I was looking for product manufacturer on the web this morning. I found a few sites, but one was notable due to the PDF's available for download. That was good, since the engineering information was available.
I downloaded the information, which caused a few computer glitches due to the size of the files. I've had this happen before, but it's a minor inconvenience. Giving an engineer the information they need for product approval is a good thing.
So, I called the nearest sales office. It was disconnected. No problem, they probably moved and haven't updated their website. I tried the next to nearest; same thing; disconnected. Last option was to call corporate, which I did. I was rewarded with a recorded message asking me to refinance while the interest rates are low.
Long story short: I did a little research and found the company, which is a really big company, dropped this particular product. There was not enough money to be made, I guess. They do have a wonderful, useless web site.
Remember having to dig through the Thomas Register?
ReplyDeleteI spent hours trying to find various things; even went to the library when the company books were too old. Many busineses didn't have 800 numbers, so you were miserly with time on the telephone.
ReplyDeleteThose were different times: no cell phone; no internet; no computers. Bids were on columner pads and rough calculations were written on legal pads. If you were lucky, you had a top-of-the line calculator, like a Royal.
Lucky me, I had a monitor manufacturer fold on me while I was trying to order spare parts.
ReplyDeleteWe have a tool carrier at work purchased at an auction. It was in good shape and we've only had to change some directional solonoids for the transmission, which was a royal pain.
ReplyDeleteThe manufacturer was a cooperative effort between a United States manufacturer and a Czechoslovokian manufacture. They folded, which left a machine that has a hodge-podge of components from around the world.
I found the solonoid by chasing down the German manufacturer and finding a local supplier. It took time, and for awhile, I wondered if I was wasting my time.
I have a feeling the future isn't real bright for this machine.