World turns to crap

Built in obsolescence’, is this a phrase that you want to hear about something you’ve recently bought….I think not.

I was talking recently with my youngest daughter about ‘craftsmen’ – those purveyors of quality within whatever field or product it is that they produce. One of Meg’s heroes from the world of prosthetic make-up had recently passed away and she said .. ‘you know what dad, there will never be another Dick Smith…the world no longer produces people like that …’

I’ve been thinking a lot about what she said and I’m beginning to wonder if she’s right?

I like my cars, I do a lot of miles (35,000 plus per annum), I change cars every two years – so I consider myself a fairly good judge of where cars have gone over the last twenty years, and my considered opinion that the majority of vehicles are NOT as well made as they once were. My first Porsche was built like a brick shit house – it was solid, the doors shut with a real clunk and you knew you were in a quality vehicle. My most recent Porsche had door trim falling off within a month and the rear hydraulic hinges on the boot were rusty within six months…not what you expect on a ‘premium’ vehicle.

There are reasons for this – (or are they ‘excuses’ ) – cars need to be lighter, cars need to be more easily re-cycled, cars need to be more fuel efficient, cars need to collapse in an accident …blah, blah,blah…what we end up with is something that feels cheap and crappy. What I actually want from a car is something that feels well-made and is something that I can cherish and look after ….and enjoy the experience of driving.

I like my gadgets as well, i-phone 5 ‘S’ currently my favoured model (I have two, one in black and one in white) – wonderful technology, incredibly quick and incredibly useful…but two years into ownership and the on/off button has stopped working…and it keeps losing power for no obvious reason….and low and behold just as this starts to happen…the new i-phone 6 raises its head…

Perhaps this inherent ’built in obsolescence’ is a symptom of a society which doesn’t appreciate quality? We want things cheap and we want them now…

Cars have to go faster and faster and be more and more fuel efficient whilst prices come down and quality theoretically goes up…

I’m sure you are all wondering how I can get this back to the world of invasive weed management. Well where I’m going with this is that Japanese Knotweed Solutions Ltd are at the quality end of the scale – we came into this field with the express intention of making a difference, not just making a quick profit.

‘Other’ companies have looked to ‘expand their portfolio’ to ‘create new income streams’ to increase ‘revenue’ during the ‘economic downturn’ ….

It is possible to do a quick treatment of invasive species that looks pretty damn dramatic. You can hit the surface growth of any plant and make it look dead, all browned off and looking very poorly. But what about the beneath ground growth?… what about the seed bank?… what about other species?… what’s going to grow where you have killed an invasive species?…

These are not questions a damp proof company are going to be able to answer…or even think about to be honest – all they are after is a bit of extra dosh to help them through the recession.

So who would you prefer working on your invasive weed problems? Someone who is looking to ‘increase revenue’ ….or somebody who genuinely has a passion for resolving problems with invasive species?

Pick a craftsman not a cowboy.

 

Mike C