[dwb]

I came across this movie on the Roco website today. It's about 10 minutes long with a German commentary. Don't let that put you off, you can still deduce a lot from the images which give a hint of how complex today's models are from the design stage through to manufacture, final assembly and test. It also includes some shots of the operating pantograph and opening coach door which were announced last year. I think there's something here for anyone interested in finely produced models not just the continental scene.

David

 

[Doug]

Interesting film - thanks for linking to it.

A few points:

- Where are these trains made?
- The factory looks very clean (compared to some Chinese factories I've seen) - Is this typical of Roco or is it set up for the film?
- They are well made - Better than some Chinese assembled models - lets hope they are able to keep it going like this.
- Why are there only women making the trains? I hope that is not because they are paid less than men.
- That TEE train looks great - Where can I get that for a reasonable price?

 

[philg]

I would expect Eastern Europe...maybe Hungary?? Impressive display though and maybe thought provoking Quality Control to our main manufacturers back home(in the UK that is)??
Phil

 

[Brian Considine]

Excellent video - & just one of the reasons I prefer to buy models made in europe where possible.

Thanks for the link David.

 

[PeterPug]

I understand that women are employed for jobs like that 'because they are generally more nimble-fingered'. I've come across this in other industries - but there is a chance that wages are, er-hem, 'commensurably lower' (than other jobs in the factory demanding skill......).

 

[Thunder]

After seeing that film, im ammazed we get our loco stock for price?

 

[Doug]

I was impressed that Obama signed an equal pay deal as his first law.

I always paid my staff equal pay. We based that pay on experience, qualification and results. I am very much against discrimination on any grounds especially gender. My wife told me to say that ;-)

 

[neil_s_wood]

Interesting film David, thanks for providing the link.

I have seen quite a lot of similar footage and photos of the production process from Trix's factory. Like Roco all the models seem to be assembled and painted by women although many but not all the managers are men. It's very interesting to see how these models are designed, built and finished. It certainly gives a lot of confidence in the product.

The TEE train is a standard in the ROCO catalogue and usually one variant is for sale. Modelbahn Kramm is your best bet. There is a loksound sound decoder that goes with it if you want to add sound too.

 

[dwb]

QUOTE I understand that women are employed for jobs like that 'because they are generally more nimble-fingered'.

That is my understanding but I thought I would try to find out if there were any studies which supported it. I did a google search for "gender difference and dexterity" and turned up some interesting article abstracts on studies such as "Is manual dexterity an important discriminator for dentists?" to which the answer is no. In other words successful dentists are no more dexterous than the general population. I eventually turned up this abstract from a 1990 study -

QUOTE Marked sex differences on a fine motor skill task disappear when finger size is used as covariate

Article Abstract:

Purdue Pegboard performance of 16 male and 25 female right-handed college students were compared, and results were replicated with 25 male and 28 female subjects. In agreement with the literature, women performed significantly better than men. When measures of index finger and thumb thickness were used as covariate, all significant sex differences in performance disappeared. Negative correlation between performance and finger size were observed in both sexes. Sex differences in fine manual dexterity tasks may therefore be confounded by sex differences in finger size. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)

Now a ten to fifteen minute review of googled material does not make a convincing argument, but having failed to turn up any evidence that women are more nimble fingered than men and then the above abstract saying the correlation is with finger size not gender, suggests that as women generally have smaller digits than men they are more likely to be represented in these assembly jobs.

Despite that, I can't help feeling that lower pay rates come into it somewhere. There may also be other factors such as women's higher ability to multitask - ie gossip about TV soaps or whatever and still get the job done....

David

 

[simonj]

~If you want to download the movie to watch later or full screen then here's the direct link.

http://www.roco.cc/uploads/tx_flvplayer/rocomovie_01.flv

 

[Brian Considine]

Something was bugging me after watching the clip & after a second look I realised what it was - on the model shots they were running with the panto's down .

As someone who operates a layout with OHLE & OHE's (with the panto's up) I find this almost as bad as no OHLE with OHE's.

Am I sad or what ?

 

[alanb]

Back in the late sixties, I worked as a memory tester for IBM.

In those days, memory banks for early computers were large units approx. 5" square and about 3-4" deep.

They consisted of very large numbers of cores (graphite, I think) with an extremely small hole in the middle in which an extremely thin wire was was needed to be threaded through the whole system.

The units were assembled in the factory in the U.K., but there was no way of doing the wiring mechanically. It could only be done by hand.

The only people who had this ability in Europe were Portuguese women who were in the lace industry.

So we built the units in the U.K., shipped them to Portugal for the wiring, and then back to the U.K. where we tested the final product and had it assembled in the computer.

In those days, it filled a room, and cost millions.

And I should imagine to-day, that there are still a lot of jobs that only women are good at. Whether they get the right rate of pay is another matter.

AlanB

 

[FUNGUS]

...Why are there only women making the trains? I hope that is not because they are paid less than men....
Generally speaking as discussed women are more nimlbe fingered and also have a greater attention to detail than most men. Traditionally women are also paid less as they are still viewed as a seconadary bread winner to men. This of course is not "right" in todays politically correct world and women should be paid according to their skill. But despite political correctness, womans rights etc, the traditional model still holds true.
Woman are generally paid less.

 

[dwb]

QUOTE on the model shots they were running with the panto's down .

I noticed and thought "Ugh!", so I don't think you're sad Brian

David

 

[Brian Considine]

QUOTE (dwb @ 8 Feb 2009, 11:24) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>I noticed and thought "Ugh!", so I don't think you're sad Brian

David

If no-one else comments does that mean we're both sad then ? (or maybe just observant ?)

 

[Richard Johnson]

*** I'm equaly sad really - my thought was that if that micrometer was accurate and they were working from scale drawings so assiduously, how come the flanges on the models are all the size of disc harrows .

Women are often preferred on production lines as they do a better job! Their attention to detail over an extended period on a repetitive job is way better than mens.... They are also more conscientious with quality standards. and yes... not at all fair in reality but in many places they are still generally both cheaper and yet still more efficient than men!

The negative (and this is very true) is that over an extended period, in a factory full of women they all synchronise physiologically so for a time each month, the tension increases on the shop floor quite palpably (and for that time its necessary to insist on cotton gloves as accididty in the fingers increases, damaging PCB's)

----------------------

On a lighter note...

Tried Robots once..... More exxy than staff but they never complain.

Nice and big and shiny. Totally tireless too... worked 7/24 with nary a murmur.

Motorists passing the factory (which has huge windows and was nice and bright) started complaining that the morning sun flashing off the rapidly moving arms of the robots got in their eyes while driving.

So I painted them all brown.

Next day half of them never turned up for work

(Sorry - not too politically correct I suppose .....but meant in fun)

Richard

 

[34C]

There's a strong cultural expectations component still present in many societies, that trains women for detail work. It isn't necessary to look back very far in our own society to find that an expected attainment for young women was the demonstration of some sort of craft skill: knitting, stitching, embroidery, crochet, bead working, lace making, weaving, and many more. The choice of craft varied, but the worth of the outcome relates to the complexity and fine work that went into the piece.

As such, large numbers of women are attitudinally ready trained for tasks such as detailed assembly. Provide a clean and comfortable work environment, and a workflow that is performed by small groups of up to half a dozen in close proximity, and there is no shortage of applicants. Does tend to depress the wage on offer, relative to the added value of the task.

 

[PaulRhB]

Link saved to post in any disscussion complaining about prices!

Thanks David