The Real Business Case For Openpandora

[grobi]

We are all just crash test dummies for the OP team to collect invaluable experiences in how to make chinese factories do what we thought they should feel paid for. Once the first pandoras ship, we will see a series of books to pop up at No. 1 bestseller list "How we tamed the dragon" "Begging as a strategy" "Just one word 'plastic'" "They lied to us: interpreting micro expressions via voice only sykpe connections" and the absolute smash hit "Bullshit is a chinese word".

The sales of this book series will put all OP team members instantly on the fortune 500 list.

After that, the op team will stop producing pandoras and spend consulting hours with big corporations, cashing in 5.000,- USD per hour.

At least they will be the consultants with the coolest hardware to run their slideshows. If only the WLAN would be a litte faster

grobi

 

[atomicthumbs]

ok

 

[Bosbeetle]

HA <_<

 

[r00tw00t]

:huh:

 

[grahamr]

I found the book!

http://www.amazon.com/Essential-Guide-Buying-Chinas-Manufacturers/dp/1419628461/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1272879451&sr=1-1

the author 'James Vincent Lord' is an obvious anagram. 'ED : ninja ctrl moves ' So this is obviously evil dragon's book. OMG what am I doing? they will be on to *me* now.

dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/sda

*sound of breaking glass*
Im outta here!

 

[danielliu88888]

get the tinfoil hats

 

[cowai]

Cool story bro'.

 

[nik166]

yup <_<

 

[paddy]

This made me smile.

 

[craigix]

Step 1) Find a local company and use them.
Step 2) Congratulations you have avoided step 2 - 999, and you will feel better about yourself.

 

[Tobs]

We should have a contest of best Pandora conspiracy theories.

 

[WizardStan]

Step 1) Find a local company and use them.
Step 2) Congratulations you have avoided step 2 - 999, and you will feel better about yourself.

Step 0) Find 10 times as much money as you currently have

 

[darkborn]

Step 1) Find a local company and use them.
Step 2) Congratulations you have avoided step 2 - 999, and you will feel better about yourself.

IMHO it is f*kin amateurish to depend of only one supplier. This way supplier has you in his hand, with his very own conditions...
Well you already know that now.
Even if mould factory has the best price/conditions on the world, you got to have alternative!

 

[peelie]

"They lied to us: interpreting micro expressions via voice only sykpe connections" and the absolute smash hit "Bullshit is a chinese word".

grobi

i lol'ed hard at this in particular

nice sardonic wit you have grobi, i approve

 

[WizardStan]

IMHO it is f*kin amateurish to depend of only one supplier. This way supplier has you in his hand, with his very own conditions...
Well you already know that now.
Even if mould factory has the best price/conditions on the world, you got to have alternative!

And how would they get more than one supplier?
The mould is the most expensive part. Each supplier would need to create their own mould, and costs go up.
The minimum order is 10000 (or more!). Each supplier would need to make 10000 cases minimum, which there's no guarantee OPT can sell, and costs go up.
They would have to coordinate multiple factories, and they're having enough trouble just getting the one to do what they need.
I don't think you fully grasp the limits that OPT is under here. They ARE amateurs, with expected sales in the tens of thousands, and for that reason they are playing by a completely different set of rules from the big guys who expect sales in the millions.

 

[spinghed]

Step 1) Find a local company and use them.
Step 2) Congratulations you have avoided step 2 - 999, and you will feel better about yourself.

Bizarrely, I was told by my IP lawyers to avoid China and try Lithuania. Apparently costs are, low and quality is high, you can get there by car to sort out problems and the government will give state handouts to anyone generating employment and/or wealth in the locale... I started to look it up but as my project went tits up I kind of lost interest. Thought it may be of help...

Rick

 

[darkborn]

IMHO it is f*kin amateurish to depend of only one supplier. This way supplier has you in his hand, with his very own conditions...
Well you already know that now.
Even if mould factory has the best price/conditions on the world, you got to have alternative!

And how would they get more than one supplier?
The mould is the most expensive part. Each supplier would need to create their own mould, and costs go up.

need... their own mould? IT IS JUST NOT TRUE. "Compatibility" is the "missing word". Buy mould (with or without production), find producer.
MOULD is expensive part, production is not. Remember statement "they will now try with NEW machines" (or so)? Do you think factory made NEW moulds? Sure not.

The minimum order is 10000 (or more!). Each supplier would need to make 10000 cases minimum, which there's no guarantee OPT can sell, and costs go up.
They would have to coordinate multiple factories, and they're having enough trouble just getting the one to do what they need.

Sorry this is bs: "coordinate multiple factories" sounds like building Space Shuttle from a scratch. This is old, well known technology process and thousands companies are doing this kind of bussines. Moreover, it is usual business practice to "coordinate" few factories at same time: just because if one link in the chain fall, you got chaos if you don't (as we have now).
e.g. We all heard about famous UPS delivery. what if they stucked? "2 more months"? But, if you take 2 companies for shipment, if one fail, you still have something to work with.
But this is not the point.
Obviously OT choose wrong factory, it could happen to anybody. BUT!
When somebody continuously lies to you, and steal you (this is what we are talking about when you put it in time-line: they took money and did almost nothing), you got all rights to take (paid!) moulds away and use other company to finish job, ASAP. Period. It is not your free business decision, it is obligation to "investors". Just, you need to have already settled alternative - "Plan B", for every step in process.

I don't think you fully grasp the limits that OPT is under here. They ARE amateurs, with expected sales in the tens of thousands, and for that reason they are playing by a completely different set of rules from the big guys who expect sales in the millions.

THIS is the reason why OT had to make most possible precautions! And playing roulette with mostly unknown factory is not a correct business model, this is what we all know now.
And there is nothing wrong with that they are amateurs. They are all smart guys, imho too smart to got deceived like that.
Lets suppose we are bank, and loan 1 500 000 Eu to somebody for a 2 years. You'll get 150000 of interest for sure. It should be enough for 2nd (identical) mould.
It is not how things happened, and this is not to be used literary. Just to think about numbers (and decisions)...

 

[WizardStan]

need... their own mould? IT IS JUST NOT TRUE. "Compatibility" is the "missing word". Buy mould (with or without production), find producer.
MOULD is expensive part, production is not. Remember statement "they will now try with NEW machines" (or so)? Do you think factory made NEW moulds? Sure not.

You do realize that the mould is not purchased, right? It was built from scratch. All parts are entirely original. This factory has taken all this time making the mould for them out of 3D data files. That's why every one of your hypothetical suppliers would need their own mould. Or did you think the case was made from a bunch of off the shelf parts? Because I'm confused as to what exactly you're trying to propose here.

 

[darkborn]

need... their own mould? IT IS JUST NOT TRUE. "Compatibility" is the "missing word". Buy mould (with or without production), find producer.
MOULD is expensive part, production is not. Remember statement "they will now try with NEW machines" (or so)? Do you think factory made NEW moulds? Sure not.

You do realize that the mould is not purchased, right? It was built from scratch. All parts are entirely original. This factory has taken all this time making the mould for them out of 3D data files. That's why every one of your hypothetical suppliers would need their own mould. Or did you think the case was made from a bunch of off the shelf parts? Because I'm confused as to what exactly you're trying to propose here.

BUY (production of) MOULD (this is what you have to do anyway). Sign double contract, with two companies. If one fail, let another one (with compatible production technology) to fight for their part of cake.
Once mould is made, there is nothing that can stop you (beside bad contract) to forward mould to other company.
I don't believe that they couldn't produce mould in few months. It is not their competence in question: it is all about lying. They are holding our investment god knows the reason why.

 

[WizardStan]

BUY (production of) MOULD (this is what you have to do anyway). Sign double contract, with two companies. If one fail, let another one (with compatible production technology) to fight for their part of cake.
Once mould is made, there is nothing that can stop you (beside bad contract) to forward mould to other company.
I don't believe that they couldn't produce mould in few months. It is not their competence in question: it is all about lying. They are holding our investment god knows the reason why.

This entire time, all the delays over the case, has been because the mould has not been finished until recently, just the last couple months. They "started" back in August, they went green light in February, and even then a few more tweaks were done. Having a second company would, at best, have shaved a month off the delay, assuming they actually are really really shipping this week (yeah, I'm an optimist).
Besides, OPT already said the only way they could get anyone to make the mould was to sign up for a minimum order of 10000 parts. I believe them when they say they had no bargaining power.