Evolving Industry

February 1st, 2010

Handicap Accessible Taxi

 In the nick of time, our small company landed the contract to supply a major component for the Handicap Accessible Taxi Vehicle shown above. Needless to say, when the order hit, we all let loose one giant breath of relief.

 At this time last year, jobs in the automotive sector were disappearing rapidly. Due to a lack of orders and a series of cancelled programs, at the end of 2008, my employer, a supplier to GM, laid off over 100 people. Another two dozen were slated to be let go in February. The total work-force reduction would be approaching 80%. Making matters worse, my division (welding and assembly) had no new programs to replace those we had recently lost. I was the last man left standing in it.

 To say the least, I was not being paranoid when I began believing that my continued employment as an engineer/program manager stood on some very shaky ground. I even started to wonder… Would I soon be repeatedly uttering the horrific phrase, “Do you want fries with that?”

 OK, so maybe as an educated fella with a wealth of engineering experience, I wouldn’t need to be flipping burgers at the local fast-food joint…

 But, it did look pretty bleak. In fact, prospects looked so bad that I almost had no choice but to go out and build bombs — meaning go work for a defense contractor (YUCK!). Now that is bleak.

 Well, landing the program to supply welded components for that Taxi changed all that. Not only did it save me from having to get a war-industry job, keeping me out of a situation where I would be building something in order to destroy something else. The Taxi also happens to be built on the same platform as the vehicle which once symbolized American excess, the now fazed-out Hummer H2.

 So, these days, whenever I think of the Hummer, instead of thinking about the battlefield inspired, over-indulgent gas-guzzling monstrosity which ate up two parking spots, I now think of the handicap accessible taxi that replaced it. And, more importantly, how the introduction of that new vehicle saved me from having to transfer my modest talents over to supplying the war machine. Now that’s what I call ironic.