Zeee Germans are coming!

j-bird

Well-Known Member
I sink zat is um uncle Johannes, Ya! Between my working with German engineers and my own German heritage.....lets just say it can be a struggle at times! You do EVERYTHING a specific way....THEIR way....or it's wrong!
 

Hoosierhunting

Well-Known Member
I sink zat is um uncle Johannes, Ya! Between my working with German engineers and my own German heritage.....lets just say it can be a struggle at times! You do EVERYTHING a specific way....THEIR way....or it's wrong!

I was in Bottrop on a joint design project, working with a pc pump manufacturer to design an oilfield application. We wanted the pump to be designed with 5-10% efficiency so when downhole the stator could swell without causing any issues. I explained that to replace a pump was a six figure expenditure, (pump was less than 10k) so efficiency was not a concern. You could just about see the heads exploding. We wasted the next two days. The Germans felt it was imperative to test everything and find the exact swell rates so that the pump would operate in an acceptable efficiency range. When explained that the variation among well bores would make that near impossible and that the end users didn’t care about efficiency merely longevity they just couldn’t accept that. Their German-ness did not allow for such an unscientific approach. It literally took two solid days of convincing before we could move past this point. It was also probably the only reason they agreed to private label the pumps, they didn’t want their name associated with such crudeness.


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j-bird

Well-Known Member
I was in Bottrop on a joint design project, working with a pc pump manufacturer to design an oilfield application. We wanted the pump to be designed with 5-10% efficiency so when downhole the stator could swell without causing any issues. I explained that to replace a pump was a six figure expenditure, (pump was less than 10k) so efficiency was not a concern. You could just about see the heads exploding. We wasted the next two days. The Germans felt it was imperative to test everything and find the exact swell rates so that the pump would operate in an acceptable efficiency range. When explained that the variation among well bores would make that near impossible and that the end users didn’t care about efficiency merely longevity they just couldn’t accept that. Their German-ness did not allow for such an unscientific approach. It literally took two solid days of convincing before we could move past this point. It was also probably the only reason they agreed to private label the pumps, they didn’t want their name associated with such crudeness.


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I work with them in an automotive capacity.....VW to Mercedes & BMW.... it's all the same....complicated design, robust specifications, and nearly impossible to make....oh and they want the best of the best but want it at a stupid low cost! And when we suggest a design change or some improvement for manufacturability.....you might as well just beat your head against the wall!!! Oh...and they HATE speaking english!!!! Auf Wiedersehen!
 

Hoosierhunting

Well-Known Member
I work with them in an automotive capacity.....VW to Mercedes & BMW.... it's all the same....complicated design, robust specifications, and nearly impossible to make....oh and they want the best of the best but want it at a stupid low cost! And when we suggest a design change or some improvement for manufacturability.....you might as well just beat your head against the wall!!! Oh...and they HATE speaking english!!!! Auf Wiedersehen!

Hey at least they finally put cup holders in BMWs. . Very difficult but the end result is usually best in class. From my experience, I think one of the reasons they turn out good engineers is because their system of education embraces the practical and apprenticeships. I had a mech engineer roommate who was months away from graduating, who didn’t know enough to stop driving his overheating car. Had a thermostat sticking....had no clue what was wrong and was going to take it to the dealership. I showed him it was $10 and two bolts to fix....you’d have thought I landed a man on the moon by his amazement. Our BSE education was all books and theory. I’m sure we’ve all seen the lack of practical education when working on something and marveling at “the stupid $*%#+*{€~ who designed this”. Like the guy who decided the best place for the DEF fill on my GMC was against the firewall when Ford and Ram have them right by the fuel fill.....


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j-bird

Well-Known Member
Hey at least they finally put cup holders in BMWs. . Very difficult but the end result is usually best in class. From my experience, I think one of the reasons they turn out good engineers is because their system of education embraces the practical and apprenticeships. I had a mech engineer roommate who was months away from graduating, who didn’t know enough to stop driving his overheating car. Had a thermometer sticking....had no clue what was wrong and was going to take it to the dealership. I showed him it was $10 and two bolts to fix....you’d have thought I landed a man on the moon by his amazement. Our BSE education was all books and theory. I’m sure we’ve all seen the lack of practical education when working on something and marveling at “the stupid $*%#+*{€~ who designed this”. Like the guy who decided the best place for the DEF fill on my GMC was against the firewall when Ford and Ram have them right by the fuel fill.....


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I won't trust an "engineer" that has never worked on his own car/truck before....I know some that have never changed their own oil or even a flat tire. I have little faith in those without practical abilities like that....I figure the zombies will get them first!
 

Hoosierhunting

Well-Known Member
I won't trust an "engineer" that has never worked on his own car/truck before....I know some that have never changed their own oil or even a flat tire. I have little faith in those without practical abilities like that....I figure the zombies will get them first!
The zombies will definitely get them first! And my phone put thermometer....had to correct to thermostat.
 

Mennoniteman

Well-Known Member
Hey at least they finally put cup holders in BMWs. . Very difficult but the end result is usually best in class. From my experience, I think one of the reasons they turn out good engineers is because their system of education embraces the practical and apprenticeships. I had a mech engineer roommate who was months away from graduating, who didn’t know enough to stop driving his overheating car. Had a thermostat sticking....had no clue what was wrong and was going to take it to the dealership. I showed him it was $10 and two bolts to fix....you’d have thought I landed a man on the moon by his amazement. Our BSE education was all books and theory. I’m sure we’ve all seen the lack of practical education when working on something and marveling at “the stupid $*%#+*{€~ who designed this”. Like the guy who decided the best place for the DEF fill on my GMC was against the firewall when Ford and Ram have them right by the fuel fill.....


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DEF fill right beside the fuel fill has potential for problems, first and foremost being, when your employee is still dreamily thinking about the events of the night before and fills the wrong tank the bill is going to be costly.
 

Hoosierhunting

Well-Known Member
DEF fill right beside the fuel fill has potential for problems, first and foremost being, when your employee is still dreamily thinking about the events of the night before and fills the wrong tank the bill is going to be costly.
Well you can't fix stupid right? They sure try though, most commercial trucks use the magnetic interlock nozzle that makes it impossible to put DEF into diesel tank. Don't know if Ford & Ram used it on their trucks but there is a solution to keep protect vehicles from idiots if they want to.
 

Hoosierhunting

Well-Known Member
One of the best engineers I’ve ever know used to always say, “better is the enemy of good enough”. He wasn’t a cost engineer devoted to making things cheaper/cheaply. He just believed in the elegance of simplicity. Over-engineered, convoluted solutions were to always be avoided. He was a rare breed. The company changed several of his designs because they eliminated consumables which were a revenue stream. An engineer will think how can we build this thing so it won’t fail. An MBA will then ask you to decrease the MTTF because reliability hurts revenue. A lot of folks don’t really appreciate planned obsolescence, I recommend everyone watch the documentary “the lightbulb conspiracy”. It’s a good watch.


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dogghr

Well-Known Member
I’m certainly German but luckily my Irish mix allows me to overcome my being anal about the simplest of things w alcohol. But my SIL the engineer makes my pickiness seem beginner stage. But then he will bank 1 mill$ from his company sale this month at the age of 37. Not bad for being obsessive. You can thank your future 5g network to his efforts. Here he is after a 2.5 hour climb of a tower he was evaluating. Everyone has their niche.
fd3249c583ec6cf05289f45122202655.jpg



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Mennoniteman

Well-Known Member
I’m certainly German but luckily my Irish mix allows me to overcome my being anal about the simplest of things w alcohol. But my SIL the engineer makes my pickiness seem beginner stage. But then he will bank 1 mill$ from his company sale this month at the age of 37. Not bad for being obsessive. You can thank your future 5g network to his efforts. Here he is after a 2.5 hour climb of a tower he was evaluating. Everyone has their niche.
fd3249c583ec6cf05289f45122202655.jpg



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I didn't mind those heights when I was younger. So, I say, let the young guys just keep doing that, if they want to be well to do let them work for it like we did, he's more than welcome to his million if he's willing to climb up there to keep my smartphone working.
 

dogghr

Well-Known Member
I didn't mind those heights when I was younger. So, I say, let the young guys just keep doing that, if they want to be well to do let them work for it like we did, he's more than welcome to his million if he's willing to climb up there to keep my smartphone working.
I'm tempted to send him the new new drama that 5g is dangerous to our health. I'm sure he already knows.
As for being picky as an engineer, I literally spent multiple conversations of how he should plant his new yard, he knowing how I plant rotations at the farm. I finally just went and bought the seed, lime, and Fert and made him do it. Now the conversation is rotational plantings for his pastures. I may just go do that also. Random, is not often in an engineers vocabulary.
 

Mennoniteman

Well-Known Member
But they still lost the war.
They came too close for comfort. Twice. And it wasn't any fault of their engineers that they lost, it was their narcissistic leader who let it go to his head when they were winning. Okay, I apologize for opening a debate on WWII, couldn't resist throwing an iron in the fire. And I wasn't even born until 20 yrs after it was over.
 

Drycreek

Well-Known Member
They came too close for comfort. Twice. And it wasn't any fault of their engineers that they lost, it was their narcissistic leader who let it go to his head when they were winning. Okay, I apologize for opening a debate on WWII, couldn't resist throwing an iron in the fire. And I wasn't even born until 20 yrs after it was over.

Young whippersnapper !:eek::D
 
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