Six Σσς (sigma)
What is Six Sigma? A quick search on the internets will reveal that its a quality control concept that has been turned over into a huge cash cow. What does it mean for someone starting a manufacturing business? Well, lots! As I've mentioned in a previous post standards allow you to aim for a level of quality that is higher than you could conceive solely on your own capabilities : not only is it your choice to have a higher standard of quality it has to be replicable. If you can't repeat a process, then it isn't viable for the manufacturing process!
What rigor you apply to a specific process is only as good as the process you use to approve its final completion. For instance, when cutting any piece of wood at an angle, depending on the type of tool and bit, there might be some burning or burring on the wood. These imperfections are usually taken care of during the sanding phase, meaning they should be completely corrected. But some might not "waste" time eliminating the imperfection and might go straight to priming and painting. Well, we aren't painting, we are staining. So we can't show any imperfections in the cutting process, none, zero. What standard should we use to make sure that doesn't happen? Do we just "say" we don't make mistakes and then make them? Or do we implement a way by which we can be CERTAIN that we won't have any aberrations? Does having a piece of paper that says we don't do something make it official? All good questions.
Six Sigma also forces management to provide the correct power tools that will not cause burring and burning, and the bits made of the proper materials for the job, proper lighting, temperature, humidity, etc... Its a top to bottom examination of what is possible with the given resources...
Money magazine has an article on the standard/method, it doesn't do much to balance the issue of empathizing with the rigors of standards on a work force which would possibly work together to pacify the hapless victims of rigor. The article is management oriented, and focuses on the benefits of doing something, without saying what. For the masses Its easy to complain about doing things the hard way... Really easy. But making something that has gone through a very rigorous quality control process is just better than something that hasn't. In recent times we've seen what manufacturing and design defects can do to easily create a negative perception of a product/company : from the new iPhone 4 to the Palm Pre. It takes one thing iPhone 4, and then MANY things Palm Pre to change the perception and trigger an avalanche of negative press.
Any new manufacturing business must choose a standard (this setting the bar stuff is all bullshit, don't reinvent the wheel) : if quality and perfection is what you strive for then it has to be clear how high the bar needs to be set and met. I am personally building all of my prototypes : in order to understand the limits of each tool, bits, lighting, temperature, space, weight of material (handling), amount and type of saw dust generated, amount of time required for task over another, amount of waste generated : without me having done those tasks I couldn't possibly set a standard this high or that high... It would be my own fault if I try to have expectations that can't possibly be met without severe attrition of tools, staff, deadlines, resources, etc... So what's the point? Work smarter not harder and perfection is not cheap and not easily attainable : sometimes completely illusive...
dl.v
Rincon…
As children we visited our family beach house in Rincon, PR which is a small little wooden house where my grandmother lives. She is 94. The little house is about 30 yards from this spot where this palm tree stump had washed ashore and used as a perch from which to fish from. You see, the drive from my father's house to Rincon was about 3 hours many years ago. Imagine having children in the car for that long, hot no air conditioning waiting to get out and fish. This was tradition. As soon as we arrived we jumped out of the car (all 4 boys) ran into the wooden house kissed and hugged Abuelita, grabbed our fishing gear went next door to Tio Pupo who always had squid, bait fish or some other thing he saved for us to fish with, and then we ran to the beach spread apart so we wouldn't tangle lines and we just fished... We did this until we all caught enough to have Abuelita descale, gut, and fillet for every one to eat. Which was usually till sunset.
Ironically I usually ate chicken.
During college I snuck to Rincon with my father and we did a little fishing... This day was perfect, I can't imagine how many memories were running through his mind, but when he fished he was like meditating. Didn't talk to keep the fish unaware of his presence, even in the beach the fishing line will transmit airborne sounds underwater. His rod was the largest, he always casted further than all of us, he always caught the biggest fish, and he tied the most awesome knots to this day I still have on the rod I keep here in the office.
And that is why my Pop's ashes lie in the ocean, because the ocean is the glue that held him and his father the fisher man, boatbuilder, carpenter together, what held all of us together and what always called on us to come together as brothers... Find meaning in your life and in all you do every day, no matter how mundane, it defines your future years in more ways than any distraction our society has to offer. Living life with a purpose is more than just a concept : it has to be a way of life...
This will be my final post on this topic for now. Thanks for reading... I'm sure I'll start writing about more relevant stuff soon : some times other things are more important.
dl.v
Two lifetimes layered…
My Pops coming back from a swim at that exact beach... Yesterday and Today..
dl.v
Heraclitus + mi Viejo en San Juan
On the eve of my second Father's Day I wanted to make the first post in a few as a tribute to my Pops. It hasn't been a year since he left us and if he were here he would be enjoying the heck out of this new journey I am embarking on. With a big grin on his face.
I took these pictures last weekend, when I visited Old San Juan, the capital of PR where my father was born and raised. About a year ago we spread his ashes as he asked us to at this very beach : he learned to fish in this beach, he taught us how to fish at this beach, and he played with his friends here... The significance of this place goes back hundredths of years but my connection to it is one lifetime. My grandfather was a member of the fishing club just to the left of this picture, my son was baptized in the cathedral just up the street, and beyond that bay I grew up as a child.
One year ago I was lying in bed with my father just having been released from the hospital after his second heart "event". His wife was gracious enough to grant me one night of sleep next to him and that night we watched tv, read the instructions to a new remote control for an R/C plane he was building and when we turned off the tv and lights all night long I kept reaching over and asking him if he was Ok. He kept telling me that he was, and not to worry... The next morning on Father's Day we had my usual "treat" breakfast : 1 pancake and two strips of bacon with juice and coffee. I enjoyed every bit of that breakfast. Later that morning he rode shotgun in the car to take me to the airport.
When I said goodbye to my Pops who refused to get out of the car because he doesn't like goodbyes, it was the last time I saw him alive... On my first Father's Day.
My Father was my friend, he had a front seat at my brain trust : he was brilliant at so many things : he is and will ALWAYS be sorely missed by me and many many others. Where ever you are Papi don't worry about me I'm doing just fine... And Yes I will always take care of business...
dl.v
Almost there…
Well we are hashing out the details on something great... We'll be making a big announcement soon... Hang in there...
dl.v
Business Plan
http://www.midcenturymodernist.com/2007/11/spiekermann-hou.html
Ok, lets get this out of the way : Some of you are wondering [yes I am being presumptuous] why in the hell I haven't shown my products all over the place, why haven't I bragged by showing these "alleged" furniture pieces to the world. Well simply put any idiot that starts a business selling unique products without the infrastructure in place to take orders and build multiples, support R & D, protect intellectual property, and all the other pipelines necessary to grow the business is pissing money and opportunity down a well... Without the ability to manufacture more than just one, and without the infrastructure in place to take on more orders is doomed to fail before they finish sketching their next "great idea". Remember, I am not handing my sketch off to China to be built, I'm doing it all...
Why does it take so long? What is the importance of a business plan? Well, I'd say its not the actual plan but rather what you [learn from] research to create and how that information changes your perception of what you [thought] you were doing that matters. The complexity that a business plan uncovers is enlightening, it can either dishearten you [because you see how long the road is ahead] or it energizes you because you finally see a "path to a solution" you never saw before! Some of the research is ugly, how people failed at exactly what you are trying to do. But you must be persistent and analyze why they failed, learn from that build it into your plan and move forward. The NYT has an interesting blog [You're the Boss] on small business matters and a few stories have come up directly related to what I've been researching.
I've looked into manufacturing processes, materials acquisition, marketing pipeline, order taking pipeline, delivery, distribution, etc... In the process of researching for the business plan, as usual I gathered way too much information. Then it just became about letting that information essentially create a moldable frame work that helps you "frame" the way you'd like for your business to operate.
As with any plan, it changes over time <--- biggest cliche associated with a business plan. Thankfully I have a little common sense, and I let that prevail when deciphering what to use and what not to use.
Starting a business from scratch isn't easy [really?]. When you have an outstanding product you want to make sure you have a comparable plan to support your ideas. Good begets further good. A good product also gives you a sense of responsibility towards the cause you are taking on! This isn't just an issue of profitability, this is the "thing" that is going to be part of your lives work. You take on this cause with a sense of purpose it just guides you.
As an Architect I tend to plan everything [again Really?], I can't express how cool it is to carry out a plan you've taken time to craft, its like a living gantt chart. <--- Really?!
dl.v
New Location!
I've been quiet for a while with the furniture enterprise simply because I've been busy. I wanted to think up of the best way to document finding a new location. Look at it this way, imagine going from a studio apartment to a four bedroom house with a two car garage overnight! We moved directly across the street from our old location, where we've been for about 4 years now. Still at the end of the runway 9Left but now we can see the airplanes do low approaches for landing... Awesome vantage point...
We are happy, but yet still too busy to celebrate because we have so much work to do! Since the move we've been focusing on bringing clients up to date, new business is slowly thawing and new projects have kept me away from the most important part of this other business, the business plan! It is taking me a long time to research the equipment, the market, the software needed to operate efficiently and manage inventory/stock effectively, and getting quotes that continue to update my pro forma on a daily basis. We want to get this right! And we will. We now have enough space to manufacture, we have enough space to operate the practice, and we have enough space to have a show room in the entire office space location...
We have a name for the business (will share later...) and its a very appropriate name... No, its an awesome name... Completely describes what we do...
As for my son, he loves the space... He walks a few steps away from me in the big open space, and continues to look at me as he walks away further and then he just sprints away! He also recognizes that lots of space affords you the opportunity to do some mischievous things... My definition of success...
dl.v
A Tribute post to someone I never knew…
I am quoting directly a post from Flickr from the account of a user named "nnenn". He was a master builder with Lego blocks. His real name was Nate Nielsen. Nnenn died in a car accident recently (@ Tekoa, Washington), he is survived by his two boys and wife. He was a master without compensation, at the bottom of this post you'll see one image of a small sample of his work, he did all of it for the love of it. Not for the art scene, not for a magazine, not for a company, not for notoriety: he did it for the love of it. To understand a little of his brilliance read the entire post: know that he was a professor, a graphic artist and an amazing talent.
"CREATIVITY (...as dots)
Imagine a diagram that looks like a star-field, with every dot representing some known thing, information packet, or idea. The center is thick with basic knowledge items but the edges thin out with recent discoveries. In this context, true creation can be defined as simply placing a new dot somewhere in the map's blank areas.
But when these new dots do appear, they tend to cluster around other pre-existing dots... and are rarely distant enough to be considered ingenious. For example, the SNOT techniques we know today were developed incrementally: first came playing and testing, happy accidents, more diverse piece availability, the internet, sharing of discoveries, expanded knowledge base, iteration, etc. All those dots are clumped pretty tightly and are interconnected to every previous idea.
Now, a new dot appearing somewhere beyond the edge of the existing network might be considered extremely creative but is like a medieval peasant spontaneously inventing space travel: not likely. Unfortunately, this is how many perceive creativity... and either frustrate themselves in endless pursuit, or give-up altogether. If you take this approach, prepare for disappointment.
There are, however, a few easier, alternative approaches that will get you your own dot... but all three rely on what's already known:
1. Push. Expand the current boundaries/limitations of some existing dot (usually involves a lot of time and effort.)
2. Play. Experiment wildly with some existing dot in hopes of discovering the previously hidden (odds are against you.)
3. Combine. Integrate two existing dots that are not already connected in an obvious way (my personal recommendation.)
To illustrate these three approaches, I'll use the concept of creating an entirely new spaceship design (of course.) Here we go:
1. Push: Take an old design and stretch the fuselage, move the cockpit, enlarge the engines, re-color, etc. (This method is nice for producing variations on a theme or finding an extreme... but getting something really innovative can be difficult.)
2. Play: Take an old design and start swapping different areas, adding random bits, trying unusual pieces, closing your eyes, etc. (This approach is great if you don't care where the results go... otherwise, hitting an objective might take a while.)
3. Combine: Forget old designs and instead imagine, say, an art-deco bathroom faucet as a spaceship. (This strategy requires entertaining some odd notions... but the process is fun, the effects are immediate, and the whole thing is steerable.)
When teaching practical methods for creative output to visual communication students, I used this last approach with a share of success. There are plenty of examples in graphic design of all three, but the third practice of combing the unrelated can quickly produce some imaginative outcomes.
And for more intriguing results, try combining more than two unrelated concepts: trains + outer-space will provide something interesting... but trains + outer-space + organic will yield something even more creative ('Spook' used this triad approach with his underwater + mecha + post-apocalyptic theme.) Just beware of making absurd combinations that are simply too ridiculous for consideration.
Likewise, a caveat to this creative diagram is that coming up with a dot too far from the network of the known may be brilliant but will probably not have enough surrounding context to be recognizable. For example, showing a 1960s astronaut a few contemporary Japanese starfighter designs would be futile: identification (and acceptance) would probably not happen.
Creativity... good luck." Written by nnenn on his flickr account...
The little I've read of him, he was awesome...
dl.v
7 against all odds…
Propaganda used a band of experts to encourage a nation to bond and stand behind their traditional values and their way of life: all in the name of world dominance. Ok, lets put that aside and focus on the skills and bravery that each of these men brought to the battle field. If you have no idea what I am talking about rent the movie 7 Samurai. I'll wait....
How do you eat an elephant? One piece at a time. Right? In this movie a gang of bandits is defeated by just 7 Samurais, they defend a village desperate to save themselves, their crops, and their way of life from the outsiders that are unsympathetic to peace, humanity and tradition. I've always believed that if we go to war as a country, we are fighting for peace back home: we fight for calm and an environment free of the turbulence and chaos that surrounds war. This movie exemplifies that concept in detail. War as a tool, death as a viaduct to another necessary/earned right, where a people can be productive and happy.
If you are a hired gun providing professional services this movie is also inspiring. When you are hired to solve problems or create something out of nothing, you sacrifice even when you are paid. You always loose something to gain something [unless you're a big shot and you have nothing but gains I wouldn't know], and that struggle is essentially what makes our economy work. The exchange of time for money, money for time, life for money, money for life is the hallmark of modern humanity. Many people pride themselves on manipulating this currency, which I find abhorrent.
For these men work does define the edges of the mold of their lives, but if you notice as comrades they bond together to create a larger mold by which they find an enhanced purpose in fighting evil: its as if they bond together for one common purpose: duty.
I highly reccomend the movie when dining on elephants.
dl.v
60/40
No it isn't the power split in the 2010 Audi R8, 60% to rear and 40% to front : its the amount of attention you might pay to my pieces splitting 60% form and shape and 40% to the finish... Thats what a friend said this afternoon. He flashed his woodworking experience credentials and lent me some advice that one must pay attention to the way furniture is finished, at a heightened level, not just "pay attention". I debated back and forth that I haven't selected final finishes as of yet because I have yet to conclude which finishes I think are a balance between flash and functionality.
One point before I move on: I welcome criticism [good or bad] but this discussion was a bit "forced": rather than offering solutions to what is a LONG and arduous process, his comments felt like they needed to be countered, until I realized that I don't disagree... Age gives you wisdom and at moments like that you use it: although I am working on a million things a few issues stood out to my friend and they bothered him enough to ignore it all and focus on those issues that mattered to him. I appreciated his rigor and timing, I only wish others would be as diligent in dishing out their gut feelings as soon as it hits them: they think they'll be received with force but the truth is the ONLY way you make a high quality product is by increasing your rigor by MANY folds, even if you are a hard ass, knit picking, type A, perfectionista. If you play golf you know what I mean, "ay que apretar cuando el tiro esta dificil".
As an Architect you learn to never fall in love with one scheme, over time you learn that you need to tread much water before you reach the shore of your solution. Even then you'll always question this decision over that decision [its confusing like that]. When "Making" anything you realize that you must have targets or thresholds or standards that you must stick to: some lie only in your head because the finished product isn't there to be criticized yet and the rush to create will only further obliterate that rigor, so put on your armor write down your thoughts and keep pushing.
So here is to friends with guts who keep the doers shooting straighter and more precise.
dl.v
Metamorphosis
I'll share something with all of you : this weekend during a family BBQ I was asked how many places I've lived at, meaning homes. Since the day I was born we counted 38. 38 houses, living rooms, efficiencies, apartments, bedrooms, dining rooms, etc... Comfort has always been a luxury, permanence is a luxury, peace is a luxury, being debt free is a luxury, just being free is a luxury. We tend to take those things for granted or maybe they don't factor into the lives of so many people. And thats ok, I'm just sayin.
You might ask what does this have to do with furniture? Well, it does a whole hell of a lot! Furniture is basically the tool that allows you to get work done comfortably/efficiently, try and say any table will do, sure : but its a luxury to have a table with soul, concept and meaning. Just like your story, and mine. Any piece that will go through my hands will be given that spark that makes it more than just a bunch of wood. I would hope you consider it more of a guest. That you'll take it along on that journey of yours, that metamorphosis that is life from being broke to making it, or from making it to being broke. All that we have takes the journey with us, it all accompanies us during the ups and downs.
In the USA the journey of becoming financially "free" sometimes requires destruction and discomfort. That discomfort is enhanced by the fear others put into you into thinking that if you leave the comfort you'll never achieve it again. That is the key to keeping you powerless...Fear and uncertainty are the basic tools of some people's business plans : not here not us. If you have never tried to break free, then you don't know. Take my word for it : it isn't comfortable (it isn't supposed to be), nothing is certain (nothing is supposed to be) only your skill and tenacity will get you to that goal post (nothing else) not one other soul will get you there, except you. The world owes you nothing. Except for what you carve out for yourself and for those you care for, and that includes my clients.
So to those that are going through their own metamorphosis my hat is off to you, to those who have [please buy my stuff when ready], to those that aren't don't worry we are here to share our journey, products and life's work with you! Our struggle will only make a better product for you, because we know that if we care enough about the things nobody else cares about we'll be providing a product that you want, in a manner that is responsible, efficient and affordable.
Thanks for reading my blog, and if I owe you something don't worry you'll get it back...
dl.v
PS. A whale dies, a man makes money from the meat, another from helping the other carry the meat to market, the other makes money from taking a picture of the dead whale and the man who makes money from its meat, another man makes money from taking a picture of a man taking a picture of a man who sells whale meat with an assistant. That whale didn't know how much it was helping our system of currency and exchange: I only hope it passed its legacy on back in the ocean, all the while its carcass feeds another species [who would have harpooned it in the open ocean regardless]. Welcome to planet earth.
This signature changes lots of things…
With that signature, lots of small businesses will have the ability to gain the tools they need this year and still have working capital to invest in staff. Sometimes some victories go to one side, and other times to others... Who cares about sides really, its just good to see a victory for the little guys...
I've been busy with "secret" plans, you'll see. My trip was successful, and the future looks very bright for this furniture collection. I spend MANY MANY hours creating those models for the trip I took, and the models came and went without ONE incident. I checked them in my bags! Packed with perfection inside of a Tupperware container going [not glued], and returned on a larger Tupperware container also packed in water soluble packing peanuts, the models traveled over 2000 miles in the belly of Jet Blue's Airbuses intact! It took an entire day from 8 am to 7:30 PM to assemble and glue the models...
Wait till you see them...
dl.v
io non posso commentare…
http://www.flickr.com/photos/oquendo/1495734313/
I can't document the craziness going on right now. Hectic cannot define what is going on in this office/shop... Big big big iBig trip coming soon... Will post about it later...
dl.v
If you have a son, take him here… Airventure Oshkosh
#1 thing on dad and son todo list should be this : Airventure @ Oshkosh. It is THE definitive gathering of airplane aficionados on the face of the earth, PERIOD, bar none. In another two years or so when my boy is a little bigger, we'll see you there...
dl.v
The Curse of the Creative…
http://www.flickr.com/photos/woodenship/84863568/sizes/o/
The best way I can describe my current creative fit is like a layered reality, the current one I stand in, and the other is back in the shop solving problems. Many can agree with me, you can't stop your mind from going back to your work, step by step you are going over how you are going to get back into your groove, solving this or that structural problem, or what have you point is your mind is back there! It’s a curse.
I’ll share with you my dilemma today: Some of the scale pieces have metal pieces which I was thinking of making through different means (being vague), one was bending some aluminum pipes with wire inserts on a hand made wooden jig. That didn’t work. I went across the parking lot to the custom motorcycle building guys, and they didn’t know anybody in the area who could do what I needed. Believe me this isn’t that custom, I just don’t think people like helping others as much as I do, that’s cool. I resorted to making the entire metal pieces out of wood, bent pieces and plates! It’ll take me a little longer but apparently the name of the game is having control over the entire process, you can’t count on anyone when manufacturing. Lesson learned.
When you hand over the process of making your furniture to someone else, it doesn’t seem as messy as this blog portrays it to be. Understand I like documenting the mess, I like documenting my contradictions, because I am not perfect and perfection is sort of what I am railing against. Too much marketing has focused on separating the mess from the creator : I can confess here that the actual process of perfection comes from overcoming the odds that keep you from making the pieces as you designed them. Documented somewhat well here, I try and divulge the usually hidden so you can better appreciate the end result.
Writing this blog sometimes feels like I put myself inside of a fish tank for me and others to look at, but evidently a very positive consequence of writing is that you feel a much closer connection to your work through a whole other dimension. Although I don’t have a counter turned on, rest assured you all can fill a large classroom on a daily basis and a small auditorium when I post something funny. Lately I've had a few roudy spam messages trying to sell me pipi growth pills, and the odd comment here and there. I've been told my writing doesn't leave room for commenting, the truth is I wish I could run this blog with comments not even visible (for now)... I don't think you have anything to say until I actually post the final work... In the mean time I enjoy your silence... This post will barely fill an elevator today.
dl.v
Saaanding Papel…
I am not paid by these people, and I don't get stuff for free. Gator Grit paper has been my tool of choice to burr through all this wood bone... Sand paper must do two things well : 1st it should hold up to your tooling, meaning the actual paper that holds the grit should not fall apart/tear and 2nd the actual grit should not WIPE off the paper! Gator Grit MADE IN THE USA, is the first product I've seen that beats hands down a German hobby product/tool. Kavan GmbH makes a sand paper ZONA that its grit completely wipes off the paper in one pass! I use a finger sander with a "belt" of sand paper which allows me to rotate and make best use of the sand paper.
dl.v
Aaaahhh Mierda!
"...Wasps have a good memory for a face : wasps can remember each other after a busy week apart, according to new research. It's a level of social memory never seen before in insects, which were long thought to be too small-brained for such a feat..."
dl.v
Sourcing
http://www.flickr.com/photos/landschaft/3660327723/
When manufacturing you need stuff : acquiring that stuff goes through a cycle and it goes something like this (serious oversimplification but here it goes). Minerals in the ground get extracted refined and separated from other things, the refined stuff is packaged into sellable measured packages, those packages are priced in a market, prices that are totally speculative and not entirely related to "reality" typically referred to as "what the market will bare". That raw material is purchased by a manufacturer that will mix that raw material with other materials to make (a) shape, typically a functional shape that is "useful" and not efficient or financially feasible or any competitive advantage for any other manufacturer to even consider making. This shape is either intellectual property or not, but unique enough to now be "proprietary" and belonging to someone or a corporation. It now officially has value. We begin to now see where the consumer would get closer to getting that raw material, raw materials that has been increased in value exponentially.
This generic manufacturer could provide a service to outside companies to either make a new shape, or to use the shape they have made, thus creating another company's product. Now that company will either put that product (with the part we've been following) into the hands of a distributor, wholesaler, retailer, or into their own ecommerce website. This cycle takes materials from the ground to your hand and coincidentally enough when you are done using it, and you are like most people you throw the product away and it goes where? Back in to the ground. This time so diluted with other raw materials, that unless it is separated and recycled that heap of waste we call a dump will eventually overtake all developable land we create: with its smells, visual impact (height), and its invisible health impacts. Not to mention deprive those materials from re-entering the manufacturing stream all over again, repurposed or recycled.
Back to the point.
Sourcing as a potential manufacturer is an exercise in patience and persistence : for example : just you try and source a specific type of bolt, you might find it listed as available and ready to ship on a supplier's website, but you call to confirm and realize it needs to be sourced by them, and then you have to wait for it to be manufactured (I think this is a mistake, to misguide with [in stock] you think you can get in a few days, in reality its a few weeks lead time). Given our economy many manufacturers have cleared inventory and are strictly making to order (understandable but don't lie). Then when you receive the bolt you ordered it isn't Black Oxide as you specified, it is spray painted Black! Preying on your apparent lack of sophistication (1st time order low volume) it seems appropriate to apply "The American Way" of doing business. When they realize you know your shit, they move you to the "Not Stupid" pool of people, your order is corrected and they never mess with you again. You might say, "Then don't do business with them..." Believe me, I've said that quite a few times...
My choice to source only Made in the USA isn't an entirely stress free and perfect process... I know from other's experience manufacturing and doing business with China and or the World isn't as simple as [alibaba.com] makes it look. You have to be on Global suppliers like white on rice, you have longer lead time for custom parts and LOTS of stress making sure it leaves the plant the way you said you wanted it. If something is built wrong good luck making your deadline, you have to fly over there to make sure they set up appropriately and use the materials you require! Your client's money would go to another country : in return you become a broker for goods made by other people in another country yes for less costs to me, but in return we all pay for the loss of jobs and skill in this country.
Its not the assholes that own the businesses and could care less where their sourced materials come from that matter to me, its the honey bees doing all the work. Its not their fault, and here in America we are loosing LOTS of honey bees and drowning in assholes... (yes that was a Strummer shout out).
dl.v