Comments on: Supplier Fallout Continues: Polywheels Is Toast

By: John Horner

John Horner — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 00:38:43 +0000

This looks like a classic management mistake for a part supplier having almost all of it’s eggs in one basket. Having GM trucks as your do-or-die source of income is a very risky game plan. The workers are not at fault here, but management is for not building a reasonably well balanced order book.

I know a lot about this as my former employer got over 80% of it’s business from one customer … and when that customer moved on the business collapsed.

By: skygreenleopard

skygreenleopard — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 17:20:30 +0000

jkross22 :

“I’m upset because this is a good factory, they had good, good benefits,”

Is it remotely possible that this (cost of benefits) had something to do with this company not being able to keep the books in the black? Maybe just possibly?

Yes – how selfish of her to value her health insurance and retirement plan! That blue-collar worker entitlement is really what’s bringing corporations down!

Your comment sounds like either white-collar condescension or the rant of a non-unionized worker. What both of these views fail to realize is that corporate greed and bad decisions from the top in a bad economy (with rising gas prices, to add insult to injury) is what’s REALLY forcing smaller contractors to shut down. So please do us all a favor and stop assuming that it’s the workers with humble jobs that are “forcing” their employers to lock them out.

By: Juniper

Juniper — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 15:33:18 +0000

It sounds to me she liked her job and the company she worked for. What is the problem with her comment? I don’t know about the rest of you, but I like having a good job with good benefits. There will be many others that supplied her company that will feel the heat as well.
But I have to say that was a crappy way to tell your people, if that is what really happened.

By: jkross22

jkross22 — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 14:51:10 +0000

“I’m upset because this is a good factory, they had good, good benefits,”

Is it remotely possible that this (cost of benefits) had something to do with this company not being able to keep the books in the black? Maybe just possibly?

How much above prevailing market wages were employees being paid at Polywheels?

I’m not sayin’… I’m just sayin’.

By: brettc

brettc — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 13:53:31 +0000

Looks like Progressive Moulded Products closed down as well, putting a lot more people out of work in the Toronto area. http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601082&sid=aVFDUpxkLgSc&refer=canada

Good job on the whole making vehicles that people want thing, GM. You get a sticker!

By: psarhjinian

psarhjinian — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 13:51:47 +0000

That sucks.

Between this and Progressive Moulded Plastics (2000 jobs) in Vaughan going down, southern Ontario is hurting but deeply.

The Woostock Toyota plant can’t come soon enough. And for the area economy’s sake, I really hope that Ford does something to make the Edge and Flex more appealing in this climate. I like both cars, but they’re an awfully hard sell.