Bike manufacturer sees huge reduction in delivery damage by printing TV on box • Hacker News Board

Re: Bike manufacturer sees huge reduction in delivery damage by printing TV on box

#151

Post by a3n » Sun, Sep 25, 2016, 3:59 AM UTC

beloch wrote: post #69

userbinator wrote: post #63

I wonder what sort of damage these bikes are receiving, because they're designed to be ridden by a person... a TV is definitely far more fragile.

Carbon fiber frames can be surprisingly fragile, especially when subjected to forces they weren't specifically designed to withstand, such as being crushed inwards from the sides. Vanmoof (the company in the article) seems to specialize in aluminum commuter bikes though, which should be reasonably robust. Aluminum is a wee bit brittle, but it's a lot more burly than carbon fiber. As such, I suspect the frames aren't…

Just having the finish gouged through the cardboard is enough to count for damage that I wouldn't accept.

Re: Bike manufacturer sees huge reduction in delivery damage by printing TV on box

#152

Post by [deleted] » Sun, Sep 25, 2016, 4:01 AM UTC

xir78 wrote: post #112

Boeing puts a picture of a Lamborghini on their first class seats while in the factory in Evert to covey the cost of them -- amazingly they do cost about as much as one too.

[deleted]

Re: Bike manufacturer sees huge reduction in delivery damage by printing TV on box

#153

Post by nucleardog » Sun, Sep 25, 2016, 4:01 AM UTC

SapphireSun wrote: post #95

Gracana wrote: post #87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Simple and cheap versions of this exist: https://www.uline.com/Grp_332/Damage-Indicators [edit] Uh, maybe not so cheap from this particular company. You probably could do this for less with a little electronic device.

I think they send you a box. You have to divide by 10 or 100 or whatever to get the real price per a unit. 5 bucks for a damage indicator for a very expensive item isn't too unreasonable. Thanks for the link, these little devices are super interesting!

When I've seen these it's not even "one sticker per item", there's been one attached to an entire pallet of TVs or other electronics, which is probably why the price looks a little high on a per-item basis.

Re: Bike manufacturer sees huge reduction in delivery damage by printing TV on box

#154

Post by jrockway » Sun, Sep 25, 2016, 4:06 AM UTC

mistersquid wrote: post #102

slyall wrote: post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The joke the previous poster was making is that the boxes were printed "by" bicycles instead of being printed by printers. Hence the printer companies would be unhappy.

OT, I know, but I find it amazing how slippery language and meaning can sometimes be. (I was once a professional word nerd.) In particular, your read is in a completely different direction than mine which is: 1. Premise (GGGP): TV boxes printed (by printers) depicting bicycles on the outside. 2. Joke (GGP): TV manufacturers are threatened by printing companies demanding protection money, which if not paid will result…

The "..." in the original implies omitted words. If the meaning was to print by using bicycles, the sentence would have ended with a single period. Instead, it elides "on them" ;)

Re: Bike manufacturer sees huge reduction in delivery damage by printing TV on box

#155

Post by HCIdivision17 » Sun, Sep 25, 2016, 4:10 AM UTC

Noos wrote: post #104

HCIdivision17 wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I strongly contend that there very likely has not been a decline in the give-a-damn factor. My experience is that it really hasn't ever been too high. Just look at cartoons 50 years ago, and packages getting wrecked en route is a staple joke; the jokes were rarely obscure, but often topical. There is always a few great operators, but mostly you just fix you processes so people default to failure less. Hence hacks lik…

Good luck trying to automate a system where the vehicle has to unload a package of anywhere from envelope size to a 90" TV. It has to bring this across a driveway of varying shape or size, or even no drive way at all, bringing it inside an apartment complex or condo. It has to realize the correct address or room, collect a signature, or realize that no human being is present to sign for it. Then it returns the item t…

Oh you're right, of course. But part of the ridiculousness of industrial automation is that at some point all those variables will be catalogued and dealt with. A bit poorly I'd bet, but we'll certainly see it happen. It'll just take another few decades...

Re: Bike manufacturer sees huge reduction in delivery damage by printing TV on box

#156

Post by GigabyteCoin » Sun, Sep 25, 2016, 4:23 AM UTC

Popular Mechanics found different results when they did a similar study [0].

>"One disheartening result was that our package received more abuse when marked "Fragile" or "This Side Up." The carriers flipped the package more, and it registered above-average acceleration spikes during trips for which we requested careful treatment."

[0] http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/reviews/a6284/whi...

Re: Bike manufacturer sees huge reduction in delivery damage by printing TV on box

#157

Post by ekianjo » Sun, Sep 25, 2016, 4:28 AM UTC

Noos wrote: post #103

aluhut wrote: post #68

It seems like people who are responsible don't care anymore. Maybe it's the wages, the pressure or whatever. It looks like it's about time to replace even more humans from the equation.

The wage for a UPS driver is somewhere around $11 an hour, with seasonal temporary help making less. Most of them are part time drivers, so they have to work a second job to make ends meet. Surprisingly, if you pay people crap and force them to look for new employment while working for you due to low wages, no hours, and poor advancement opportunities, you tend to get bad service. And if you rely on seasonal temps yo…

Civil servants in developed countries are far from being paid crap yet they deliver the worst services ever.

This is rather about the workplace culture than the pay.

Re: Bike manufacturer sees huge reduction in delivery damage by printing TV on box

#158

Post by MertsA » Sun, Sep 25, 2016, 4:37 AM UTC

Noos wrote: post #104

HCIdivision17 wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I strongly contend that there very likely has not been a decline in the give-a-damn factor. My experience is that it really hasn't ever been too high. Just look at cartoons 50 years ago, and packages getting wrecked en route is a staple joke; the jokes were rarely obscure, but often topical. There is always a few great operators, but mostly you just fix you processes so people default to failure less. Hence hacks lik…

Good luck trying to automate a system where the vehicle has to unload a package of anywhere from envelope size to a 90" TV. It has to bring this across a driveway of varying shape or size, or even no drive way at all, bringing it inside an apartment complex or condo. It has to realize the correct address or room, collect a signature, or realize that no human being is present to sign for it. Then it returns the item t…

For the last 100 feet, yeah sure, you'll need someone to handle the package. But my box of PCI express network cards didn't get a boot print on it in the last 100 feet. My box of a replacement drum unit didn't get thrown about in the last 100 feet. Someone picking up a box and walking 50 feet with it usually isn't where shipping damage occurs.

Re: Bike manufacturer sees huge reduction in delivery damage by printing TV on box

#159

Post by M_Grey » Sun, Sep 25, 2016, 4:40 AM UTC

XorNot wrote: post #146

M_Grey wrote: post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

People care as much as they're paid and treated well to care.

They also care as much as they think their ideas and creativity are actually being respected/rewarded. Doesn't matter how much you pay someone if you make it clear at every point that you don't care what they think about trying to improve the job they do, then they'll adjust their enthusiasm accordingly. Or if trying to be better is used as a form of punishment i.e. "that's a good idea Barry, you can be in charge of…

Oh god, that last line was chilling and all too familiar. I actually felt my heart-rate increase. There's nothing worse than being institutionally punished for having a good idea.

Re: Bike manufacturer sees huge reduction in delivery damage by printing TV on box

#160

Post by lstamour » Sun, Sep 25, 2016, 4:46 AM UTC

ocdtrekkie wrote: post #52

Consultant32452 wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In the same week UPS made me sign for a set of $5 kitchen utensils I'd ordered off Amazon but left a Mac Mini on my doorstep no problem.

Been there. It's worse with condos too where they often refuse to deliver unless you're there, they won't even take a signed note. Really annoying when you have a textbook delivery and an upcoming assignment.

I've found that postal companies ignore the option to "Leave at Door" even when it's marked in their system. (Canada Post, sigh.) The only thing that consistently works for me is to make the first line of my address read: "(Leave at Door; Do Not Card; Buzz XXXX)"

So far, I've only had to go to the post office 1 out of ~10 times, and that because the postal company said they were contractually obligated to get my signature. (So I don't get Dell shipped to my unit any longer.) It's striking how that one line changed everything for me.

That said, re. startling's comment elsewhere in this thread, I don't think lack of buzzing means they didn't try -- they often have to drop off more than one person's package in my building, and I never see delivery folks waiting by the door buzzing every individual's number ;-)