Large Scale Central

Nürnberger Nachrichten comments on "LGB Style"

General Discussion
#1

Hi all,

Interesting how people perceive things

Nürnberger Nachrichten said:
....

Kommentar:

Wo sind die Infos?

Schlechter Stil der LGB-Spitze

Jetzt wird es heiß: Der Krimi um die Zukunft der LGB geht in seine wohl entscheidende Woche. Eigentlich sollte sich das Schicksal des Modellbahnherstellers schon bis Ostern weisen. Dass weiterverhandelt wird, obwohl längst ein Angebot von Märklin vorliegt, gibt Hoffnung für den Standort. Unter dem Modellbahnmarktführer wäre die hiesige LGB-Produktion schon bald Geschichte. Jeder weitere erfolglose Verhandlungstag verbrennt jedoch auch bares Geld. Keine Frage: Eine Entscheidung muss jetzt her - so oder so.

Besonders belastend ist die Situation für die 140 LGB-Beschäftigten. Die meisten von ihnen identifizierten sich mit ihrem Arbeitgeber, waren in der Vergangenheit immer bereit zu helfen. Dass die LGB-Leitung sie jetzt nicht einmal umfassend über den Stand der Dinge informiert, ist schlechter Stil und schürt Sorgen unnötig weiter. Gut für die Motivation ist das nicht - dabei hätte LGB motivierte Mitarbeiter nach einer Rettung dringend nötig. Hier braucht es keine langen Verhandlungen. Hier braucht es einfach ein zügiges Umdenken im Management an der Saganer Straße. GREGOR LE CLAIRE
14.4.2007

© NÜRNBERGER NACHRICHTEN


HJ’s translation

HJ translation said:
...

Commentary:

Where is the information?

Shoddy style from the LGB leadership

Now it is heating up: the thriller around LGB’s future is entering the likely decisive week. Actually the fate of the model railway producer should have been decided by Easter. The continuing negotiations, despite the offer submitted by Märklin some time ago, gives hope that the production location will be preserved. Under the marketleader’s aegis the LGB production in Nürnberg would be of short duration. But each additional day of
negotiations is also wasting money. Not a question: A decision has to come now - one way or the other.

Especially stressful is the situation for the 140 LGB employees. Most of them identify with their employer, have in the past been willing to help. That the LGB leadership neglects to inform them shows a lack of style and is an unnecessary source of worry. Certainly not good for the morale - and this when LGB will be in dire need of motivated employees after a rescue. This doesn’t require extended negotiations. What’s required is a swift rethinking process by the management at Saganer Strasse.

Gregor Le Claire

#2

Schoentag

#3
John Joseph Sauer said:
Schoentag
That's right, Schöntag.

BTW the dealers are just as hmmmm … teed off! A lot of goodwill straight down the tube!

#4

How about translating this one for everybody:
http://www.stuttgarter-zeitung.de/stz/page/detail.php/1384073

#5
John Joseph Sauer said:
How about translating this one for everybody: http://www.stuttgarter-zeitung.de/stz/page/detail.php/1384073
How about someone else does it ?
#6

Here’s what the Google translator had to say:

Quote:
Göppingen - several hundred persons employed of the model railway manufacturer Märklin protested on Monday with a protest march by the Göppinger city center against a planned place dismantling. According to data of the trade union industrial union metal approximately 500 employees from the town hall pulled to the parent plant after a workshop meeting. Among the demonstrators also also employees from Nuremberg and of the Thuringian location were sun mountain. The work in sun mountain with approximately 220 coworkers is to be closed completely. The work in Nuremberg is to be converted to marketing and selling location particularly for the mark Trix. The industrial union metal criticized the planned job dismantling. Only places were painted and it give no total concept. Besides contradict the plan to shift production into “cheap wage countries” the quality thought of the tradition mark Märklin. Among other things the manufacturing in Nuremberg with 30 persons employed is to be closed and be shifted to China and Hungary. At the head office in Göppingen approximately 120 is to be painted by 700 jobs. The location locking is according to data of the management part of a program for the reorganization of the tradition enterprise, which had to accept large turnover break-downs in the past years. After the stabilization of proceeds in the past year, the cost side is to be concerned according to enterprise data 2007. At the same time is to be invested however further - for instance in manufacturing plants as well as in research and development. Märklin had been transferred in May 2006 after long rope pulling with the family partners by the British investor Kingsbridge Capital.
#7
Hans-Joerg Mueller said:
John Joseph Sauer said:
How about translating this one for everybody: http://www.stuttgarter-zeitung.de/stz/page/detail.php/1384073
How about someone else does it ?
Yeah, that's what I figured......
#8
Hans-Joerg Mueller said:
Hi all,

Interesting how people perceive things

SNIP

HJ’s translation

HJ translation said:
...

SNIP.

Especially stressful is the situation for the 140 LGB employees. Most of them identify with their employer, have in the past been willing to help. That the LGB leadership neglects to inform them shows a lack of style and is an unnecessary source of worry. Certainly not good for the morale - and this when LGB will be in dire need of motivated employees after a rescue. This doesn’t require extended negotiations. What’s required is a swift rethinking process by the management at Saganer Strasse.

Gregor Le Claire

Would that management be:
  1. The old administration that sent LGB broke in the first place?
  2. The insolvency trustee?
  3. The current management. Schoentag.?
  4. Any new management such as LGBofA? Which could possibly be the old management that sent LGB broke in the first place, “hidden” behind another Company, in a cloak of respectability?
    BTW, they are questions??? Not an opinion or statement of fact.

My opinion follows.
Given the amounts of money discussed at the time of insolvency and the “offers” that are currently being discussed, I find it hard to believe the German Banks would let that happen.
They would stand to lose considerable amounts.
But you never know.
Stranger things have happened in the Corporate World.

#9

Tony,

(If this goes the way I would prefer) I think the new owner (Wöhrl) will run it the same way they run their clothing stores and airlines. Quite well from what I hear. They doubled the value of one of their airline units, as HJ posted.

Jack

#10
Jack Barton said:
Tony,

(If this goes the way I would prefer) I think the new owner (Wöhrl) will run it the same way they run their clothing stores and airlines. Quite well from what I hear. They doubled the value of one of their airline units, as HJ posted.

Jack


Didn’t I read the Wöhrl bid was to be in partnership with LGBofA?

If so exactly how much equity will Wöhrl have in the joint venture?

Who exactly owns G45 and therefore LGBofA?

Where did the money come from to set up G45 and purchase the overseas “assets” of the former EPL?

All I want to read/hear is the truth. Not a lot of hyperbole.

I too would like LGB to continue by going back to the basics of producing moderately priced high quality merchandise. Not overpriced stuff containing whizz bang electronics that the consumer is forced to buy and obviously chose not to buy hence bringing about the rapid demise of EPL.
It was only just before the insolvency announcement that I read LGB were once again going to offer their product range with OPTIONAL whizz bang electronics electronics and make the locos such that a purchaser could install the electronic equipment of their choice.

Piko will make a killing doing it this way.
Basic simple, well made locos that can be optioned up if the purchaser so desires.

I just hope Bachmann would learn from the LGB debacle and decline from forcing “stuff” onto the LS consumer that would have to be junked if the purchaser wanted anything else.

#11
John Joseph Sauer said:
Hans-Joerg Mueller said:
John Joseph Sauer said:
How about translating this one for everybody: http://www.stuttgarter-zeitung.de/stz/page/detail.php/1384073
How about someone else does it ?
Yeah, that's what I figured......
Hey look at that:

You don’t like it when I translate!
And you also don’t like it if I don’t translate!

Isn’t that a charmer! :wink: :slight_smile: No, I’m not surprised.

#12

Tony,

I answered your question about my $ involvment and you didn’t even respond!

I thought you just posted to Mike that you had the “facts”. So I’ll leave you to them.

Jack

#13
Jack Barton said:
Tony,

I answered your question about my $ involvment and you didn’t even respond!

I thought you just posted to Mike that you had the “facts”. So I’ll leave you to them.

Jack


Jack,
That last paragraph seems to be a typical comment by a member of the red box brigade and a perfect example of what I said to Wendell about those that do not like the facts, or anything else the messenger might be saying, responding by shooting, or attempting to shoot the messenger by distorting what I did say.

In Ausralia, we have a saying. “Don’t come the raw prawn with me”

Nowhere have I said I have the “facts” of the LGB fiasco.
I have only ever asked questions. Just like the German banks seem to be doing at present.

To the first paragraph.
I read your reply. I did not believe that there was any need to respond to an admission by you that, Yes, you were prejudiced towards LGB. The reader would get the message without any assistance from me.

#14
TonyWalsham said:
Who exactly owns G45 and therefore LGBofA? Where did the money come from to set up G45 and purchase the overseas "assets" of the former EPL?
What difference does it make? Are you just curious, or do you have a dog in this fight?
#15

I am curious.
I’d be willing to bet the banks are, too.

If you’ve followed any of this, you’d know there is more to it than anyone is being told.

#16
Curmudgeon said:
I am curious. I'd be willing to bet the banks are, too.

If you’ve followed any of this, you’d know there is more to it than anyone is being told.


You know guys… there is always more to it than we will ever know in these kind of deals.

The banks will probably lose money no matter who wins the bid, and to be realistic I doubt any protracted discussions that they may be embarking on will improve the solution for them since every day costs them asset value from the standpoint of expertise and marketing position and clout.

Why will you , the broad public, continue to buy something in the existing product line or new offers from a company that you don’t have confidence in for warranty or repair parts, or even realistically inventory for sale in the short run. It’s a marketers nightmare.

As I said before on different threads …got no dog in this fight … other than I believe there are too few competitors in the Large Scale market, and the loss of a even a weak one let alone a strong one hurts us all.

I have worked both side of bankruptcy and recovery and this is a tramatic and drawn out problem for those involved and those who want a specific outcome…whatever it may be.

I just don’t want the product line to die.

Mark

#17

Many years ago in another lifetime, I used to work in the rag trade.

Specifically, I used to sell laces, ribbons and braids to lingerie manufacturers.

That industry taught me an old maxim by some of the slipperiest operators I have ever come across.

“There is no point in going broke (read voluntary insolvency) unless you stand to make money out of it”.

One “operator” in particular went broke twice and “took” his suppliers each time by having a robbery where all the stock got stolen over the weekend.
His “smart” creditors agreed to this twice thinking they would get their money back eventually.
He then started up again the next week under a new name with a “new” owner. His wife.
The third time he tried it, my boss, who was a wise old dude, was the only creditor not to put him in again. Instead he kept him going with what turned out to be very strict conditions of operation overseen by an administrator.
By being the sole supplier my boss did get all his money back, and then some.
Then the “operator” was put out of business, permanently.
Once bitten twice shy.

Now, I am not saying that is what happened with LGB, but…!

#18

Reference to a meaningful observation Tony made in this series of posts:

I agree, LGB would benefit from manufacturing products that are basic to the industry and then offer a series of upgrades available to the consumer. This in contrast to offering products with all the electronic marvels and then reading of consumer modifications to overcome their use.

Here’s hopes for LGB that this idea is given strong consideration.

Wendell

#19
Wendell Hanks said:
Reference to a meaningful observation Tony made in this series of posts:

I agree, LGB would benefit from manufacturing products that are basic to the industry and then offer a series of upgrades available to the consumer. This in contrast to offering products with all the electronic marvels and then reading of consumer modifications to overcome their use.

Here’s hopes for LGB that this idea is given strong consideration.

Wendell


LGB was beginning to sell locos without the electronics and sound. Examples are the Heidi, Bernina rail cars and the Genesis.

#20
Wendell Hanks said:
Reference to a meaningful observation Tony made in this series of posts:

I agree, LGB would benefit from manufacturing products that are basic to the industry and then offer a series of upgrades available to the consumer. This in contrast to offering products with all the electronic marvels and then reading of consumer modifications to overcome their use.

Here’s hopes for LGB that this idea is given strong consideration.

Wendell


Wendell,

In one of the articles I translated someone put the LGB difficulties in part down to them being “advice resistant”.

That is a Bavarian trait I’ve experienced often enough. :wink: :slight_smile: