VELOCITY - DEE JACOB [153]
“So at long last, B. Don and I put our heads together and we said, ‘We’re going to nail the Herbie down in one place, keep it there, and run everything else accordingly. And that’s what we did. We specifically picked Autoclave because the length of the process time made it a natural constraint – and it is relatively simple. Once the stuff is inside, it cooks for a specified length of time, and not much can go wrong. Trust me, because my name is Murphy, never choose to locate a system constraint where lots of things can go wrong.
“Once we’d picked Autoclave, we deliberately began shutting down the other autoclaves to limit capacity. Everyone thought we were nuts, but it worked. Eventually, we got completely rid of three of the autoclaves – because we had optimized Godzilla so that it could do everything we needed. For a while, we kept one other autoclave as a backup, in case Godzilla was out of service for some reason. But then the Tornado made me get rid of it. ‘You’re only using one! Why do you need two! Sell it!’ O-kay. That’s what we did.”
“It’s funny,” said Amy, “but I remember B. Don telling me, ‘We nailed the Herbie.’ At the time, I had no idea what he meant.”
“And so the moral of the story,” said Wayne, “is keep the Drum in one place.”
“Yes,” said Murphy. “If at all possible, make sure the Drum stays put.”
Kurt cleared his throat and said, “I understand now where you’re coming from. But doesn’t it make sense to get this used autoclave and at least have it on hand if we really need it – as in, if it will increase throughput?”
“Kurt – and Amy – your points about being able to service increasing sales are compelling,” said Murphy. “So my suggestion would be, yes, let’s install the Baby ’Zilla. But let’s also be very careful about when and how we switch it on. Because if the Drum starts emptying the Buffer, so there is waiting for something to process, then we’re back to making trouble for ourselves. The Drum must stay the Drum, and the Rope – the release of materials in synch with the rate of the Drum – and the Buffer must always supply full loads for the Drum to process.”
“Everyone agreed?” asked Amy. “Then let’s do it.”
“All right,” Wayne said to Kurt, “looks like you’re on your way to have a look at Baby ’Zilla.”
Admiral Jones had a bearing that could suddenly become as intimidating as forty-foot whitecaps in a heavy gale. But on that day in October when he came to Highboro, North Carolina, to ceremoniously award to Hi-T Composites a multiyear contract renewal, the Admiral was as ripply and bright as the Caribbean on a sunny day. For Amy Cieolara, it was a tense, yet happy occasion as she guided the entourage through the Oakton plant tour, then to a catered lunch where Nigel Furst joined them, then to a brief press conference outside Highboro city hall.
On the business page of the Highboro Times the next morning, above the fold was a photo of Admiral Jones shaking hands with Nigel Furst, the two of them flanked by a United States congressman and the mayor of Highboro. At breakfast, Amy showed the picture to Ben and Michelle.
“Mom, where are you?” Ben asked. “Weren’t you there?”
“I was there,” Amy asserted, pointing at the picture. “See, that’s the top of my head just on the other side of Mr. Furst’s shoulder.”
“Well, that’s not fair,” said Michelle. “You did all the work.”
“No, sweetie, lots of people did the work to get that contract. I’m just happy we got it.”
“Is it for a lot of money?” asked Ben.
“Yes, although it’s actually less in total dollars than the contract before this one.”
“Does that mean your company makes less?”
“If all goes to plan, we’ll make slightly more money, in what the accountants call net income. But the dollars the government spends will be less than before. It’s a good deal for everyone,” said Amy.
“How can you do that?” asked Michelle. “How can you make more on less?”
“Haven’t you noticed?