Mousetrap 301

Forbes Magazine ^ | 07.21.03 | Jerry Flint

[Dead Dog]

Mousetrap 301

People in Detroit forgot for decades about building a
better product. They are paying the price and will
lose more market share. The good news: They
are waking up.

Whatever happened to the precept that business success
hangs on building a better product? Remember? Build
a better mousetrap and the world will beat a path
to your door. Over several decades that message
seemed to be lost in the auto industry.

Company executives or Wall Street analysts would go on
and on about cash flow analysis, tax strategies, pension problems, cost-cutting, globalism,
synergies, shareholder value, brands and what the buyers want, which always turned out
to be something modestly inferior but cheap to build.

http://www.forbes.com/columnists/forbes/2003/0721/073.html

[Rodney King]

I didn't read the whole thing. However, I bought a new 2001 Ford Ranger. Compared to an Nissan, Toyota, or Honda, its a piece of crap. I won't make the mistake of buying American again.

[Mind-numbed Robot]

Many companies have become entwined in their own string of financial cuteness through the years, as if doing all the latest managing gimmicks would automatically spit a salable product out the other end. Throw in dealing with government regulations, unions, and affirmative action and you get the scenario envisioned by the left - the industrial giant USA immobilized by the thousands of threads tied by the Lilliputian leftists.

[Dead Dog]

My wife just bought a Jeep Liberty, so far the craftsmanship has been excellent, and it doesn't have the cheap feel of a toyota.

I've got a Ford fanger with 260K miles on it. I can't complaign.

[Dead Dog]

fanger=Ranger (Mazda B3000s were same, just re-badged)

[Rodney King]

My wife just bought a Jeep Liberty, so far the craftsmanship has been excellent

Those sure look nice.

[Dead Dog]

She's put 3K miles on it in less then a month. She's very happy with it.