"Yeah, I told you it's going to be close," says Fred. "But all we can do is try. That's what you want, isn't it?"
This gives me an idea. I talk to the staff. "You people don't really know what to make of what I told you this morning. But if what I've told you is correct, then we should be able to see the effects occurring out there on the floor. Am I right?"
The heads nod.
"And if we know that Jonah is correct, we'd be pretty stupid to continue running the plant the same way as before-right? So I'm going to let you see for yourselves what's happening. You say Pete's going to start on this at noon?"
"Right," says Fred. "Everyone in that department is at lunch
134
now. They went at eleven-thirty. So they'll start at twelve. And the robot will be set up by one o'clock, when the materials handler will make the first transfer."
I take some paper and a pencil and start sketching a simple schedule.
"The output has to be one hundred pieces by five o'clock- no less than that. Hilton says he won't accept a partial shipment. So if we can't do the whole job, then I don't want us to ship anything," I say. "Now Pete's people are supposed to produce at the rate of twenty-five pieces per hour. But that doesn't mean they'll always have twenty-five at the end of every hour. Some- times they'll be a few pieces short, sometimes they'll be a few ahead."
I look around; everyone is with me.
"So we've got statistical fluctuations going on," I say. "But we're planning that from noon until four o'clock, Pete's depart- ment should have averaged an output of one hundred pieces. The robot, on the other hand, is supposed to be more precise in its output. It will be set up to work at the rate of twenty-five pieces per hour-no more, no less. We also have dependent events, be- cause the robot cannot begin its welding until the materials han- dler has delivered the pieces from Pete's department."
"The robot can't start until one o'clock," I say, "but by five o'clock when the truck is ready to leave, we want to be loading the last piece into the back. So, expressed in a diagram, this is what is supposed to happen..."
I show them the finished schedule, which looks like this:
"Okay, I want Pete to keep a log of exactly how many parts are actually completed by his department hour by hour," I say . "And I want Fred to keep the same type of log for the robot . And remember: no cheating. We need the real numbers. Okay?"
"Sure, no problem," says Fred.
"By the way, do you actually think we'll be able to ship one hundred pieces today?" I ask.
"I guess it's up to Pete," says Bob. "If he says he can do it, I don't see why not."
"Tell you what," I say to Bob. "I'll bet you ten bucks we don't ship today."
"You serious?" asks Bob.
"Sure I am."
"Okay, you're on," says Bob. "Ten bucks."
While everyone else is at lunch, I call Hilton Smyth. Hilton is at lunch as well, but I leave a message for him. I tell his secretary the sub-assemblies will definitely arrive at his plant tomorrow, but that's the best we can do-unless Hilton wants to pay for a special shipment tonight. (Knowing his concern for holding down costs, I'm sure Hilton won't want to shell out anything extra.)
After that call, I sit back and try to think about my marriage and what to do. Obviously, there has been no news from Julie. I'm mad as hell that she took off-I'm also very worried about her. But what can I do? I can't cruise the streets looking for her. She could be anywhere; I just have to be patient. Eventually I should hear from her. Or her lawyer. Meanwhile, there are two kids who have to be taken care of. Well, for all practical purposes, we'd better make that three kids.
Fran comes into my office with another message slip. She says, "One of the other secretaries just gave me this as I got back from lunch. While you were on the phone, you got a call from David Rogo. Is that your son?"
"Yes, what's the problem?"
"It says, he's worried he won't be able to get into the house after school," she says. "Is your wife gone?"
"Yeah, she's out of town for a few days," I tell her. "Fran, you've got a couple of kids. How do you manage to hold a job and take care of them?"
She laughs. "Well, 'tain't easy. On the other hand, I don't work the long hours you do. If I were you, I'd get some help until she gets back."
136
When she leaves, I pick up the phone again. "Hello, Mom? It's Alex." "Have you heard from Julie yet?" she asks. "No, I haven't," I say. "Listen, Mom, would you mind stay- ing with me and the kids until Julie gets back?"
At two o'clock I slip out to pick up my mother and take her to the house before the kids get home from school. When I arrive at her house, she's at the door with two suitcases and four card- board boxes filled with half of her kitchen.
"Mom, we've already got pots and pans at my house," I tell her.
"They're just not the same as mine," she says.
So we load the trunk. I take her and her pots and pans over to the house and unload. She waits for the kids to come home from school, and I race back to the plant.
Around four o'clock, at the end of first shift, I go down to Bob Donovan's office to find out what the story is on Smyth's shipment. He's waiting for me.
"Well, well, well. Good afternoon!" says Bob as I open the door and walk in. "How nice of you to drop by!"
"What are you so happy about?" I ask him.
"I'm always happy when people who owe me money drop by," says Bob.
"Oh, is that right?" I ask him. "What makes you think any- body owes you money?"
Bob holds out his hand and wiggles his fingers. "Come on! Don't tell me you forgot about the bet we made! Ten bucks, re- member? I just talked to Pete and his people are indeed going to finish the hundred units of parts. So the robot should have no problem finishing that shipment for Smyth's plant."
"Yeah? Well, if that's true I won't mind losing," I tell him.
"So you concede defeat?"
"No way. Not until those sub-assemblies get on the five o'clock truck," I tell him.
"Suit yourself," says Bob.
"Let's go see what's really going on out there," I say.
We take a walk out on the floor to Pete's office. Before we get there, we pass the robot, who's brightening the area with its weld
137
flashes. Coming the other way are two guys. Just as they pass the welding area, they stop and give a little cheer.
"We beat the robot! We beat the robot!" they say.
"Must be from Pete's department," says Bob.
We smile as we pass them. They didn't really beat anything, of course, but what the hell. They look happy. Bob and I con- tinue on to Pete's office, which is a little steel-sided shack among the machines.
"Hello there," says Pete as we walk in. "We got that rush job done for you today."
"Good, Pete. But do you have that log sheet you were sup- posed to keep," I ask him.
"Yes, I do," says Pete. "Now where did I put it?"
He sorts through the papers on his desk, talking as he hunts for it.
"You should have seen my people this afternoon. I mean, they really moved. I went around and told them how important this shipment is, and they really put themselves into it. You know how things usually slow down a little at the end of a shift. But today they hustled. They were proud when they walked out of here today."
"Yeah, we noticed," says Bob.
He puts the log sheet down on top of a table in front of us.
"There you are," he says.
We read it.
"Okay, so you only got nineteen pieces done in the first hour," I say .
"Well, it took us a little longer to get organized, and one guy was late coming back from lunch," says Pete. "But at one o'clock we had a materials handler take the nineteen over to the robot so it could get started."