Alright so I dont't blog but here we go...

If you are a true blue design engineer and are easily offended please do not continue!

Preface:
I have had a few ( Sticky McDoogle & Diablo and yes they are very good Skee )

I am a Manufacturing Engineer by title. I chose to go to a technical college rather than a "real" engineering school. I could have gone to an engineering school but the idea of putting theory over hands-on work really turned me off. I grew up on a farm in a rural community so being hands-on is just a way of life (The only way that bale of hay is getting in the loft is by throwing it!). Currently I am an ME for a dehunidifier manufacturer. Not to be arrogant but these are not the crap-in-a-box that can be purchased from a big box store. We produce high-end residential, commercial, and industrial machines. Our dehu's are more effecient than anything else you can buy and if you have allergies related to air quality (certain conditions created by moist air) we have the best. We have niche market of sorts but plan to expand into others. We are very proud of our mature products.

/rant on

So our business really picks up during the summer months (warm and wet; No I am really talking about weather here!) which means that any new products need to be released during the Spring. We have a few sister companies and one happens to be in China. The idea (not a popular one) was to "let" the China division manufacture our new platform (2 models). After several product lead changes over the course of a year the decision was made to produce one model here in the states and the other over seas. This would be the result of every deadline being missed and the realization that we aren't going to make the season unless drastic changes are made. So three weeks ago (after my MS trip) the decision was made and now we are the expiditors! The design was cooked and everything was a go. All I needed to do was to figure out which line to build it on and what additional tools were needed. No problem right? Optimism, what a delusion. We don't have a Packaging Engineer and since it directly affects me I have taken on the responsibility of the current packaging. It hasn't been a priority and currently it more or less sucks to be blunt. For the most part it does the job but it still sucks! It is always an after-thought for the DE's and I end up with it just so it doesn't kick me in the sac (yeah, sac) when we start production. So we have this new model to produce here which is great because we need the absorption. We don't have a pack for it and I volunteer to get it taken care of. I get a call today from the packaging rep saying that they have finished a pack but it failed the ship test. No problem. I can stop by the design lab and take a look and between the designer and myself we can figure something out right? Yeah that was accurate until I saw the results of the test. Suffice it to say the unit failed misearbly! So I call one of the DE's (the lead is on a plane to China to help them get their collective sh%t straight) and let him know he better get his arse over to the lab and take a look at his "baby". He manages to get there and take a look. I really don't know how to explain his casual approach to the utter failure he was presented with. The failures were cosmetic and internal. The cosmetic damage can be fixed by an improved package but the unit couldn't possibily function due to the internal damage! IE. The internal parts moved around enough to prevent the unit from functioning. I don't tend to get excited about much with my more-or-less extreme type B personality

Beer break

but when we are a month away from production and the orders have already been placed for the parts.... HOLY SH%T! HTF are we going to fix this! HE then asks retorically how did the other division pass the ship test (that they had done a few months ago)?

DE: I sent them (China company) the test procedure and the units are virtually the same. How did they pass the test considering the failure CAN'T be fixed by package?

Me: So you didn't confirm the results of the test?

DE: Well, no.

So I learn the hard way that the unit had never been ship tested for "real" and that we have two possibly fatal defects. Now that's a Friday for ya I had to leave the lab to take care of a few other things before I went home. I got a call at about 4 pm from the DE.

DE: I'm on my way home I wanted to call you about the ship test.

WTF! He's on his way home now (China is ready to produce and has orders and we are producing in 2 weeks)?!

There are numerous details that flesh the story out but this DE makes me want to go psychotic! His casual approach and the fact that he decided to go home rather than let the involved parties know what is going on is just friggin unreal! His reaction to the problem was and I quote "Well we will just not drop it that way."

What?! Are you going to use a label that says "Do not drop on this surface"?!

If you have ever received a package from or used a common carrier you know they don't care what the hell the package says. If they can throw it they will!

I am so sick and tired of the arrogant DE's that I deal with! It is as if it is above them to actually use their hands to do something other than create a solid model in a CAD program at a friggin desk! WTF?! Haven't they realized that just because they can draw it doesn't mean that it is possible! Don't they have want to make sure what they design can be built and perform?! SOB!!!!

/rant off

Sorry if that whole rant was incoherrent and if there were mispellings and grammatical errors but damn I am fired up!