Triumph Factory - How many workers own bikes

[DaveM]

It would be interesting to see what percentage of the workers in the Triumph factory own bikes be it a Triumph or something else. Would the attitude to ones job be influenced in anyway if you actually were a biker yourself. Does Triumph take this into account at all when employing its staff. I am sure a bike would put more into building bikes than would just a normal person that just view it as another job.

I did try and do a search to see if I could find anything on this but so far nothing

 

[otherwise]

From personal experience and some observation while working in the motorcycle industry I'd say, if the worker is a race competitor or active in a M/C club they will be very enthusiastic on the job. Without club / racing activity it soon becomes just another job.

 

[DaveM]

I think it is important for oneself to have a job doing something you are passionate about otherwise you are just going through the motions of doing it. So would this be a big part of Triumph's recruitment drive and if yes would this be one of the factors that they seem to be producing such a high standard with all the bike. Not just the design but the smaller things that make it such a reliable bike as it is today. After all if the workmanship is sloppy when assembling the bike it would not be as reliable overall as we see it.

I cannot recall seeing many topics about owners having issue with a bike due to poor workmanship during assembly

 

[otherwise]

I may just be a jaded old man but how can you "have a job doing something you are passionate about" when it's screwing new bikes together 5 days a week 48 weeks a year. I'd love it for one week tops, then it'd just be a job.

 

[DaveM]

Well I would tend to agree with you but then I need variety in my job and new challenges every day. However I see people at work that love the mundane jobs they have. Jobs that I would not be able to handle for more than an hour tops

 

[otherwise]

Well I would tend to agree with you but then I need variety in my job and new challenges every day. However I see people at work that love the mundane jobs they have. Jobs that I would not be able to handle for more than an hour tops

They are the kind of people that built your bike. Probably can't even ride one themselves. Actually in an assembly line people who can't think are best, they just do as they are told.

 

[DaveM]

Yes I would imagine this to be true

 

[Gromit]

Been to the Triumph factory - LOADS of bikes in the staff parking lot. Most of the guys in the factory we spoke to all had bikes.

 

[DaveM]

Any indication to what brands they were riding or did you maybe notice at all

 

[Gromit]

Mostly Triumphs but I think there was a Ducati there too - I didn't pay much attention - I'll see if Farside has some photos hidden somewhere. If I find, I'll post.

 

[CarlS]

I may just be a jaded old man but how can you "have a job doing something you are passionate about" when it's screwing new bikes together 5 days a week 48 weeks a year. I'd love it for one week tops, then it'd just be a job.

They are the kind of people that built your bike. Probably can't even ride one themselves. Actually in an assembly line people who can't think are best, they just do as they are told.

I agree in principle with what Kevin stated. Assembly line work is often very boring work. However, Triumph does not use the typical assembly line approach. As I understand it, the jobs vary; one person does not do the same job day after day. They switch off and any person can do most any job on the line. I have also read that a majority of the factory workers are bikers, which seems to be affirmed by what Gromit posted. If I had to do assembly line work, I would be much more enthusiastic about working for Triumph than working in a GM plant.

 

[otherwise]

However, Triumph does not use the typical assembly line approach. As I understand it, the jobs vary; one person does not do the same job day after day. They switch off and any person can do most any job on the line.

That's the way Australia Post run the mail centers, every 45min they sound a horn and the workers rotate to the next job. Still not my cup of tea.

 

[CarlS]

I agree, I have no mad desire to be an assembly line worker. However, if I had to be, I would prefer rotating tasks.

It seems to me that rotating every 45 minutes is not very efficient. A day or two at a particular task would be more efficient in terms of building skills and proficiency. That may not be necessarily true on a postal line, though.

 

[Silli]

I sent our SA brand manager an email re this.

 

[DaveM]

I sent our SA brand manager an email re this.

I hope he can give us a bit more on this that would be cool

 

[Rocky]

From the program we saw on TV some weeks ago about the Triumph factory, I got the impression that workers are cross-trained and rotate from station to station to some degree.
From what I recall, the assembly of bikes is random and you might get a Speed Triple now and the next one is a Bonneville, etc.
Even so, I agree that assembly line work would not be for me.

 

[Gromit]

From the program we saw on TV some weeks ago about the Triumph factory, I got the impression that workers are cross-trained and rotate from station to station to some degree.
From what I recall, the assembly of bikes is random and you might get a Speed Triple now and the next one is a Bonneville, etc.
Even so, I agree that assembly line work would not be for me.

That's what I remember them saying - the staff rotate or the bikes come along the line in a random order so the boredom doesn't set in. Actually, the factory is very impressive and spotlessly clean.

 

[The Seeker]

If it's anything like Ford or GM, employees have an incentive program to buy their product at super-reduced prices.

 

[DaveM]

I would have also thought this but now funny you should bring this up. At the local Triumph dealer the main Triumph salesmen road a Kawasaki

 

[Rocky]

If it's anything like Ford or GM, employees have an incentive program to buy their product at super-reduced prices.

I'm pretty sure that would be the case at Triumph too and the other brands as well.