Posted by NCWayne on March 17, 2011 at 21:01:51 from (166.82.187.163):
Reading the post about American auto plants being shut down because of problems with parts suppliers from overseas got me to thinking. I picked up new leather belts Monday for my lathe and drill press and was told something I had never thought about. I titled this post like I did because what I was told is happening is a direct consequense of the way things are done nowdays vs the way they used to be done in years past.
What I was told is that good, thick leather belting is getting hard to find. The belt for my drill press is only 3/16 thick and, fortunately was obtainable in that thickness as a single layer. The one for my lathe is only 1/4 thick but to get it it had to be made in two layers. This is all due to the way modern cows are being raised and bulked up so fast nowdays to get them to market ASAP. In years past a cow would usually have 'some age' on it before getting taken to slaughter but that isn't the case anymore. The guy at the belt supplier told me that the average age of cows that they are getting their hides from anymore is only 6 months old. As a result of being taken at such a young age their hide hasn't had the chance to get really thick like it did in years past. Used to be, the guy said, that single thickness leather belts above 1/4 thickness were readily available but nowdays it's very rare to find. Too he said it is killing their ability to fill orders for round leather belting over a certain diameter because the hides simply aren't thick enough to cut them out of.
Granted I know this isn't some major catastrophy or anything but it is one of those things where the "new' way of doing things in one area creates problems in other areas that we really woundn't think about until faced with the problem created.
Now, how many of you can name something being done nowdays differently than in years past, that is having unintended consequenses on something else at least semi related, that you wouldn't expect. Understand here and now I'm not looking for this to turn into some political post and get deleted. What I'm looking for, what I am really curious about, are legitimate problems being caused nowdays by changes in the way things are being done Now -vs- Then
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