Remember When?

 I was talking with one of my fellow brazers at work today and I said, "Remember when all the brazers did was braze? Boy, those were the good old days."  

Believe it or not, there was once a time when the brazers brazed, and that was it.  The parts stagers got the orders together and brought them to us.  We brazed them up and sent them to the line and that was all we did. Over the last few years, they've piled more and more non-brazing responsibilities --that should all be carried out before the parts even get to us, mind you -- that we have less and less time to do our jobs. 

It's all superfluous paperwork, for what it's worth.  Confirming the orders, clearing confirmation errors, filling out first piece inspection forms...we didn't used to have to do any of that.  As if that weren't enough, now they've decided that the brazers need to fill out scrap tickets -- for the parts tubing messes up.  

For example, if tubing makes too many of a particular part, the brazer has to fill out a scrap ticket for the over-run.  If tubing makes a part incorrectly, the brazer has to fill out the scrap ticket for the bad parts.  If something gets mashed in the machine, the brazer has to fill out the scrap ticket.  If tubing ...well, you get the idea.  

Today, I did an order and had one each of three adapter tubes left over because tubing had run too many.  I went and asked Group Leader Shark if I would have to write out a scrap ticket for each one of them, and she said yes.  When we start doing it, I will have to write out one separate scrap ticket for every different leg that I have to toss -- for whatever reason. 

Sigh...I told her I don't want to hear anything from anyone about us not putting out enough headers then, because we're going to have to be spending literally half of our day filling out paperwork.   Seriously,  if I have an order that has 10 adapter tubes and I have one of each left over, plus an extra header or two, that is eleven scrap tickets I'm going to have to fill out for that one order.  If it's a small order -- say a 4 piece -- it'll take longer to do that than it does to braze the order. 

For what it's worth, I'm tired of being held responsible for what someone else does.  For example, yesterday, I had an order that one of the adapter tubes was bent wrong.  I took them back over to tubing and re-ordered them, and they were done wrong again.  Who got yelled at for that?  The person who did them wrong?  Nope.  

It was me.  I got yelled at because the person in tubing did the adapter tubes wrong.  Why?  Because I was supposed to take my brazing jig and parts over there so she could see what adjustments she needed to make to her machine.  Apparently, they powers that be don't realize when I'm over in tubing holding a machine operator's hand, I'm not doing my own job.  Not only that, if they can't set up and run parts according to the print, they have no business being in that department to begin with.  

So, I had to get those parts re-cut again, and by that time the line was down waiting on them.  I was so hoping Brazing Boss would come over there and ask what the problem was, because I sure would have told him.  

That's about all I have for today.  I messed myself up last night when I went to bed.  I got all ready for bed.  Brushed my teeth, stretched my back, got into bed and read a chapter of my book...turned out the light and settled in to sleep.  That's when I realized, I'd forgotten to take my melatonin.  I didn't want to get out of bed to go get it, so I just lay there and tossed and turned all night.  I'm feeling it now, which is why this post probably isn't all that coherent.  

Before I go, here is something to celebrate the first day of Meteorological spring.