Manufacturers - How Do You Answer This
This is one aspect of why I am leery of an aluminum framed camper, not to mention a newer, expensive camper. Of course the extremely poor quality craftsmanship could be duplicated in a wood-framed cam...
Forum Discussion
The quality of anything mfg. comes from the top down. The focus for many companies is profit foremost and increase that as quickly as possible. it is not about customer retention or improving product.
The linked example from the OP's post shows poor welding schedule and execution. The schedule is at the direction of production supervisors, designers, and engineers, not the welder. Without knowing specifics, it's hard to assess why the welds were executed as they were. My guess would be an inexperienced welder that is on a tight time schedule.
The pinched electrical wire in the linked post may have been the work of a former owner, as the OP in the linked thread alludes. I don't think a mfg is going to pinch an electrical run and have a chance of driving a fastener through it. That appears to be homeowner style.
As the Quality engineer posted, to think that every weld and every wire is going to be inspected on the production line is fantasy. I think folks that have been RV'ing for a while and have bought a few RV's can discern what the mfg. is doing regarding quality of build. It is not every company that is trying to cookie-cutter a unit out the door.
About the workers: yeah sure, it would be great if all the workers were top level machinists with pride in their work. The truth is, before they're hired, workers are told they're now a member of a team and their employment continuity is at the whim of management. Any fluctuation in the team's production may cost them their job and they won't be traded to another team like a ball player. After a few years of performing their duties correctly and having exemplary performance, there will be someone with an axe looking at them to see if they can be replaced with a worker that is payed less. The American workplace is a scary deal and employees are understanding the lack of loyalty by the company that hired them. How are you going to expect an employee working under these conditions to put out quality work? Fear, in this aspect, is not a good motivator.
The linked example from the OP's post shows poor welding schedule and execution. The schedule is at the direction of production supervisors, designers, and engineers, not the welder. Without knowing specifics, it's hard to assess why the welds were executed as they were. My guess would be an inexperienced welder that is on a tight time schedule.
The pinched electrical wire in the linked post may have been the work of a former owner, as the OP in the linked thread alludes. I don't think a mfg is going to pinch an electrical run and have a chance of driving a fastener through it. That appears to be homeowner style.
As the Quality engineer posted, to think that every weld and every wire is going to be inspected on the production line is fantasy. I think folks that have been RV'ing for a while and have bought a few RV's can discern what the mfg. is doing regarding quality of build. It is not every company that is trying to cookie-cutter a unit out the door.
About the workers: yeah sure, it would be great if all the workers were top level machinists with pride in their work. The truth is, before they're hired, workers are told they're now a member of a team and their employment continuity is at the whim of management. Any fluctuation in the team's production may cost them their job and they won't be traded to another team like a ball player. After a few years of performing their duties correctly and having exemplary performance, there will be someone with an axe looking at them to see if they can be replaced with a worker that is payed less. The American workplace is a scary deal and employees are understanding the lack of loyalty by the company that hired them. How are you going to expect an employee working under these conditions to put out quality work? Fear, in this aspect, is not a good motivator.
