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Factory Tour + Demos... any questions??


IXFE

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Hey crew... 

I am sitting on a plane headed for Knoxville, TN. Going to visiti the factory for the first time tomorrow. It would have been nice to tour it while my boat was in production, but I just didn't have my act together and the timing didn't work. 

Anyway, here's a look at the agenda:

 

10:00am - Meet in lobby

10:15am - Factory tour

11:45am - Lunch w/ Wayne Wilson

1:00pm - Demos (23 LSV, 25 LSV, & M235)

3:00pm - Wrapup, Q&A

 

I been making a list of questions and things I want to learn about.  I figured I'd open it up the crew... What should I ask??  

Also, if anybody has a boat in production let me know and I'll look for it (I'm already looking for lerch's 25 LSV)

I will update this thread with pics later tomorrow  

 

Edited by IXFE
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If you get a chance ask the quality assurance rep. if Malibu plans to get ISO certification like Mastercraft.  Speaks volumes to be certified from a quality standpoint.  Love Malibu boats and have a 2016 on order.  Thanks

2014 (MasterCraft Boat Company, the world's leading luxury performance inboard boat manufacturer, has achieved global ISO 9001:2008, 14001, and OHSAS 18001 certification from Alliance International, LLC. These certifications confirm that MasterCraft, who is the only boat manufacturer in the global marine industry to achieve such prestigious certifications, has met the requirements of the ISO standard for its Quality, Environmental, and Safety management systems across production and product development operations.)

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56 minutes ago, ORMailbuboater said:

If you get a chance ask the quality assurance rep. if Malibu plans to get ISO certification like Mastercraft.  Speaks volumes to be certified from a quality standpoint.  Love Malibu boats and have a 2016 on order.  Thanks

2014 (MasterCraft Boat Company, the world's leading luxury performance inboard boat manufacturer, has achieved global ISO 9001:2008, 14001, and OHSAS 18001 certification from Alliance International, LLC. These certifications confirm that MasterCraft, who is the only boat manufacturer in the global marine industry to achieve such prestigious certifications, has met the requirements of the ISO standard for its Quality, Environmental, and Safety management systems across production and product development operations.)

our company has that cert , and i know a lot goes into getting it, but i'm not sure the cert will help them sell more boats. it is a bullet point on a resume, and a pic on your website. Vacuuming up the boat and picking up the screws and bolts dropped in the bilge would be noticed immediately.  Fabricating a sub box that isn't the laughing stock of the industry would be nice too.

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See if my Reuben hulled VLX is still sitting wrapped waiting for a truck to bring it to TX. White Trailer. 

Questions.... Is the whole boat waxed before it leaves including the bottom?  Do they use a laser projection on the molds for taping references during prep?  What is their personal favorite for ugliest boat this year?

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I'd say my biggest regret with tour was not taking more time... there is so much to see and we whipped through pretty fast. The Supra and Mastercraft tours probably took twice as long and were done during more down time in shop so we got more time to hang out and ask questions. (BTW - if you get the chance, tour those factories as well, they are super close by)

I also took way more vids and photos then I needed too and wish I focused more on what the guide was saying.

So I guess I'd say just take your time as much as they will let you.

Have a great time! Cool little part of the world!

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here's a few thoughts based on my tour last year at this time:

Don't try to drive across Kimbery Way, it would take you through the Kimberly Clark plant and the security guards won't let you in. Go to the back of the business park off of Lee Hwy/11 to get in. Watch out for the turn at Sugarlimb & Lee Hwy, there was a police station or something right there and there was a cop who was closely watching the intersection.

The guys we talk to in support are in a building away from the "action" of the factory floor; since they're the ones we talk to, stop by and introduce yourself. Tech support/customer service is in the second building on Jamie Dr. before you get to the main gate (right inside the business park)

Watch the process of removing a hull from the mold if you haven't seen it before; take a mallet if/when offered, you'll never bang on a boat like that again in your life.

Ask the employees to take pictures with your camera/phone during the tour. They ask you not to take pictures since there is stuff going on that hasn't been released, but they know what/where it is so they can keep it out of the pictures.

Ask to meet the engineers, they're in the factory and may have some good info/stories.

Try to make a contact in the upholstery area; it seems to be a recurring theme that people are looking for skins and they may have some good ideas of people who can do good work. Speaking of skins, see if you can find out what's the plan for the new materials. I've haven't much (if anything) good about the upholstery materials used in '16. I even heard a rumor that Mastercraft used the same material a few years ago and went back to the "original" material because it was impossible to keep clean.

Ask about the copious amounts of electrical tape used on the wiring harness near the battery cables. I foresee this becoming a huge mess that needs to be cleaned up in a few years; why aren't they using heat shrink?

With the massive amounts of stuff being put on towers, what are the current tower gas shock/spring ratings? are these going up?

Are there any plans to offer options for filters on the ballast filling pump lines?

Apex Canvas/Commercial Sewing is in the same business park, walking distance from the tech/customer support building. Depending on bimini you ordered, it may be coming from Apex/CS.

OJ Props is right there too, but they claimed not to offer public tours when I called them to try to arrange something. You may want to try dropping in and see what they say.

If you have time, it's a bit of a drive, but try to make it to Oak Ridge and visit PTM to see how the G4 tower is built along with the clamping racks. They don't do anything with mirrors in Oak Ridge, but the aluminum machine shop is very impressive.

That's all I can think of right now...

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12 hours ago, mikeo said:

The guys we talk to in support are in a building away from the "action" of the factory floor; since they're the ones we talk to, stop by and introduce yourself. Tech support/customer service is in the second building on Jamie Dr. before you get to the main gate (right inside the business park)

 

Absolutely do this!

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Almost there... I'll try to remember everything, but I can already feel my brain turning to mush 

pic from the airport last night. Sorry for bad lighting, apparently they don't turn the lights on at Knox airport 

 

EDA25A18-239B-4554-97E4-F3A9BCDA46F2_zps

 

 

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9 hours ago, mikeo said:

Social Media Czar?

I was kidding, but last month I saw a posting for a job at Malibu. The first person I thought of was IXFE, he's doing it already and would be a good fit.

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14 hours ago, IXFE said:

I didn't meet with Wayne for a job. I met with him as the "unofficial" investment analyst covering MBUU from the prestigious firm "TMC Investments." 

I think there is a good user poll right there. Almost all of us have supported MBUU buying a boat* but how many of us have invested in MBUU by a stock purchase? I know I've thought about buying some shares with the money I don't lose by avoiding the tables when I'm in LVNV.

* I don't think it's worth the effort of a debate of new vs. used purchase economics here :) 

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18 hours ago, IXFE said:

I didn't meet with Wayne for a job. I met with him as the "unofficial" investment analyst covering MBUU from the prestigious firm "TMC Investments." 

Jack joined us at lunch too  it was like my own private earnings call!  I leaned ALOT.... the most interesting being that they both read that thread and liked my analysis. However, lots of ish postsed by others in that thread that's way off base. 

Now that you're an "insider", do you have to stop making comments about the stock?  I'd hate for you to end up in the Martha Stewart jail cell.

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