Travel Chaos.

The black art of moving from A to B on foreign soil
User avatar
Scott_rider
Posts: 2436
Joined: Wed Mar 21, 2012 12:47 pm
Has thanked: 29 times
Been thanked: 294 times

Re: Travel Chaos.

Post by Scott_rider »

Dare I say that the “just in time” method of ordering and supplying everything has contributed to the traffic chaos and will back fire one day? That’s also been promoted to us as efficiency but it wasn’t too long ago that the BMW plant in Oxford nearly had to shut down because a minor part for the mini was stuck in transit. I seem to remember that they only hold parts on site for 2 hours of production time. Imagine if Amazon has an IT or supply problem one day….

:o
Suzuki GSX-S1000F...the KTM 450 EXC-R has gone
Richard Simpson Mark II
Posts: 3516
Joined: Tue May 09, 2017 9:03 pm
Has thanked: 1413 times
Been thanked: 1668 times

Re: Travel Chaos.

Post by Richard Simpson Mark II »

Exactly...JIT was great when we could be sure our supply lines were short and robust (for instance in car manufacturing Toyota had its supplier companies 'cluster' around its main production plants) but it doesn't suit in a world were components are sourced globally.
Crankshafts for Mini engines cross the Channel several times during the production process, and that's relatively local compared to the smaller, lighter and no less vital electronic bits and pieces that come from the Far East.

https://www.theguardian.com/business/20 ... britain-eu


JIT still has its place, but we also need reserves of stock JIC (Just In Case)
Dark Knight
Posts: 1025
Joined: Fri Apr 01, 2011 8:46 am
Been thanked: 99 times

Re: Travel Chaos.

Post by Dark Knight »

Talking about supply lines have you noticed that the motorbike dealers are not holding as many spares in stock as they used too, money tied up in stock I suppose.
Next thing, getting spares for discontinued models will become very difficukt.
Richard Simpson Mark II
Posts: 3516
Joined: Tue May 09, 2017 9:03 pm
Has thanked: 1413 times
Been thanked: 1668 times

Re: Travel Chaos.

Post by Richard Simpson Mark II »

That's another 'benefit' of what must not be mentioned...most of the major motorcycle manufacturers (like others in the automotive sector) have central parts warehouses in Northern Europe...typically Belgium or Netherlands.
Spike941
Posts: 1210
Joined: Wed Jan 08, 2014 8:36 pm
Location: Cotswolds
Has thanked: 303 times
Been thanked: 339 times

Re: Travel Chaos.

Post by Spike941 »

Back on topic, I’ve probably waited on my bike, dockside waiting for ferries, in the best part of 12 different countries over the years, many in extreme temperatures. 2 hour waits not unusual, but always prepare. As mentioned earlier, umbrella, sun hat & glasses, sun screen and water. Better get used to these delays I guess. Very rarely is shade provided for bikers, and only prioritised if the boat’s facing the right way, or you’re last on.
Post Reply

Return to “TRAVEL”