Originally Posted By AutoPost This topic is for Discussion of <a href="http://www.LaughingPlace.com/Latest.asp?I1=ID&I2=3161" target="_blank"><b>Latest: Imagineering to outsource some Audio Animatronic Manufacturing</b></a> The Orange County Register Around Disney blog is reporting Walt Disney Imagineering has circulated a memo indicating they will begin outsourcing the manufacturing of Audio Animatronics. <a href="http://ocresort.freedomblogging.com/2008/06/13/disney-to-out-source-audio-animatronics/" target="_blank">Click here</a> to read the full story.
Originally Posted By Roger55 Outsourcing of manufacturing is VERY different than outsourcing of development. I would think the title of this "Latest" should be corrected.
Originally Posted By Hans Reinhardt I'm surprised that they were ever manufactured in house. I guess I never thought about it before.
Originally Posted By leemac <<I'm surprised that they were ever manufactured in house. I guess I never thought about it before.>> Must be a slow news day. Animatronics have been outsourced for years. Jack and Zero for DL's Haunted Mansion Holiday were built by Garner Holt (a man who runs a tremendously talented workshop building Animatronics) for a fraction of the cost that WDI could build them for. All of the animatronics for every recent parade from Legend of Mythica at TDS to Walt Disney's Parade of Dreams at DL to Disney's Pixar Play Parade at DCA were made by outsourced vendors. If any of you read FORTUNE - I recommend the Stanley Bing column for the Private Equity issue. It is about the manufacture of news on "quiet" days and it is hysterical. For some reason I can't see it on his site: <a href="http://money.cnn.com/2008/05/08/magazines/fortune/stanleybing/Bing_best_advice_i_never.fortune/index.htm" target="_blank">http://money.cnn.com/2008/05/0...ndex.htm</a>
Originally Posted By Hans Reinhardt ^^Okay, that makes sense. You're right. It must be a slow news day.
Originally Posted By Doobie You're right, I've changed the name of the item on The Latest. And I agree, this didn't seem like anything new. But reading the article it did make me wonder, if it's nothing new, what was the purpose of the reported memo. Specifically... <<< The memo states that after review manufacturing all Audio-Animatronics figures in-house is not feasible in terms of cost and staffing. Instead, Imagineering’s Manufacturing and Prototype Operations group based in North Hollywood will “build some select, highly complex†figures in-house. >>> Doobie.
Originally Posted By Hans Reinhardt I thought about that too. Whatever happened to that roaming Dinosaur AA?
Originally Posted By Doobie Lucky the roaming Dinosaur was last sent at the Science of Walt Disney Imagineering on May 31st in New York. They showed him there. I think he was last in Hong Kong before that but not positive. Doobie.
Originally Posted By Hans Reinhardt Wasn't there another roaming AA interactive thing featuring Muppet characters? I seem to recall something like that.
Originally Posted By 2001DLFan ^^^ Muppet Mobile Lab. It gets around. The next will be Wall-E. But having one of these "occasionally" showing up at various locations is not the same as having having them constantly available like Mr. Potato Head. Unfortunately, as Disney continues to outsource various creative elements elements, they continue to lose touch with what they were capable of. People need the constant hands-on aspect in order to maintain the cutting edge abilities needed to “build some select, highly complex†figures.
Originally Posted By Hans Reinhardt Actually, I like the roving interactive characters. It is exactly this kind of imaginative thinking that sets Disney apart from its competitors. As long as Disney conceives and implements creative ideas who cares who manufactures what they conjure up?
Originally Posted By FerretAfros So does this mean that they are going to have more attractions with AA's? I guess they need something to use all those outsourced AA's in...
Originally Posted By mawnck Hopefully they'll be outsourcing the refurbishment and/or replacement of the existing AA's, so we don't wind up in situations like the Incredible Shrinking Small World anymore.
Originally Posted By skinnerbox "But reading the article it did make me wonder, if it's nothing new, what was the purpose of the reported memo." WDI executives officially told the employees that some of their work was going to be outsourced from now on. Less work means less need for labor. These types of memos have been used by managers for decades to prepare their workers for layoffs.
