Recognition for the Bozeman Acoustic Div.

[JuanCarlosVejar]

folks ,

 

I found this nice video that gives recognition to the Bozeman plant :

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

JC

[j45nick]

Most interesting!

 

The production numbers are pretty eye-opening: 94 guitars completed per day. Assuming a theoretical max of 260 production days (52 weeks X 5 days/week), they could in theory produce a bit over 24,000 guitars per year in the facility.

 

Even more eye-opening is the number of hours (presumably we're talking man-hours of production labor per guitar) per guitar: 30 hours per guitar before the introduction of lean manufacturing, now down to 10.7 hours per guitar. That's pretty efficient, I would say!

 

Not sure how big the workforce is there, but the implication is about 125 production, plus management, maintenance, shippers, materials handlers, etc. Could be quite a bit fewer, as I suspect their production is nowhere near the theoretical max.

 

It does seem pretty clear that it might be a far cry from Ren's idealized shop with its custom division.

 

I'd love to know how these production and hours per guitar numbers compare with Taylor and Martin. I think I read somewhere that Martin was doing about 12 hours per guitar, but that was some time ago, and may or may not have included their offshore production.

[zombywoof]

Also a long way from how long it took to make a guitar and how many they turned out a year in Kalamazoo.

 

I recall reading somewhere that years back Bozeman was producing about 17,000 guitars a year but wanted to up it to around 24,000 so your guesstimate might be right on the money. Martin and Taylor still dwarf Gibson's production numbers but on the other hand you have a place like Collings that only produces about 1,000 guitars a year.

[uh66]

Even more eye-opening is the number of hours (presumably we're talking man-hours of production labor per guitar) per guitar: 30 hours per guitar before the introduction of lean manufacturing, now down to 10.7 hours per guitar. That's pretty efficient, I would say!

 

I would appreciate (and pay) if Gibson spends some more hours on their products to finish them properly and do some QC. It seems to me that a lot of the standard line guitars nowadays require "the last 100 dollars" or even more from their first owner.

Before "lean" production, my 1998 J-45 was perfect as a new instrument (still is, never changed a thing), and so was my friend´s wonderful 1992 J-200.

[Doug the Old Geezer]

I have been through the pains of "Lean Mfg" as a Quality Control person and sometimes "Lean" can be spelled "Cheap". You start getting people that weren't part of the Lean philosophy that meant to become more efficient without sacrificing quality and they start seeing Lean as a tool to cut costs, period. So I would certainly say there is a fine line between Lean and Cheap that has to be controlled, otherwise you become a low end mfg. with a big name. Don't let that happen, Bozeman, please.

[JuanCarlosVejar]

I would appreciate (and pay) if Gibson spends some more hours on their products to finish them properly and do some QC. It seems to me that a lot of the standard line guitars nowadays require "the last 100 dollars" or even more from their first owner.

Before "lean" production, my 1998 J-45 was perfect as a new instrument (still is, never changed a thing), and so was my friend´s wonderful 1992 J-200.

Why do you say that ?

 

 

 

 

 

 

JC

[JuanCarlosVejar]

I have been through the pains of "Lean Mfg" as a Quality Control person and sometimes "Lean" can be spelled "Cheap". You start getting people that weren't part of the Lean philosophy that meant to become more efficient without sacrificing quality and they start seeing Lean as a tool to cut costs, period. So I would certainly say there is a fine line between Lean and Cheap that has to be controlled, otherwise you become a low end mfg. with a big name. Don't let that happen, Bozeman, please.

Doug ,

 

I was at NAMM this year and I played a few of the montana acoustics.

They were well built and I loved the sound of their 1928 L1

 

 

 

I was also at a Guitar Center in Sherman Oaks later in the year and played and inspected the gibsons they had on hand and all were perfectly fine as far as setup and finish.Some sounded more open but all sounded like a guitar I would take home.

 

 

 

I believe the QC issue is just an old cliche about the Norlin era.

In my opinion the guitars they are building now are the best in history.

 

 

 

 

JC

[Doug the Old Geezer]

Doug ,

 

I was at NAMM this year and I played a few of the montana acoustics.

They were well built and I loved the sound of their 1928 L1

 

 

 

I was also at a Guitar Center in Sherman Oaks later in the year and played and inspected the gibsons they had on hand and all were perfectly fine as far as setup and finish.Some sounded more open but all sounded like a guitar I would take home.

 

 

 

I believe the QC issue is just an old cliche about the Norlin era.

In my opinion the guitars they are building now are the best in history.

 

No, Juan Carlos, I was relating an experience I had working for a company in the past that implemented these practices and I wasn't implying that Gibson was at that stage. My J-35 purchased 8 months ago, is a very high quality product and I am very pleased with it. I meant my statement about quality as a warning to Gibson to not let non production people take over the implementation of Lean Mfg. ideas that may affect the future quality of products.

 

 

 

 

JC

[Bozz]

All guitar manufacturers are being forced to cut back and operate more efficiently these days due to the difficulty they are having in recovering from the recession. U.S. electric guitar sales grossed $375 million in 2012. That number is down over 30% since 2008. Changing musical tastes are largely to blame. Electronic dance music (I use the term "music" loosely) and synthesized sound is becoming more prevalent in popular music. The fact that kids today are not growing up listening to guitars is worrisome.

[modoc_333]

Martin and Taylor both make about 400 per day.

[TimmyD]

I have been through the pains of "Lean Mfg" as a Quality Control person and sometimes "Lean" can be spelled "Cheap". You start getting people that weren't part of the Lean philosophy that meant to become more efficient without sacrificing quality and they start seeing Lean as a tool to cut costs, period. So I would certainly say there is a fine line between Lean and Cheap that has to be controlled, otherwise you become a low end mfg. with a big name. Don't let that happen, Bozeman, please.

I agree whole heartedly

[Allie]

I have been through the pains of "Lean Mfg" as a Quality Control person and sometimes "Lean" can be spelled "Cheap". You start getting people that weren't part of the Lean philosophy that meant to become more efficient without sacrificing quality and they start seeing Lean as a tool to cut costs, period. So I would certainly say there is a fine line between Lean and Cheap that has to be controlled, otherwise you become a low end mfg. with a big name. Don't let that happen, Bozeman, please.

 

I believe 'the old geezer' has a valid point, lets hope Gibson reads his comments.