushing our "break even date" out further. IT's lease database is so screwed up, one of our purchased machines was taken from someones desk and replaced by a slower machine because "the lease was up". The only reason it was retrieved was we threatened the IT VP by telling him we were going to file a police report for stolen equipment and list his employee as the perpetrator. In the end we saved additional money by not having a hardware maintenance agreement at all. With all of the people leaving we have a "junkyard" full of still very usable machines. A couple of the original machines have had disk failures, but they came with 3 anyway, and most people were using them, so we threw away the bad disk and went on without it ! IT, Finance and Purchasing all hated us because we weren't "team players", but we have saved the company $10s of thousands every year. The moral is: the 3 year computer lease is a scam. It saves the Finance people from having to track an asset and it is an immediate write off (expense versus capital). I don't know how much that is worth in the big scheme of things, but if you can buy a "good" computer and can be productive with it 6 years later, you are way ahead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scmustang Posted February 21, 2008 Share Posted February 21, 2008 Hello everyone! This is my first post as a member here, and I just want to know if there are any engineers from Ford here. Right now I am a student at West Virginia University, and I am doing an engineering co-op program with Volvo Powertrain North America. So far I love working with Volvo, as it has always been my dream to be an engineer in the automotive industry(namely Ford Motor Company). I've been a die-hard Ford guy all my life and I hope to work for Ford sometime soon. If there are some Ford engineers here, how do you like working for the blue oval? Also, anybody here ever intern with Ford? If so, how was it? i am with powertrain Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big_Mack Posted February 23, 2008 Author Share Posted February 23, 2008 i am with powertrain Cool man, what area do you work in? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bystander Posted February 23, 2008 Share Posted February 23, 2008 Retired last year after almost 31 years. NA Engineering is in kind of sad shape at the moment. Over 33% of salaried are gone (retired, buyout, "involuntary termination" or more and more just quit) in just the past 3 or 4 years. More cuts coming. At least another 10%. Interesting/exciting projects (EcoBoost) are being outsourced. It was really sad when they closed the POEE Building last year. That building housed HF I's office and library. It was the first building ever built by HF exclusively for engineering. Most of the engineers remaining are in their late 30's or 40's (Ford hasn't been hiring engineers for a long time, except in a few niche areas, and with buyouts, the young guys have all left) and are working their butts off (50 hr/week without OT pay is standard, many are working more) hoping to keep their job, pay the mortgage and save enough for the kids to go college Sigh. They closed the POEE building? Where did they move the occupants? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Rosadini Posted February 23, 2008 Share Posted February 23, 2008 Big Mack, Welcone to BON. In addition to being a Ford nut, I'm also a Mack nut! Make that Old Mack nut. I have two B Models, a 1960 and a 63. These were true Macks- engine transmissions and rears. In the old days, that was the reason to buy a Mack- it was a truly integrated truck. Of late, the Bulldog has been dragging around a lot of baggage. You wouldn't believe the vocational fleets here in the Northeast that were nothing but Mack in the old days, are now buying Petes, KW's, Internationals, Volvos etc. My company has a unit that is pretty much standardizing now on Volvo tractors. On another note, as far as construction equipment, you won't hear much negativity about Volvo's machines. Good luck in any case. Sounds like you have a great opportunity- learn all you can and don't be afraid to talk to the oldboys with a lttle gray hair. Nothing like experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Rosadini Posted February 23, 2008 Share Posted February 23, 2008 Retired last year after almost 31 years. NA Engineering is in kind of sad shape at the moment. Over 33% of salaried are gone (retired, buyout, "involuntary termination" or more and more just quit) in just the past 3 or 4 years. More cuts coming. At least another 10%. Interesting/exciting projects (EcoBoost) are being outsourced. It was really sad when they closed the POEE Building last year. That building housed HF I's office and library. It was the first building ever built by HF exclusively for engineering. OldWizard. Sad to read your story. I would imagine a lot of that is due to economics of having an engineer at the top of his salary range with 5 or 6 weeks vacation etc. Same old story all over. I also think its because often times outsourcing is in plain english, a lot easier with perceived less risk on the part of those higher up the 'food chain" If it fails,.."hey the contractor blew it" Let's hope that Mulaly, an engineer, can see through the bullshit. By the way, who did the Ecoboost? Roush? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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