tony sayer wrote:

In article , Tat Chan
writes

so what did Derek have to say? I thought he was the chief designer in
Audiolab and Philip Swift was the person who ran the company.


Well that was correct, but Derek was a very, very, good engineer. The
guy that could do for 5 bob that everyone else took a quid for, and
still get the same result.

Sounds like a great person to work with!


Worked there in 1983.

if you don't mind me asking, what did you do there? Audiolab only got started in
the early 80s, didn't they?

Stuff such as metalwork would come in, Derek would
put the callipers on it find it was wrong check another same again and
another chuck one out of the window swear and mutter...

" must send their quality control inspector's guide dog a Christmas
card"

Next the PCB's would have tracks missing, the capacitors from LCR would
have their ends not welded, the transistors would come in at the wrong
price for the quality we need, can get them from Japan OK trouble is I
have to take 10,000 a month etc, etc..

Then the control knobs were moulded wrong, and they couldn't get anyone
to make them in England etc English moulders were only capable of making
children's piddle pots etc...



Now where it went or was going wrong was due to the English class
system.


Instead of the Asian feudal system where the boss goes "do as I tell you, I am
boss. Else I will find someone else to do your job". And note that unions are a
rarity in Asia, and if they exist, they have limited power (most of them can't
call a strike, not legally anyway)