The general decline in standards today

[AtomicEraTom]

We're more worried about Kraft taking over and firing all the union employees, like they did at Oscar Mayer, not too far from here.

Kraft's revenue declined nearly 5% last quarter. They will make money but unfortunately, you will likely see a cut as they drawback with their inability to raise prices and their declining product mix. They got hosed in the split.....

 

[jamespowers]

We're more worried about Kraft taking over and firing all the union employees, like they did at Oscar Mayer, not too far from here.

Hmmm....I wonder how that would effect the bottom line....

 

[AtomicEraTom]

Hopefully I'm out of there before it ever happens, if it ever does.

Hmmm....I wonder how that would effect the bottom line....

 

[sheeplady]

I meant "lost" as in their attempt at the computer business failed, as did Wester Electric once they no longer had the internal phone service company to keep them going. Furthermore, AT&T's subsequent attempt back into the phone serive arena didn't go so well and only after they were bought back by one of the subsidiary companies they spun off did the name recapture much market share. The "AT&T" you know now is not the same company that broke up in 1984...it's one of the "Baby Bells" (Southwestern Bell to be exact) that co-opted the AT&T name for marketing purposes.

With the divestiture, the buyouts, the takeovers, what is left of AT&T is anybody's guess. We're back to the chicken and the egg problem of branding... can success be purely based upon the value of the brand in name only?

 

[HudsonHawk]

With the divestiture, the buyouts, the takeovers, what is left of AT&T is anybody's guess. We're back to the chicken and the egg problem of branding... can success be purely based upon the value of the brand in name only?

AT&T was broken up into seven "Baby Bells". Since then, one of the Baby Bells (Southwestern Bell) bought back the former parent company, then bought back three more of the Baby Bells (Ameritech, BellSouth and PacBell) and changed their name back to AT&T. One of the Baby Bells (Bell Atlantic) bought another (NYNEX) then bought GTE (the largest non-Bell provider) and changed their name to Verizon. The other Baby Bell was US West, which merged with QWest and is now part of CenturyLink. So there ya go...a short history of Ma Bell in one paragraph.

As for there being value in brand names only, I think you see that all the time. In my business for example: you see gasoline brand names that are very successful but have nothing to do with the original oil company that used to go by that name. They're just marketing names.

 

[sheeplady]

AT&T was broken up into seven "Baby Bells". Since then, one of the Baby Bells (Southwestern Bell) bought back the former parent company, then bought back three more of the Baby Bells (Ameritech, BellSouth and PacBell) and changed their name back to AT&T. One of the Baby Bells (Bell Atlantic) bought another (NYNEX) then bought GTE (the largest non-Bell provider) and changed their name to Verizon. The other Baby Bell was US West, which merged with QWest and is now part of CenturyLink. So there ya go...a short history of Ma Bell in one paragraph.

Par for the course in telecomm, unfortunately. (Or fortunately?)

 

[Dragon Soldier]

Here we have numerous companies selling phone service to the end user. But they're only making different deals on the rental of the local loop. The trunk network all belongs to BT.

 

[Zombie_61]

..."titanium" as another name for "pot metal"...

Speaking as someone who worked for a metallurgical company that heat treated titanium (among numerous other steels and alloys), I can tell you that titanium and "pot metal" are two very different alloys.

Kraft is another one of my pet hates at the moment. They used to be a good company, making good cheese and Miracle Whip and such...

In 1979-81 I worked for a local construction company that did concrete work for commercial sites. One of their customers was the Kraft Foods facility that was in Buena Park, California. Don't tell anyone, but they squirted the same mayonnaise and mustard into every bottle or jar regardless of what it said on the label.

 

[GHT]

As for there being value in brand names only, I think you see that all the time. In my business for example: you see gasoline brand names that are very successful but have nothing to do with the original oil company that used to go by that name. They're just marketing names.

Now there's a very good point. Even two heads of government got sucked into that. Back in the year 2000, we had one of those moments that the French are famous for. Rising fuel prices resulted in Joe Public blockading the fuel distribution centres. It lasted a week and caused our, then Prime Minister, Tony Blair, to scratch his head. The fuel depot had a sign that said: "BP," the trucks were in BP livery, the drivers all wore BP uniforms, and the whole lot was a subcontractor, name of P&O. That P&O.

And did you ever pick up on President Obama emphasising British Petroleum, during the Gulf of Mexico oil spillage. He was shocked to learn that, at that time, BP was 48% an American company, and the livelyhood of thousands of Americans depended on BP surviving. You would think that politicians were better advised.

Here we have numerous companies selling phone service to the end user. But they're only making different deals on the rental of the local loop. The trunk network all belongs to BT.

To which, BT have just been slammed by Parliament for making £5billion in excess profit.

 

[GHT]

Zombie, It's quarter past eight in the morning here. By my reckoning, it's quarter past midnight where you are. Don't you sleep?

 

[Zombie_61]

Zombie, It's quarter past eight in the morning here. By my reckoning, it's quarter past midnight where you are. Don't you sleep?

Your reckoning is correct. I'm an insomniac, so I sleep when I can and/or whenever my body decides it wants to. [huh]

 

[Gregg Axley]

Your reckoning is correct. I'm an insomniac, so I sleep when I can and/or whenever my body decides it wants to. [huh]

Hence the name Zombie?
You are correct, pot metal and titanium are not the same.
I have both metals, and I can assure you that pot metal isn't nearly as strong.
If it was, I wouldn't have broken parts on my street rod.
Door handles for example....and my car was made BEFORE the market crash, 8 month before to be exact.
It was a well made car, there is no question about that, but there are a few places where cost had to be cut, even if this was their heyday.

 

[bburtner@moran]

I see it more as a decay.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Speaking as someone who worked for a metallurgical company that heat treated titanium (among numerous other steels and alloys), I can tell you that titanium and "pot metal" are two very different alloys.

In the real world, yes. In the fantasy world of Apple Computer, and specifically Apple Computer laptop hinges, they are exactly the same thing.

 

[HudsonHawk]

Speaking as someone who worked for a metallurgical company that heat treated titanium (among numerous other steels and alloys), I can tell you that titanium and "pot metal" are two very different alloys.

Titanium is not even an alloy. You can make alloys using titanium, but it's an elemental metal like copper, zinc or tin. As for "pot metal", it's the same as titanium in the same way brass is the same as gold.

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

And did you ever pick up on President Obama emphasising British Petroleum, during the Gulf of Mexico oil spillage. He was shocked to learn that, at that time, BP was 48% an American company, and the livelyhood of thousands of Americans depended on BP surviving. You would think that politicians were better advised.

I have noticed in recent years how many BP stations have popped up around here and also I like to look at Google Maps and have noticed that there's lots of Texaco stations in the UK when that brand has pretty much disappeared in the US.

 

[dh66]

I'm sure Ms. Maine was was not so much flexing her ignorance of metalurgy as she was making a statement about the poor quality of the components and slick, if somewhat less than honest, marketing of her shiny object.

Sent from my SGH-T959V using Tapatalk 2

 

[HudsonHawk]

I have noticed in recent years how many BP stations have popped up around here and also I like to look at Google Maps and have noticed that there's lots of Texaco stations in the UK when that brand has pretty much disappeared in the US.

There are still about 1,800 Texaco stations in the US. Not near as many as BP (8,700), but they are still out there.

 

[HudsonHawk]

I'm sure Ms. Maine was was not so much flexing her ignorance of metalurgy as she was making a statement about the poor quality of the components and slick, if somewhat less than honest, marketing of her shiny object.

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I don't think anyone thought otherwise.

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

There are still about 1,800 Texaco stations in the US. Not near as many as BP (8,700), but they are still out there.

There were several Texaco stations near me but they're all history.