Pinball machines.

LOL! I was about to say that!

If I understand correctly, you are asking if they keep the line going all the time? I assume for parts and such they would make quite a bit.

I don't think Stern 'makes' much of anything. It is more of an assembly plant, all 'parts and stuff'
are pretty much made elsewhere and Stern designs the game and then assembles the games from
parts they acquire. It seemed very similar to a car assembly plant, just on a much smaller scale.

At least that's what I saw when I took the Stern tour at this past Expo, mind you a portion of the
factory was tarped off, but the general consensus was they were just hiding the yet to be released
Avengers from the view of the general public.

Someone correct me if I am wrong, but I do not believe they make any parts in house. They design parts and have them made, then they assemble. In other words, they do not deal with raw materials to make components.

I would assume they assemble pins every day they can, otherwise they are losing money thru overhead and wages. If they are only making 25 pins / day, and a typical initial run is over 1000 pros and 500 LEs, then that will take a few months, when they put out the next game.
I would also think that it takes some amount of time to retool from one game to the next. How much time that is I have no idea.

I think the answer is pretty apparent if you think about it. Even though their workers are unskilled hourly workers (guessing), being unable to provide them without a cconsistent 40 hour week would lead to massive turnover. That is very expensive to a company.

The truth is known by a select few....

1341432536964.jpg SoylentGreen_186Pyxurz.jpg

...it's peeeeeeeeeople!!! ^^^^

During a tour I took at Stern this summer, they mentioned they hire several workers through temp agencies. They also said that they try to make each work station easy to figure out on what to do so that just about any one can walk up to that position and fiqure out in a short time about what to do .

I remember reading on rgp years ago that sometimes they did assembly for other companies but that probably was only a few rare times.

As far as I know they produce pins every day.. that's probably also one of the reasons why some pins are rushed and released with incomplete software - when one game stops selling and they have no re-runs of older machines to do, their only option is to start producing the next game in line.

But that's all from reading/hearing, never been there myself..

If Stern makes 20 pins a day that equals about 4000 a year which is around the estimates that have been made based on the serial numbers over the last few years.

According to the documentaries I've watched (I think this was most extensively covered in The Pinball Passion), Stern hires workers seasonally for their assembly lines, so that they are not paying them during times when they are not building. That was my understanding, though it certainly could have changed since then.

For the most part, true, they are very much a general assembly plant. However, they do weave their own wiring harnesses in house.

In between titles, I expect there's not a lot of downtime either. Yeah, you'll have a few assembly jigs you'll have to change out and some procedures to modify, but a competent plant engineering staff can do that over a weekend.

Later,
EV

I agree, but harnesses are still assembly. Not the raw material to make components I was speaking of.

Maybe they run a goofy 4on 3off schedule or some variation and work 10hr days. Or if they meet a production quota they get paid for 40. Id imagine the less time the plant is operating saves $ energy wise and all....

Tell that to the company I work for, we hire "temps" and keep them around for years. That way when its slow we tell them not to come in, don't have to give them benefits, etc. Its really shitty, they have even laid people off and then offered them their job back on a temp position.

*Just venting about work, not trying to rebuke your post*

That's pretty f^(ked up, but understandable. Maybe Stern does that too.

_{Post edited by absocountry2 : Profanity edited}

Gary mentioned they expect to produce 5000 pins this year. Heard that today at Iaapa. Truth? Who knows but it is what he said.

My company does the same thing for at least half our production workers.. Product cycles vary so much through the year, and temps means not having to pay out benefits. It's sad but true.

What is Soylent Green? Where is Edward G.?