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Deafening silence in Aurora

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I'm New Here
It’s been nearly 11 months since I ordered a QB RV7a fuselage, In Jan when it was due I was told it was in the states. Then In feb the word was mine was one of the defective units and couldn’t get anymore info than that. The President of Vans called me to confirm I’d be willing to take it with the corrosion and a 2k credit, I agreed. A month more has gone and nothing, obviously my kit has gone to someone else and the only answer you get is “we don’t have a clue but probably fall”. I find it unbelievably difficult to believe they don’t, at this point, know exactly what’s going on and how long it’s going to take to fix. If they don’t they certainly should. I did receive my finish kit on time but it’s got so many BOd parts it’s useless right now. Has anyone else received any timing on this QB quickly becoming mess?

Gotta believe there’s more to the story. Very Frustrating
 
I feel Your Pain

but, manufacturing is screwed up all over the world. I typically buy over a million pounds of steel a year from Germany. With a 25% tariff. Now it's on allocation and I can't get delivery dates. Steel mills throughout the U.S. are all running at capacity and behind - so most of us manufacturers/suppliers end up paying premium freight to move product. Microchips (mostly from Asia) are in short supply and are impacting just about everything we still actually manufacture in the U.S. My wife works in a hospital that is once again at capacity with Covid patients. They're throwing money at nurses and staff and no one wants to put in any more OT - they're burned out. Think about what's really important. Hug your wife and kids. Do what you can on your project. I'm sure Van's wants to get your stuff to you, but they're probably feeling pretty helpless too.
Sorry for the rant. Just a little tired.
Terry, CFI
RV9A N323TP
 
Watch what happens with the supply chain for everything this year. I am in the aerospace composites business and that is coming to a quick halt. We are all starting to exhaust supplies with no commitment date for supply.
I do not think any industry is immune and the china virus is making it way worse.
I’ve ordered piece parts from Vans in the past month and they have been responsive and had most everything in stock.
We are preparing for tough times ahead. I see no way around it.
 
Truck driver

Add to the issue. There's a shortage of truck drivers. Stuff eventually ends up in a truck. I have a Class A but no way I want to go back to driving.
 
But at least Vans could be transparent. If they are having supply issues, let it be known. If the supplier is not able to commit to a date, let us know. If it is because of corrosion issues for the quickbuild let us know. If it is because of internal staffing issues, same let us know. We may not like the answer, but at least we know why and that Vans is working on resolving what ever is in their control.

I agree the silence is deafening and very frustrating.
 
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But at least Vans could be transparent. If they are having supply issues, let it be known. If the supplier is not able to commit to a date, let us know. If it is because of corrosion issues for the quickbuild let us know. If it is because of internal staffing issues, same let us know. We may not like the answer, but at least we know why and that Vans is working on resolving what ever is in their control.

I agree the silence is deafening and very frustrating.

https://www.vansaircraft.com/news/

https://vansairforce.net/community/showthread.php?t=192644&highlight=greg+hughs

https://www.kitplanes.com/vans-airc...fp7j4DAGoCWDWVfttpYvzM03Cv5Nq1SVlkIcNV8Fqi9AA

All posted within the past 4 weeks or so.......
 
I agree that there are problems outside of Vans control, however, they could do a better job of keeping the customers informed as to the status of kits that are on order. I ordered my 12iS wings back in November and I still don't have an expected ship date. I ordered all the other kits, powerplant, prop and avionics in December. I was told almost a month ago that the finish kit, power plant and prop were not delayed and were supposed to crate this week. I asked for an update last Tuesday and have yet to get a response.

Seems like they could hire someone , even a temp, to just handle keeping customers informed as to where their orders are in the chain. Would mean a lot to know that I'm number 34 on the list and then let me know when I move up. As it stands now I can't tell what the status of my kits is. It is made worse when I see people posting that they got their shipment notification for their wing kit which was ordered after mine was. Probably a reasonable explanation but makes me wonder if things aren't getting lost in all the confusion. I pre-paid for all my kits in full and at one point Vans showed that they were waiting on payment for the powerplant. They have since corrected that but makes me wonder how long I'd be kept waiting if I hadn't checked on it.

I did get the avionics so at least I have some things to look at and study while I wait.
 
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Prop and Engine

Somehow Whirlwind and Lycoming have been able to deliver even though it was months after I ordered the QB kits. (I now have a nice decoration on the wall of my workshop of a prop) Yes I understand the kits are made in a foreign country but who was watching to insure the quality was kept up and in place? I manage and have managed manufacturing in Asia and always have several people there even if it was me to supervise the operations. Cheaper labor is not cheaper if QC is not monitored and supervised. A question needs to be asked, what else is not being monitored for quality control and assurance? Was a Vans employee there over the last year to insure quality procedures where in place?
 

Thanks Scott!

IMHO Van's is a lot more customer-friendly than some of the other vendors who cater to the EAB community.



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I understand that some of this is out Vans control but what is in their control is the lack of communication. I saw the video and read the month old release but I still have no idea if I’m going to be building an airplane or fishing all summer. All I want is a straight answer if it’s going to be Thanksgiving tell me. We all want Vans reputation to be spotless it’s, in our best financial interest but secrecy causes doubt and thats not good. I really believe they just don’t have anybody with experience in cleaning up these type of messes. It would be nice to be able to put a game plan together I’ve got tens of thousands of dollars a prop, engine,wings, interior and in a couple weeks a 25k panel all shipped on time sitting in a rented hangar these delays are not free either.
 
Somehow Whirlwind and Lycoming have been able to deliver even though it was months after I ordered the QB kits. (I now have a nice decoration on the wall of my workshop of a prop) Yes I understand the kits are made in a foreign country but who was watching to insure the quality was kept up and in place? I manage and have managed manufacturing in Asia and always have several people there even if it was me to supervise the operations. Cheaper labor is not cheaper if QC is not monitored and supervised. A question needs to be asked, what else is not being monitored for quality control and assurance? Was a Vans employee there over the last year to insure quality procedures where in place?

I've been impressed with Van's commitment to product quality and continuous process improvements. From the interview is sounds the cause of the problem was associated with the unannounced change of the chemical composition of the primer provided by their supplier. Given the chemical analysis required to determine this, it's not clear to me how this could have been prevented. This stopped the production line while priorities shifted to root cause analysis and remediation to customer's impacted. Yes it was unpleasant to all, but Van took care of the problem and their customers. I can't say the same for a lot of vendors I work with.
 
I understand that some of this is out Vans control...

...All I want is a straight answer if it’s going to be Thanksgiving tell me.
Maybe consider that the fact that it's out of their control means they can't give you the straight answer you want.
 
I would plan on fishing and if it all comes through then all the better. Expect the worst and enjoy the better. When I started my RV14 they didn't even have a fuse kit yet..... it all worked out. I'm 100% certain that they want nothing more than to earn your $$$ and satisfaction and that everything that Vans can do is being done.
 
I wonder what's going on in the Philippines and if it's related. The OEM commercial aircraft supplier I work for has their assembly lines there and we're noticing quality issues more recently.
 
...From the interview is sounds the cause of the problem was associated with the unannounced change of the chemical composition of the primer provided by their supplier. Given the chemical analysis required to determine this, it's not clear to me how this could have been prevented...

Makes me wonder if it were anyone else, it couldn't have been like the LP siding defects a number of years ago. I believe that in the LP siding case a production supervisor decided to skimp on resin to cut costs and make up for supplier delays. As a result, the "change" became a defacto standard and defective siding was put on thousands of homes, and no one pinned down the actual cause until the lawyers hired engineers to investigate and proved the siding that failed did not meet manufacturing specifications.

This is the reason that I applaud Van's actions on this matter. Their proactive investigation of the problem speaks volumes about their company's values.
 
IMHO Van's is a lot more customer-friendly than some of the other vendors who cater to the EAB community.





Never a more accurate statement!
 
Mitch at Vans is dealing in a most professional manner with a quality control issue of corrosion in some airframes delivered from the Philippines. The problem has been solved, and future kits will not be affected. He is contacting all parties that may have been shipped kits with even the remote possibility of corrosion, and spending considerable time, energy and money to make the proper adjustments, and all this in the mists of Covid 19. Be patient! They are a great company, and I have no doubt that things will be on track soon!

DAR Gary
 
Worldwide supply chain

The worldwide supply chain is screwed up and no relief is expected for at least a year. Microchip shortage has Toyota stopping the Tundra production in Texas. My metal prices for raw galvanized sheet steel went from .51/lb to over 1.00lb..... that a 100% increase in 4 months. Folks that some serious inflation coming down the chain and it will impact everyone, not just a kit supplier and builder. Wood prices have tripled and our elected overseers are already talking increasing taxes.

It is very very difficult to get in front of the communication chain when supply chain issues arise so fast. Vans has a communication Avenue on their website and the best that they can do is provide best estimates which is almost impossible when prediction models are so screwed up worldwide. Builders would be advised to daily view the Vans website for communication updates and realize that many many people have never seen this kind of worldwide disruption in their lifetime or even in the modern college textbooks.

I know it’s tough times building a plane but it’s even tougher avoiding bankruptcy while trying to race to the bottom producing products that customers can’t believe is twice as expensive from a quote only a couple months ago.

Frankly I’d rather be in the builders position right now.......
 
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