New Kubota Factory

[300UGUY]

You don't understand, I am not a hater. The reason I would buy a Japanese tractor is because I think they do a better job than one made in USA. I don't want a Kubota made in America, I want one made and assembled in Japan. For the same reason I buy German cars, I would no more buy a BMW model made in SC either. I do see a deference from an assembly plant and a factory. I think the labor in Japan is better and makes less mistakes. In car manufacturing engine and transmissions are prime parts and should be sourced from country of origin, sheet medal is not so important. In a tractor I see all the parts as important to the country of origin. That frame and hydraulic parts are key, and or course the engine and transmissions. In buying a Kubota, I wouldn't buy one if the engine was made or assembled in the USA. It defeats the reason for buying a Kubota.

HS

So basically you hate American workers??

 

[beppington]

Modern tractors do not have human welds in them. As far as I know the new LS factory and the new MF 1600 factories are the state of the art now. Japan is playing catchup with S. Korea on many fronts, cars and electronics, and now small tractors. LS's coming from modern robotic factories in S. Korea match or exceed Japanese quality and are selling.

There are some welds on my tractor that I have no doubt were done by a human :thumbsup:

 

[devildog1]

I think everyone here is doing just what some call the 1% er's, want us to do. We sit here and argue about $12. or $30. per hour wages, Think what the ceo's and cfo's are making? Recent figures say they make 1000XX's more then the workers, are they worth that? Come on , you can't believe that. What about all our elected officials? 75% are millionaires after they came into office, insider trading is not illegal for them. Everyone is doing exactly what they want, fighting among our-selfs so we don't see how bad they are fracking us. just saying.
DevilDog

 

[DAY]

Good point, devildog1!
Revised census figures say they were wrong last month, that 1 in 3 Americans are at or below the poverty line. It is 1 in 2 (48%, to be exact.)

 

[crazyal]

Nobody is being forced to work at that plant. If they think $12 an hour is not livable then they will look elsewhere. Almost everyone here has turned down a job because it didn't pay what we thought was fair or left a job because we felt the level of work didn't match the pay. If Kubota can't find the people they need to build tractors in their plant then they will have to offer more money.

As far as CEOs and other execs go, I really could care less what they get paid. I don't do their job so only information I have to judge how hard of a job they have is to look at my brother in law. As a junior exec he works 6 days a week, usually 60 to 70 hours a week. Even when he's not working he's still in contact with the office. I have watched him reply to texts from work with one hand while trying to be a part of a conversation. To get to where he is he's had to sacrifice a lot of valuable family time, something he can never get back. How do you place a price on time?

 

[oldballs]

Me too. I've often wondered how much a human being is worth in doing his job. It seems to me that the actual preparation and performance of the job have less to do with the compensation than the "perks" that go with the job. KU just hired a football coach for 12.5 million and the fired coach got 2 million just to go away. Many institutions' (goverment included) pay pack goes clear to the grave. The average Mom taking care of her family probably is just as skilled and hard working but will receive no flag or bugle call at her funeral. ....just thinking. BTW....glad to hear about the new Kubota plant.:thumbsup:

 

[beppington]

Nobody is being forced to work at that plant. If they think $12 an hour is not livable then they will look elsewhere. Almost everyone here has turned down a job because it didn't pay what we thought was fair or left a job because we felt the level of work didn't match the pay. If Kubota can't find the people they need to build tractors in their plant then they will have to offer more money.

As far as CEOs and other execs go, I really could care less what they get paid. I don't do their job so only information I have to judge how hard of a job they have is to look at my brother in law. As a junior exec he works 6 days a week, usually 60 to 70 hours a week. Even when he's not working he's still in contact with the office. I have watched him reply to texts from work with one hand while trying to be a part of a conversation. To get to where he is he's had to sacrifice a lot of valuable family time, something he can never get back. How do you place a price on time?

That doesn't seem to be the thinking of lesser educated people. They blame others. Think they have no choice. Don't take responsibility for themselves or their situation. Buy a new $30K car on $12/ hour.

After that big fist fight that broke out near the end of the recent Xavier vs Cincinnati college basketball game, the players involved in the fight were interviewed. One of them said something along the lines of, "This is a huge rivalry game. Of course there's gonna be fights like this between us. Ya'll built it up into this rivalry. This ain't our fault."

 

[Fxfymn]

Lets do a little math; 200 emplyees times 2080 hours worked per year = 416,000 staff hours per year for the factory. If it produces 22,000 units per year that equals 18.9 labor hours per produced unit. At $12.00 per hour for the factory labor that equals $226.80 for the labor to make a tractor.

If the prevailing rate was $30.00 it would raise the unit cost to $567.00 or a net difference of $340.20. I don't see $340.00 making a difference in whether I buy a $20K tractor or not. But, I do see a diference in the employee being able to support a local restaurant, service station, pay for better schools, etc.

When I buy USA assembled, made, manufactured, or whatever, I am hoping that my money will stay in this country to support our economy and provide good jobs that folks can live on. I don't want the employer to steal from the employees to line his own pocket by paying substinance wages or to pay the CEO in another country an obscene wage that does nothing to raise the standard of living here.

All things go in a cycle. We are in an anti-union cycle now, but if this keeps up folks will get fed up and we'll head in the opposite direction again. Wouldn't it just be easier to treat folks fairly?

 

[TripleR]

I guess everything depends on where you live, but I don't know anyone who is making $30 per hour, some making $25 and that is considered great and is at the top of the scale for a well qualified person.

A beginning $12 per hour job around here would draw LOTS of interest and we have a bucket full of certified welders around here.

I have family that lives in other states and realize that it is not the same everywhere.

 

[RaydaKub]

There isn't a CEO (or professional athlete) that makes the money that their skill is actually worth. But... they aren't actually paid for their skill. They are paid for what their skill can drive in making more money.

Look at ARod's contract with the Yankees. Is his swinging a bat or fielding a ball for 10 years worth $250M. Of course not. But if having him on the field for 10 years draws more people to baseball games, then the Steinbrenner's will pay it because it is a net gain for them.

Here's an example to stir the pot. A company has forecast that they will lose $50M next year. They hire a new CEO and he wants $5M base and a bonus of 25% of what he saves the company. He says he can't prevent it from losing money this first year. So he takes the job and the company loses only $10M. How much do you pay him? By contract, $5M + (he saved you $40M x 25%) = $15M. Did he earn it or not? They still lost money and one could argue that losing $10M sure isn't worth a bonus, but in light of losing $50M, it might be. And that is up to the Board of Directors to determine, not the average stock holder.

 

[MessickFarmEqu]

I'm not sure where the $12/hr stuff came from, but one would think there would be all sorts of pay scales in any business. I highly doubt you'd find a welder for $12/hr, but certianly some of the assembly folks who put the same 4 bolts on an RTV over, and over, and over probably are because they are doing an unskilled job anyone could do. In our own business a JR mechanic starts out at 10-12/hr, the highly experienced ones make $40+... you gotta put in your time. We're 30 minutes from the factory where New Holland builds all their haying equipment, its much the same.

 

[JiminGa]

my statement of pay was not meant to insight such political views, instead I was trying to suggest exactly what Messick was more eloquent at saying. I have not been inside the place myself, but I could only guess that a welding job that only pays $12 an hour here can not possibly be a skilled welding job, probably more like watching a machine do the work. The cost of living in this area is not as high as say NY, but close to most other metro areas. There are lower paying jobs, but I would expect closer to $20 an hour for a starting salary for a skilled welder's position.

 

[bunchgrass]

"it's impossible to purchase hard goods and support a family ....... without dual incomes."

Bro - that train left the station in the 1970's. Now we're at the point where you'll need 3 wage earners to stay middle class. Here come polygamy:laughing:

Everyone whines about unions etc but take the time to look what they did and where the American worker was w/o them. There's even a film about the coal miner's strike in the 70's - Harlen, Kentucky I think. Those SOBs were getting screwed.

"Right to work" is a red herring keeping folks from adequate compensation for a days work - sold to you by the folks NOT making $12/hr or even $120/hr. Also, then don't complain when migrant labor undercuts your $12/hr wage and works for half that. Right to work don't ya know.

 

[Deano]

There isn't a CEO (or professional athlete) that makes the money that their skill is actually worth. But... they aren't actually paid for their skill. They are paid for what their skill can drive in making more money.

Look at ARod's contract with the Yankees. Is his swinging a bat or fielding a ball for 10 years worth $250M. Of course not. But if having him on the field for 10 years draws more people to baseball games, then the Steinbrenner's will pay it because it is a net gain for them.

Here's an example to stir the pot. A company has forecast that they will lose $50M next year. They hire a new CEO and he wants $5M base and a bonus of 25% of what he saves the company. He says he can't prevent it from losing money this first year. So he takes the job and the company loses only $10M. How much do you pay him? By contract, $5M + (he saved you $40M x 25%) = $15M. Did he earn it or not? They still lost money and one could argue that losing $10M sure isn't worth a bonus, but in light of losing $50M, it might be. And that is up to the Board of Directors to determine, not the average stock holder.

Well said! Screwed up system, but true!:thumbsup:

 

[bunchgrass]

Well said! Screwed up system, but true!:thumbsup:

Those guys can only make that kind of money as long as stupid a**h**es like us are willing to pay to watch them hit a ball. I for one have grown tired of it. The CEO garbage is like hiring a guy to build you a wall and then paying him extra when he tells you it's only a foot out of plumb - could have been much worse. How dumb are we? (Don't answer that).

 

[lilranch2001]

Well, come up with a product plan, get some investors, and show us how it's done.

Oh wait, nevermind, federal regulations make that plan impossible.

and the Occupy protestors would want you to share all your profits

 

[bunchgrass]

Here's an example to stir the pot. A company has forecast that they will lose $50M next year. They hire a new CEO and he wants $5M base and a bonus of 25% of what he saves the company. He says he can't prevent it from losing money this first year. So he takes the job and the company loses only $10M. How much do you pay him? By contract, $5M + (he saved you $40M x 25%) = $15M. Did he earn it or not? They still lost money and one could argue that losing $10M sure isn't worth a bonus, but in light of losing $50M, it might be. And that is up to the Board of Directors to determine, not the average stock holder.

So what exactly was he getting the original $5M for? To lose the $50M they would lose w/o him? Again - how dumb are we? And, guess who gets "carry" that salary bonus on their backs - the consumer of said product or the workers who "have to" pay more for their retirement plans, health care ..... There's no free lunches and this is where the free market vomits on itself.:thumbsup:

 

[bunchgrass]

Well, come up with a product plan, get some investors, and show us how it's done.

Oh wait, nevermind, federal regulations make that plan impossible.


and the Occupy protestors would want you to share all your profits


Yep - ask Goldman-Sachs about over regulation. Those darn feds. There's a reason it's called "unearned income".

 

[Fxfymn]

What really drives CEO pay? According to a news story I recently read most boards have a policy in place that states their CEO will be given a salary that is "comparable" to other CEO's in their industries.

So if executive "A" gets a raise than executive "B" must also get a raise to keep pace, so therefore "A" now needs a raise to keep up with "B", and so on. The value the CEO brings to the company is not the primary factor, just the desire to keep his/her pay comparable.

 

[Deano]

Those guys can only make that kind of money as long as stupid a**h**es like us are willing to pay to watch them hit a ball. I for one have grown tired of it. The CEO garbage is like hiring a guy to build you a wall and then paying him extra when he tells you it's only a foot out of plumb - could have been much worse. How dumb are we? (Don't answer that).

Stopped watching professional sports 20 years ago!