Kubota offering online parts

[Hay Dude]

Or sometimes large companies begin to decline when the original group that made them successful begin to retire. Whether mega-global or aging, they seem to quit doing what makes them special in the first place and simply become one of the masses.

For a corporation to age into mediocrity is so common that you'd think a few of them would figure out how to continue being successful with the policies that made them that way in the first place. They coud let society change around them instead of letting it change them.

That is such a simple inexpensive solution that there must be a few examples of companies who work that way.... I just can't seem to think of one this morning. It's easy to think of plenty of ones who went the othe way, though.

rScotty

I remember the Pennsylvania Railroad. A huge company that began “diversifying” into all sorts of non-railroad businesses.
Dead & gone for 50 years now.
You’d think these big companies would learn.

We have an aluminum manufacturing company in out town. They were at one time owned by “Gulf & Western”. Who I thought was an Entertainment & communications company posing as a manufacturing company.

Anyway, they spun the forge off to someone else. Thankfully.

Our local railroad is majority owned by a company in California that specializes in retirement investments.

 

[5030]

Or sometimes large companies begin to decline when the original group that made them successful begin to retire. Whether mega-global or aging, they seem to quit doing what makes them special in the first place and simply become one of the masses.

For a corporation to age into mediocrity is so common that you'd think a few of them would figure out how to continue being successful with the policies that made them that way in the first place. They coud let society change around them instead of letting it change them.

That is such a simple inexpensive solution that there must be a few examples of companies who work that way.... I just can't seem to think of one this morning. It's easy to think of plenty of ones who went the othe way, though.

rScotty

Exactly what happened to the outfit I retired from. The 'old man' turned it over to the kids and a few of us could see the handwriting on the wall and those of us who were eligible to retire, did exactly that. Still in business today but nowhere near as profitable or big.

Kubota appears to be going down that road as well. Great Plains was a good fit, not sure about the rest however.

I believe Kubota wanted to get into the +150 horse market so they did the illogical thing, they partnered with existing builders and then rebadged the units instead of designing and building them, themselves. While it a quick way to do it, it's not always the best way.

Like the new round bailer I bought last spring, the owners manual is in Italian. All well and good if you can read that, I cannot. Not saying they don't produce quality ag equipment in Italy because they do, but at least do a translation to English.

 

[SDT]

Exactly what happened to the outfit I retired from. The 'old man' turned it over to the kids and a few of us could see the handwriting on the wall and those of us who were eligible to retire, did exactly that. Still in business today but nowhere near as profitable or big.

Kubota appears to be going down that road as well. Great Plains was a good fit, not sure about the rest however.

I believe Kubota wanted to get into the +150 horse market so they did the illogical thing, they partnered with existing builders and then rebadged the units instead of designing and building them, themselves. While it a quick way to do it, it's not always the best way.

Like the new round bailer I bought last spring, the owners manual is in Italian. All well and good if you can read that, I cannot. Not saying they don't produce quality ag equipment in Italy because they do, but at least do a translation to English.

Like it or not, most (AG) innovation is no longer done in the US.

Cannot explain the fundamental reasons for such without delving into politics which I will avoid.

 

[5030]

No issue with me at all.

 

[2manyrocks]

Some of the business journals in the 1970s talked about management expertise allowing one company to buy and successfully manage companies in totally unrelated fields as if management expertise was the only thing that mattered.

My impression is that didn’t work out so well.

 

[rScotty]

Like it or not, most (AG) innovation is no longer done in the US.

Cannot explain the fundamental reasons for such without delving into politics which I will avoid.

In retirement I've been doing a lot of small town government just for fun.

There are always problems. One taking shape now is more regulatory requirements with fewer volunteers to do them. But a larger problem for municipalities everywhere is that the young employees we want to hire just do not having the basic educational skills - reading, science, math - that municipal jobs require. They need more education just to get started. An old-fashioned rural HS education would do just fine.

The political divide is not so much of a problem in local government. The thought is that partisan politics is a self-limiting fad, and that eventually those who can see both sides will outnumber the ones who cannot.

rScotty

 

[sea2summit]

I remember the Pennsylvania Railroad. A huge company that began “diversifying” into all sorts of non-railroad businesses.
Dead & gone for 50 years now.
You’d think these big companies would learn.

We have an aluminum manufacturing company in out town. They were at one time owned by “Gulf & Western”. Who I thought was an Entertainment & communications company posing as a manufacturing company.

Anyway, they spun the forge off to someone else. Thankfully.

Our local railroad is majority owned by a company in California that specializes in retirement investments.

Classic education vs experience IMHO. I’m a MBA holder but was raised in a family small business and have real experience…my education vs experience are at odds more often than not.

 

[sea2summit]

Like it or not, most (AG) innovation is no longer done in the US.

Cannot explain the fundamental reasons for such without delving into politics which I will avoid.

Weird how we can’t discuss one of the single Large’s driving factors in tractor design/sales/use on a tractor site isn’t it?

 

[Jerry/MT]

Or sometimes large companies begin to decline when the original group that made them successful begin to retire. Whether mega-global or aging, they seem to quit doing what makes them special in the first place and simply become one of the masses.

For a corporation to age into mediocrity is so common that you'd think a few of them would figure out how to continue being successful with the policies that made them that way in the first place. They coud let society change around them instead of letting it change them.

That is such a simple inexpensive solution that there must be a few examples of companies who work that way.... I just can't seem to think of one this morning. It's easy to think of plenty of ones who went the othe way, though.

rScotty

This is because these companies are run by MBA's and accountants who know the price of everything and the value of nothing!

 

[Paystar]

the owners manual is in Italian. All well and good if you can read that, I cannot. Not saying they don't produce quality ag equipment in Italy because they do, but at least do a translation to English.

Well they don't do any good translating their Japanese to English in all their other stuff either. LOL

I've had the opportunity to go to a couple dealer shows with dealer owners I know and I've talked to some of the reps and they can't believe the way some of the stuff is written out in the owners manuals.......like the good one that has people on these forums using shop vacs to hold the oil in because the manual only says to replace the filter, LOL
All the reps I talked to think that is ridiculous.

Or people failing to change two pints of oil in an excavator final drive, only to have to replace a $2500 plus dollar final drive when it fails.