Author Topic: Industrial Birmingham  (Read 38627 times)

Sidecarsid

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Re: Industrial Birmingham
« Reply #110 on: July 24, 2019, 07:05:59 AM »
During my 20+ years at the van manufacturers in Washwood Heath, I was quite often a thorn in the side of management, especially those who came straight from universities and into a highly responsible job, I could quite often run rings around them.[/font]
I spent most of my 20 years working nights in the rectification shop and during this time the company took on two more university Clever Dicks who just happened to be brothers, the one was the senior night manager while his brother the senior foreman.[/font]
During one summer night shift the two came into this workshop which dealt with all the mechanical, body conversions and painting rectifications aspects before final despatch.[/font]
These two managers approached me and said that they had to go to a meeting and so they wanted to see some good results when they returned from this meeting.[/font]
While they were away we had a surprise visit from a[/font] senior director [/font], he came straight over to me and asked where were these two managers were, so I said that they had to go to a meeting, he then asked where was this meeting? I replied in their office, he retorted by saying that they weren’t in that office. They are in their other office, in Bromford, his language went blue as he then asked how long this had been going on? So I said, ages, he then said that this was about to stop! Off he went, then half an hour later[/font] they came into the workshop accompanied by the security men, and if looks could kill from the older brother, I would have been lying on the floor. [/size]
The director then came over to me and said, that they had twenty minutes to get their things together then get off the site. He then said that this must be the first time that I hadn’t wound him up, he then thanked me.[/size]
He was without a doubt the working man’s man & a scouser through & through.[/font]
 

   
 
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Sidecarsid

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Re: Industrial Birmingham
« Reply #111 on: July 24, 2019, 01:39:36 PM »
During my 18 years at the Standard Triumph Motor co on nights, I asked a foreman for a short respite from nights onto days, it was the same work pattern which was an hour on and an hour off. During that rest hour you made up the pieces that we used for every 2000 range or the Dolomite range. after doing my make-up I went and sat behind a big rack of fuel and brake pipes, I had just got myself comfortable when a head poked itself round this big rack, and said, What are you doing? my reply was, "I'm having five minutes rest after making up a load of fuel pipes. With that he asked "Do you know who I am? I replied, No, Do you know who I am? He then stormed off. A few minutes later a super- intendant came to see me and Said, Do you know who you have just insulted? Pat Lowry, thats who. so I said I think that I need to go back onto nights again, to get away from all these Bosses.
When I got back on nights one of the foremen said that it was a wonder they didn't nail my ass sto a wall.
Pat Lowery was the chief government negociateur with the unions.

Peg Monkey

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Re: Industrial Birmingham
« Reply #112 on: July 24, 2019, 04:12:15 PM »
Anybody been the victim of Fast-Tracking? I have, looking back I can't believe I didn't see it coming, but then again I couldn't have done much about it anyway.
Up until the day I had the rude awakening I naively thought, broadly speaking, progression was based on merit, I hadn't realised then some members of the workforce were more equal than others - what an idiot I was.
Peg.
It's far better to look back on a rejection rather than a lost opportunity.

Peg Monkey

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Re: Industrial Birmingham
« Reply #113 on: July 26, 2019, 04:00:45 PM »
Brummie Accent - career hinderance or asset? I've seen a convincing argument that places the Brummie Accent Epicentre on The Flat, Lodge Rd, Hockley (I can be more accurate than that, I place it at H V Smith bakery where I visited freqently when for the first 9 years of my life I dined almost exclusively on egg custard tarts) so with my parents living only a few paces from there, in terms of my accent, my fate was written before I was born.
I've lived and worked in many counties, searching for that elusive pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, and in the early years I didn't really pay much heed to accents and then some years ago, when I was living and working in Dorset, when I was between jobs and on a government sponsored bridging course I was stopped in my tracks when following a session of video role playing one of the menbers asked Do you think your accent has gone against you? I was floored, it had never occurred to me. So all those jobs I applied for and didn't get was there another dynamic in foce in addition to the obvious ones? I'll never know.
I suppose if you have only applied for jobs in and around Birmingham the accent thing has never arisen, I think there was one instance when it did go in my favour when I applied for a post at Motor Panels (Coventry, became Mayflower Vehicles System, now long gone with part of my pension) the assistant manager,  a cute little brunnette, was from Harborne and we hit it off straightaway.
I live in Hampshire now and I need a new front door, the saleseman that came to quote was Czechoslovakian, I greeted him, asked him in and invited him to site down, first thing he said was Which part of Birmingham are you from?
Ah Well, that's life!
Peg.
It's far better to look back on a rejection rather than a lost opportunity.

Sidecarsid

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Re: Industrial Birmingham
« Reply #114 on: July 27, 2019, 06:49:06 AM »
Hi Peg. you should try working in the coal mines of south Derbyshire, I tried it for 18 months but found it too claustrophobic, but the South Derbyshire accent was something else, although the people were really good friendly folk.
I also believe  that we true Brummies are assumed to be the same as the Am Yam's,  Frum  Dudlaay aw Woolvaamtun area or kid?
I was born in Bellbarn Rd just below 5 ways which was then in Edgebaston 70 odd  years ago.
You mentioned the name Mayflower panels in Coventry,I'm thinking,is there a connection to the Triumph motor company who by            coincidence as the Triumph motor company produced the Triumph Mayflower?
My teacher in junior school had one.

Peg Monkey

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Re: Industrial Birmingham
« Reply #115 on: July 28, 2019, 11:23:32 AM »
Hi Peg. you should try working in the coal mines of south Derbyshire, I tried it for 18 months but found it too claustrophobic, but the South Derbyshire accent was something else, although the people were really good friendly folk.
I also believe  that we true Brummies are assumed to be the same as the Am Yam's,  Frum  Dudlaay aw Woolvaamtun area or kid?
I was born in Bellbarn Rd just below 5 ways which was then in Edgebaston 70 odd  years ago.
You mentioned the name Mayflower panels in Coventry,I'm thinking,is there a connection to the Triumph motor company who by            coincidence as the Triumph motor company produced the Triumph Mayflower?
My teacher in junior school had one.
Hi Sid, I have greatest respect for anyone who has worked down the pit, my father a miner from S. Wales moved to Brum early 40s to escape the pit but only job he could get initially was down the mine in Hampstead Colliery, then he got a job in a non-ferrous rolling mill.
I 've had more than my fair share of individuals over the years trying to mimic my accent, now I just force a smile.
Mayflower - I don't know of a connection (there was also an Austin Mayflower), as far as Motor Panels/Mayflower Vehicle Systems the name change came about when the Mayflower Corporation of the USA (a major manufacturer of automotive products) purchased Motor Panels. Mayflower was chosen for the group name in recognition of the Amercian and British firms within  the group, it was the name of the ship which conveyed the very first English pilgrims who establshed America as a British colony.
Peg. 
It's far better to look back on a rejection rather than a lost opportunity.

Sidecarsid

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Re: Industrial Birmingham
« Reply #116 on: July 29, 2019, 06:05:31 AM »



Hi Peg.[/color]Just did a quick search for the Austinn Mayflower and up popped  A Triumph Mayflower cica 1950s








                                                     
[/color][/size]

Peg Monkey

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Re: Industrial Birmingham
« Reply #117 on: July 30, 2019, 03:43:51 PM »
There is a pre-cursor to this post on the Salisbury Transmission Ltd Thread worthy of a visit first: http://www.birminghamforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=15244.msg699439#msg699439
The Hillman Imp was launched in 1963 as competition for The Mini but it's design was flawed, it was a rear-engine rear-wheeled drive layout but the engine was so far back it's effect was to lift the front wheels and make steering a lottery, my mate had one and his solution was to put a 2x2 slab in the front boot.
So here's my advice to the designer to improve the car next time, don't put the engine at the back, put it at the front that way you get a proper boot and you improve the handling.
So will my advice be heeded? I doubt it, if the designer was 40 at the time of launch he'd be 96 now and I suspect past caring.
Some may remember Hillman was part of the Rootes Group together with Singer, Humber, Commer and Sunbeam - the latter had a version known as the Tiger - that had a V8 engine and a Salisbury drive unit and had performance to rival an E Type.
Salisbury unit? Back to the Salisbury Transmission Ltd Thread, right?! - yes.
Peg.
P.S. I know what you're thinking - If the Imp was so bad how come 1000's were Sold? All I can say, is There must have been an awful lot of 2x2 slabs sold during the Imp years!
Peg. 
It's far better to look back on a rejection rather than a lost opportunity.

Sidecarsid

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Re: Industrial Birmingham
« Reply #118 on: July 30, 2019, 04:26:20 PM »
Hi again Peg.
An intuitive motorcycle sidecar road racer put an imp engine into an imp engine into a racing sidecar chassis which proved to be extremely fast, in fact he was probably the originator of utilizing a car engine although Bill Bodice also designed a sidecar outfit capable of installing a small car engine. There is a dispute as to who actually designed it, Bill or Fred Hanks,but then a guy called Owen Greenwood built a three wheeled aluminium bodied  car. The following year this car was banned as it should resemble a sidecar.
 Then a Swiss guy built an outfit with a four cylinder powerboat engine in called a Konig, which went like a scalded cat, and that's what it was called The Cat.
Now it has come full circle and is using four cylinder motorcycle engines again and still breaking the I.O.M. records for breaking the lap speeds.

Peg Monkey

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Re: Industrial Birmingham
« Reply #119 on: July 30, 2019, 05:47:38 PM »
Hi again Peg.
An intuitive motorcycle sidecar road racer put an imp engine into a racing sidecar chassis which proved to be extremely fast,......
Interesting, Sid, sounds like Reliant all over again apart from the fast bit.
Peg.
P.S. Can't find an Austin Mayflower - must have been a Triumph Mayflower.
It's far better to look back on a rejection rather than a lost opportunity.

Peg Monkey

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Re: Industrial Birmingham
« Reply #120 on: July 30, 2019, 05:51:08 PM »


Hi Peg.[/color]Just did a quick search for the Austinn Mayflower and up popped  A Triumph Mayflower cica 1950s








                                                     
[/color][/size]
Hi Sid, the forum software tries to think for us - suggest you use the preview button.
Peg.
P.S. Forgot to mention - in case you didn't know you can change a post upto 24 hrs after posting then it remains as is for all time. 
It's far better to look back on a rejection rather than a lost opportunity.


 

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