Where did all the fuel go?

[Tannaton]

Make no mistake - the supply chain infrastructure in this country is creaking and as the above article points out, things are run so tight now it doesn't take a significant shift in demand vs. plan to cause significant disruption.

Christmas is going to be telling... no one will go without but choices will be more limited.

[Othen]

Originally Posted by Tannaton

Make no mistake - the supply chain infrastructure in this country is creaking and as the above article points out, things are run so tight now it doesn't take a significant shift in demand vs. plan to cause significant disruption.

Christmas is going to be telling... no one will go without but choices will be more limited.

That is an interesting point. The market drives down margins, which we are all happy with because it makes things cheap in the shops, but the consequence is little redundancy. The alternative is a centrally planned and controlled economy, but we saw that the communist experiment in the former USSR failed to supply the population well over the 70 years it lasted.

Our issues here in the UK are a large and wealthy population that has an enormous but unpredictable appetite. If cerise Nike trainers are suddenly in vogue then there will be a shortage of them, but the aubergine ones will be unsold on the shelves - but as you say Tannaton: no one will go without :-).

Alan

[Cull06]

Originally Posted by Othen

but as you say Tannaton: no one will go without :-).

Alan

Haha that’s a perfect strap line for post-Brexit Global Britain going into 2022.

“No one will go without”.

Someone better get the Conservatives’ PR unit on the phone… Whatever happened to those sunlit uplands eh.

[john.wigley]

Thank you, 'Tannaton' and Alan, sound, reasoned arguments, both.

I know little of logistics and supply chain management, but I do know that JIT (Just in time) manufacturing has been the norm now for many years, especially in the motor industry.

It generally works well, but it is also widely acknowledged that it does not take much of a hiccup for JIT to become JTBL (Just too b****y late). I've seen shortages of even the most minor components result in the stoppage of an entire production line. There really is nothing new under the sun!

Regards, John.

[Othen]

Originally Posted by john.wigley

Thank you, 'Tannaton' and Alan, sound, reasoned arguments, both.

I know little of logistics and supply chain management, but I do know that JIT (Just in time) manufacturing has been the norm now for many years, especially in the motor industry.

It generally works well, but it is also widely acknowledged that it does not take much of a hiccup for JIT to become JTBL (Just too b****y late). I've seen shortages of even the most minor components result in the stoppage of an entire production line. There really is nothing new under the sun!

Regards, John.

That is a danger of course John; getting it right most of the time is a balance between redundancy and risk. The most unreliable part of the equation is people in that the computers and the machines tend to do as they are told :-).

Alan

[pinballdave]

Originally Posted by Othen

That is an interesting point. The market drives down margins, which we are all happy with because it makes things cheap in the shops, but the consequence is little redundancy. The alternative is a centrally planned and controlled economy, but we saw that the communist experiment in the former USSR failed to supply the population well over the 70 years it lasted.

Why does the alternative to an uncontrolled free market economy have to be full on communism? Maybe all the market needs is a little light touch regulation to temper the extremes of capitalism that may lead to a fragile economy, or maybe like in the case of the fuel crisis, the media and PR departments need a little guidance to be less sensationalist and not trigger a panic.

We seem to be living in polarised times, where a choice of two extreme views seems to be presented as the only options available, even when a perfectly acceptable compromise would seem to be the way forward.

[Whippy]

Originally Posted by pinballdave

Why does the alternative to an uncontrolled free market economy have to be full on communism? Maybe all the market needs is a little light touch regulation to temper the extremes of capitalism that may lead to a fragile economy, or maybe like in the case of the fuel crisis, the media and PR departments need a little guidance to be less sensationalist and not trigger a panic.

We seem to be living in polarised times, where a choice of two extreme views seems to be presented as the only options available, even when a perfectly acceptable compromise would seem to be the way forward.

But that's what the media does, it only exists to make money and sell advertising and it does this by sensationalising headlines. No profit in "Quiet Newsday, nothing much happening" headlines, but report fuel crisis, or pork crisis or Christmas turkey crisis and watch the Muppets scramble. Nobody does research, everyone gets opinions from Twitter and suddenly all the usual suspects have mates who know all about it and can prove it's all because of Boris / covid / BREXIT.
We complain about 'false news' then spend our time perpetuating the myth.

[Cull06]

Originally Posted by pinballdave

Why does the alternative to an uncontrolled free market economy have to be full on communism? Maybe all the market needs is a little light touch regulation to temper the extremes of capitalism that may lead to a fragile economy, or maybe like in the case of the fuel crisis, the media and PR departments need a little guidance to be less sensationalist and not trigger a panic.

We seem to be living in polarised times, where a choice of two extreme views seems to be presented as the only options available, even when a perfectly acceptable compromise would seem to be the way forward.

I couldn’t agree more with you. All is binary and simplistic. The masses like it that way. They don’t want complex problems with complex solutions. I agree the media has a part to play as below but I would put it down more to the media catering for what people want to hear and what politicians want to get across. Chicken and egg other way around for me.

As whippy points out below, brexit was the worst of it. Issues raised re complex supply chains and international relationships, political and border sensitivities, all played down by politicians to binary in vs out, project fear vs project reality. But that’s what the population wanted to hear and lapped it up. Despite those of us working in these industries pointing out the oversimplification.

I think it’s an educational issue in the U.K. I’m any case I have no idea how we can rectify it rather than continue down the same path.

[Othen]

Originally Posted by pinballdave

Why does the alternative to an uncontrolled free market economy have to be full on communism? Maybe all the market needs is a little light touch regulation to temper the extremes of capitalism that may lead to a fragile economy, or maybe like in the case of the fuel crisis, the media and PR departments need a little guidance to be less sensationalist and not trigger a panic.

We seem to be living in polarised times, where a choice of two extreme views seems to be presented as the only options available, even when a perfectly acceptable compromise would seem to be the way forward.

I don't think anyone is pretending we have uncontrolled free market economy here in the UK are they pinballdave? We have heaps of regulations, laws, rules and customs - some of which are helpful and others not. I certainly wouldn't advocate any more red tape or state involvement, we have seen very clearly how ineffective centrally controlled economies are in improving peoples' lives.

Alan

[Othen]

Originally Posted by john.wigley

It is perhaps as well that we are not at war.

In the 1940's, when the Doctor's 10 year old, essential use, Austin 7 might be expected to do 35 - 40 MPG, a range of circa 200 miles from a full (5.5 gallon) tank, a Lancaster Bomber required in excess of 2000 gallons of 100 octane fuel, spread over 6 interconnected wing tanks, to fill up from empty.

It had four Rolls-Royce Merlin engines, each of 27 litres capacity, each one consuming up to 150 gallons of fuel per hour at max - a combined total of 10 gallons per 'plane per flying minute. In addition, 150 gallons of engine oil were carried, 37.5 gallons per engine. An oil consumption of 1 - 2 GPH per engine depending upon it's condition was considered normal.

Petrol rationing, anyone?

Regards, John.

I don't know whether you have a particular interest in the Lancaster or more generally in Royal Air Force operations John, but if you have may I recommend a film I found recently on Amazon Prime Video? It is called 'Night Bombers' - made in 1944 by the RAF, covering a few days in the life of an operational flying station with two Lancaster squadrons.



I cannot recommend the film enough - it is just under an hour long, and I must admit I watched it right through twice in one evening - it was so interesting.

I remain so very proud of what that generation endured so that we may enjoy such comfortable lives today.

Alan.

PS. I'm helping the Legion with the Poppy Appeal today and have recommended the film to several ex-RAF servicemen and their families.