Question for you IE boys and girls

[JimJimmyJames]

I have not one ounce of respect for I.E. The numbers that they arrive at for anything that they study are so completely bogus that they have no credibilty with me whatsoever.

As soberups stated, I.E. just tells corporate what it wants to hear. And what corporate wants to hear is how I.E. can save the company money. To me that makes I.E. a bunch of ********* with no integrity.

I guess it isn't hard to tell but I really don't like I.E.

 

[trplnkl]

I have not one ounce of respect for I.E. The numbers that they arrive at for anything that they study are so completely bogus that they have no credibilty with me whatsoever.

As soberups stated, I.E. just tells corporate what it wants to hear. And what corporate wants to hear is how I.E. can save the company money. To me that makes I.E. a bunch of ********with no integrity.

I guess it isn't hard to tell but I really don't like I.E.

What I wanna know is what in the heck do you have against *******?

 

[tieguy]

But they did not have any discomfort cutting back on the people trained and hired. And not allowing many part timers extra hours, well that is just poor business practices.

Nothing like a politician. That should read, we dont have a clue what will happen this christmas. and to keep from looking like a bunch of fools, we are not saying what we are planning. Cause we aint.

I see how that works. The guys with the view have a vision, and they dictate what will be. Without any proof, any documentation, nothing. They put the pressure on everyone else to agree with them. The only exception is when you can explain (read prove beyond a shadow of doubt) your plan for peak volume to be up.

So they can rely on the doomers and gloomers of wall street to talk us into a recession, but the rest of us have to see and prove the future before we are allowed to act on it. An impossible task.

The story of the emperor and his no clothes comes to mind here.



Hello, its christmas.........Lets see, historical data shows that there has been a peak since when, the 20's or before? Even during the depression, there was christmas and peak. So why would there not be a peak now?

It sounds like to me that Region level planners arguing as if there would be no peak at all this would be a great place to start with those 5-10% employee cuts.

One last thing tie, and I know this will put you in the hot seat.

Why and where is the post season volume coming from? Is it volume that we picked up before christmas and just could not work it into the already maxed system, or is our economy not as bad as those regional planers think.

Best

d

I think the day after christmas and gift cards may be creating another little post holiday surge. This time period is also when when your tax preperation shippers start getting ready for tax season. I also think you have a lot more people waiting until the last possible minute shopping for the best deals available. All is guesswork on my part.

 

[JimJimmyJames]

trplnkl:

over9five: Sorry, I got carried away.

 

[tieguy]

Here lies a huge problem! This is were every day managers after having all of their power removed and being yes men for the previous 10 months of the year were lost and not sure on how to explain.

You can not take power away from the operations managers and than expect their input after disregarding everything they have said previously. Why would any one of these managers be willing to stand up and say whats right, when after all its a forbidden practice within our company!

Our fascination with the planning process has it negatives. At the same time the plus is that we tend to lay off a lot less during recessanary times due to our anal planning processes. We dont see the big flucuations in payroll that other companies see.

There was a pretty big drop in volume during october that led to the belief that we may not have much of a peak.

When we try to plan it tight there will be casualties who are planned too tight.

 

[Catatonic]

What I wanna know is what in the heck do you have against *******?

I agree. Comparing ****** with I.E.s gives ****** a bad name!

 

[jennie]

I think the economy is just FINE. We are shopping for more expensive gifts then ever! I think the managers are getting paid for knowing what we know and LESS.

 

[dannyboy]

our anal planning processes

?????

Tie, God Bless you!

Even when you strive to be honest, you take it one step further.

An Anal planning process is truthfully what it really is. Nothing they will leave to the center manager and district people, not even bathroom time.

d

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

I think the economy is just FINE. We are shopping for more expensive gifts then ever! I think the managers are getting paid for knowing what we know and LESS.

Britney? Is that you?

 

[over9five]

Britney? Is that you?

...And if it is, you should have covered up in that paparazzi video!

 

[ol'browneye]

I agree. Comparing ****** with I.E.s gives ****** a bad name!

Well IMO ****** is the same as ********* and it only takes one****** to really *****! So those ***** can really just ***** and ***** 'til ******* and ******* ****** ********** *** *********!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[satellitedriver]

I am no fan of IE, but, who had a clear view gaze into their financial crystal ball in September?
A bad forecast by UPS was a smart move.
Analysts will follow this "mood ring" and downgrade their projections.
Bingo, we beat the Ex-Spirt's opinion of UPS's profit in the 4th quarter and the stock price goes up.
Tuff stuff that operations had to take up the slack.

 

[dannyboy]

Sat

are you, in a round about way, that we are two companies.

One that has a focus on delivering packages and earning a profit, and the other is only worried about how they can get the stock price back up, and are willing to do just about anything to get it there?

As to the economy, there were signs that Christmas would be great. Halloween was one of the best on record when it came to retail sales. While that really did not give them much time to change their plans, they sure could have.

So if they were really truthful, there were indicators that this Christmas would be different than before, but still a great one.

So Im not buying into the "expert said a bad economy" crap . The signs were there, they already had their pointy little brains made up as to being non committal on paper, and anyone that disagreed had to prove their point. Either way, they dodge the bullet, and ops took it on the chin.

d

 

[satellitedriver]

Sat

are you, in a round about way, that we are two companies.

One that has a focus on delivering packages and earning a profit, and the other is only worried about how they can get the stock price back up, and are willing to do just about anything to get it there

Yes, I am.
They plan,
we do.

 

[old brown shoe]

You would think that they would plan for the worse and hope for the best. Not the other way around.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

You would think that they would plan for the worse and hope for the best. Not the other way around.

This would make sense if the bottom line were not the final determinant.

 

[Channahon]

How can a company plan for the worst? Company plans are based on being successful and profitable.

 

[dannyboy]

And on the data available, not some bunch of whiny boys at wall street.

We go by the past record, and then add the variables of what can happen in the third quarter.

Granted, this last quarter was a rollercoaster. But discretionary spending is what we are talking about. And with what they spent on parties, masks candy etc, they had hard data that spending might be down some, but not much.

Where is the cool fearless leadership UPS showed in the past. The one that let us expand beyond the horizons without some little dimwit veto cause we might not make as much profit as wall street would like.

Hell, its a good thing we are not wanting to expand from the west coast to the east, someone up there would be too afraid.

Chan, I understand you cant plan for everything, but with the hard data they did have, they went to sleep or were just too dang lazy, and did not adjust accordingly. Something UPS needs to learn, and those that cant, need to go.

d

 

[jw55wags]

Tieguy at least you got one part right === during recessanary times due to our (anal)
planning processes. That part is very true!!!

 

[beentheredonethat]

I know you pride yourselves in the proper and accurate completion of your part of the job at UPS.

So how was it that your department missed the volume so badly.

From Thankgiving on, it was not even close. Here, the week after thanksgiving our volume was above the volume projected for peak week.

And the volume we had the three days before Christmas was also off by more than 300%.

d

D..
I'm not in IE anymore. Haven't been for a while. But when I was, as an IE rep I worked with the ctr mgrs and made the plans. But occasionally, either my mgr or the region IE had me change the plans and lower the volume\stops planned. They always want the plans tight, What got me was one of my elements I got graded on was my accuracy for plan vol and stops. Often (not always), my initial plans were better then the final plans they made me change to. The ironic part then is because they made me change the goals I got a lower performance score.