Re: Totally disgusted with Leupold
brand692, you nailed it with <span style="font-weight: bold">QC</span> and <span style="font-weight: bold">CS</span>. I would add another: <span style="font-weight: bold">Commitment</span>. On another board, one member (Thud) called my earlier post "whiney", and perhaps it sounded that way. That was not the intent. I think perhaps Thud is involved and I am committed. The difference is found in your typical breakfast of ham and eggs: the chicken is involved and the pig is committed.
It saddens me to see great companies stop caring about the very customers who contributed to their success. Although the hunter is Leupold's bread and butter, how many ads have you seen over the years cashing in on demanding benchrest shooters and rugged military/tactical shooters choosing Leupold? Minute of deer is not that hard to achieve but precision shooters, short and long distance, are a whole other breed and if these guys choose Leupold, they had to be the best. Quality by association.
<span style="font-weight: bold">Customer Service:</span> My wife spent 26 years in Customer Service for a hydraulics manufacturer who supplied John Deere, JI Case, Caterpillar, and others. She would get up from her desk (honestly), walk out to the shop floor, and rummage through boxes, to find parts for customers who had equipment down....even when the computer said they were out of stock. Several times I have seen her drive our own vehicle, using our gas, on her own time, to deliver a needed part to the airport, after hours, to get a customer's part to them. Caterpillar,JD, and the little guy surely appreciated that. Sadly, that company was bought out, they relocated CS, and she left to build BMWs in Spartanburg, SC. The customer service profession lost a great one.
<span style="font-weight: bold">Quality Assurance/Control:</span> After military service, school, and construction work in my twenties, I have spent 24 years in quality assurance performing detailed part layouts in precision measurement labs. After 11 years in hydraulics, 10 years in automotive fuel pumps, and now three in plastic injection molding components, I have some understanding of drawings, tolerances, and sound measurement principles. Although my primary tools are Coordinate Measuring Machines, I have purchased/programmed/operated many types of costly dimensioning equipment. (One machine alone cost $100K plus to determine how "round" a part is.) All of this to verify that the measured part meets drawing requirements and report my findings to engineering/quality/manufacturing. When parts are reported to be out-of-spec, there is a strong desire to "shoot the messenger." Next is a strong push to "find it in spec." Finally, comes the decision to reject, rework, or use as is. With the implementation of Just in Time manufacturing, more frequently the decision has been to "use as is" because the part is really "good enough." Therein lies the quality problem: "good enough" becomes the slippery slope to canted reticles and faulty accelerators/brake pedals. If these two giants can fail, how safe is our manufacturing base with this "good enough" mindset?
<span style="font-weight: bold">Commitment:</span> I measure to the best of my ability, report as accurately as I can, and stand my ground as best I can. I don't always win but I do have the courage of my convictions. I resigned the hydraulics company after I discovered that my Corporate QA director had forged a dimensional layout which was rejected by the military contractor. I was directed to clean up his mess. I protested up to the company President, received no support, and resigned.
<span style="font-weight: bold">Lastly, Thud</span>, in your 6mm BR dot com profile, you list your occupation as manufacturing guru. Perhaps that explains your interpretation of my post as whiney. Dedicated QA people are a thorn in manufacturing's side. In your personal attack on me, you suggested that I get over it, move on to another product, and shut up. I will never get over my distaste for Leupold's current business ethics. I have moved on to: 9 NF NXSs, 1 S&B, 2 Eotechs, and 2 ACOGs. I will shut up when I choose, not at your command. Rather than debate you, sir, I will simply invite you to join me in my commitment to turn manufacturing around in this country. Be part of the solution and not part of the problem. Be committed---not involved. Don't accept making parts that are "good enough." We all lose when that happens.