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It ain’t rocket science
November 29, 2006
Delays in the release of high-tech products are becoming more the rule than the exception—see Microsoft and Sony, for example. Surprisingly, such delays extend to less high-tech products as well. A case in point, reported in today’s Boston Globe, is a three-year delay (so far) in the replacement of the Boston Blue Line’s subway cars. Since the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s order in 2001 and payment of $47 million, the manufacturer, Sacramento-based Siemens Transportation Systems, has been unable to deliver even four prototypes, let along any of the 94 new cars on order.
The Globe reports that Siemens wanted the Blue Line project “to be the cornerstone of its efforts to get other subway and rail contracts around the world.” It doesn’t seem to be working out too well. Said the MBTA's chief, quoted in the Globe, “This is a major multinational company, and they can't seem to deliver on something as simple as a rail car."
It will be interesting to see how the Siemens operation fares—and indeed how Sony fares—in the face of the missed schedules. Microsoft seems to manage repeated delays without significant affect on its business. The prospects for Sony and Siemens Transportation Systems seem much dicier.
Posted by Rick Nelson on November 29, 2006 | Comments (0)
