Nope. LA is all LA's fault. Time for those in latte world to take responsibility for their actions, or lack thereof.

So now ex-dpc from one site is condescending over ex-dpc's another site and wish them executed by Master Siemens. Don't tell me it's ex-Dade or ex-Bayer's fault.

amen, I agree

Llanberis is doing just fine. We said "goodbye" to EF and now have an interim Site Head till Siemens concludes its search for someone permanent.
We believe we can handle everything Immulite related within the next year or two and fix the manufacturing problems we are currently dealing with.
We are proud of our site and manufacturing capabilities.
But unlike many posters here, we wish Tarrytown, Flanders, LA and Glasgow only good things. Like it or not we need each other if we are to survive.
Enough with the bickering. Lets work together and give our customers a product we all can be proud of.
We wish EF all the best and we are determined to work just as hard for the next Site Head.

I thought King Ed came to the rescue. No? Not really?

LA seems determined to be obstructive and bring the whole Immulite product line down prematurely and love nothing more than posting their taunts about it here.

And Siemens management still doesn't have a clue as to what to do about it.

Submitted by Anonymous on Thu, 30/08/2012 - 03:36.

"I don't know Ed, but it sounds like that after 5 years Siemens has sent a no-nonsense, no excuses man to clean up the mess in LA. Whatever secrets LA has been keeping in order to keep them necessary to the supply chain will be pried out of them. 5 years?? Who says the Germans have no patience? They obvious did and have used it all up."

Ed and his fans can clean up themselves now. What a joke.

Hello, Farrel family. We know you guys always stand by each other.

So you're Mr. Anonymous who praised the King Ed in January 2012 to transform Llanberis and LA, and praised him again one year later for not being a fool.
END QUOTE

What the...
First it's Ms. Anonymous. Mr. Anonymous is doing the laundry and cooking dinner. Our little anonymous is shovelling snow.
No one here praising EF. Just agreeing it was a smart move for him to take and leave.
He did transform Llanberis...just didn't last.

You need a hot cup of tea and relax more.

It is very interesting to see the Anonymous talk about something that they're completely clueless. Shut up may be good for you next time.
END QUOTE

Yep, you are clueless. I know several PHd's walking the halls of Tarrytown with exactly the same mentality.
You're scared,that's easy to see. Afraid of losing your job and not finding another one.
What went on at Llanberis was known to everyone. EF was known by everyone. No nonsense kind of guy.
Had several positions within Siemens throughout his career.
He left because a better offer came at a time when the DX ship is sinking. Given the same opportunity anyone would bail as well.
So, be afraid and do nothing. Your life, your career.

So you're Mr. Anonymous who praised the King Ed in January 2012 to transform Llanberis and LA, and praised him again one year later for not being a fool.

Someones scared about losing their job.
LA is far from being a safe haven.
Flanders and Tarrytown are in much better shape. In
the scheme of things regarding DX that's not saying much.
So "shut up" and work on your resume.
EF was no fool. He also knew it was time to jump ship.

Submitted by Anonymous on Mon, 30/01/2012 - 16:15.
......
What I do know is this: Ed Farrel will go through LA with a sledgehammer making changes as he see's necessary.
He turned Llanberis around but the mentality of the employee's is totally different.
This should be very interesting to watch.

END QUOTE

It is very interesting to see the Anonymous talk about something that they're completely clueless. Shut up may be good for you next time.

He's smart enough to get a far away from Siemens as possible.
They didn't even thank him properly for his years of service for the company. Only means one thing, bad blood.
Just another example of what kind of a company DX is.

So where is Ed going???

What's the latest at Llanberis ?

Kingdom? I would choose the word Fiefdom instead.

The Kingdom of Far Far Away.

Ed Farr****

Hmmmmmm ... with initials like EF, he might fit in with Randox. Since I don't know this particular EF, is it possible he is a 'Fitz' something?

Where is EF going? Any ideas???

Not exactly the case.
From 2003 on he's been moving up in rank within Siemens Healthcare.
I'm betting this next move is outside.

Maybe, maybe not. I don't know. But one thing's for certain: he's a job hopper and from the look of his history (http://linkd.in/VdeehR) - It's time for another hop

So was Ed's tenure considered a success?

Was he forced out? Does not seem so since he stayed on for some time after it was announced he was leaving.

Ed started a job he and many others believed he's capable of. Ed ended this job by proving his inability and inexperience.

DPCLA and EURODPC will survive for at least one more year no matter who's in charge next.

Ed's done his job and is moving on to somewhere his talents will be used to best effect. His job and style within Siemens DX is to aggressively manage a manufacturing site until such time that he's needed elsewhere. At which time, Siemens will select and promote a long serving, deserving individual to carry things on.

Have seen it happen before.

Good luck to Wales and the new MD.

He's leaving sometime in Feb.
Layoffs amount came from Siemens press releases and not rumors.
Future of DX? Probably a slimming down. The competition though is killing this division. I don't see that changing.
Tarrytown is in a state of disarray. No focus on who is running what and who is in charge. This is something which needs to be addressed and soon.

Ed is leaving.
Don't know who's taking over and how it will effect LA and other sites (Tarrytown).
Does it really matter anyway.

So to this Mr. Anonymous, what happened to King Ed?

Submitted by Anonymous on Mon, 30/01/2012 - 16:15.

Two major changes LA is now dealing with:
1)The one day layoff schedule within dX turned out, once again, to be one huge lie.
US has an additional 600-800 layoffs to go through by next year.
2)Llanberis is now running LA.
DPC created Llanberis many years ago under the Z's.
Never thought they'd be running the show now.

What I do know is this: Ed Farrel will go through LA with a sledgehammer making changes as he see's necessary.
He turned Llanberis around but the mentality of the employee's is totally different.
This should be very interesting to watch.

Here we go again...
Backorder, backorder, backorder, backorder...
Time to finally put this place to rest.
Bye Ed. We know you're going to a better place.

So when is EF's last day?
Who'll be taking over after he's gone?

Is anyone interested in a new test for serum chickenase?

The chickens come home to roost ....

Hard to see how this situation isn't completely intolerable to upper management. The process has taken far too long and the situation now reveals that proper transfer never took place. If they don't have the talent to get this thing over and done with soon, they should go out and get themselves a consultant or two to manage the job. There are plenty of practical, hard-nosed managers out there with histories of success in transferring complex products who understand the fundementals of the process. It's not rocket science, its just a specialized skill and experience base. Anything short of fixing this mess rapidly will just be Siemens inflicting wounds upon themselves and watching themselves bleed.

Whomever takes over Llanberis will also be in charge of LA.
It makes sense that any major changes in Wales will effect LA as well.
Llanberis is apparently in backorder Hell all over again.

So who's the new person taking over?
Is Siemens bringing in one of their home grown types?

A very good analysis. If Siemens might have a chance to keep talents in DX five years ago, it's almost zero now. If he or she knows the market, industry, systems, scientists inside and out, why work for Siemens, the soon bottom player. Even a central lab CRO is a better choice.

For Siemens it's like doing a jigsaw puzzle. There is nothing wrong with buying each of the pieces from different vendors. It may even be true that outside vendors can make better pieces than can be made in house. However, the flaws in this strategy are as follow:

1. Regardless of where parts are sourced, there needs to be someone in house to know what the proper specifications are for each part; what is required and what is more than necessary.

2. Someone at Siemens (or a team) must still put all of the pieces together properly. But since Siemens does not appear to have anyone who has ever seen the final product before or has never done a jigsaw puzzle, the task becomes almost impossible. Yes, I know a few jigsaw puzzle enthusiasts who actually do their puzzles without the picture in front of them. The job is far more difficult and challenging that way and it takes more time. It's great for the hobbyist, but terrible for a profit making organization. If you have NEVER seen the final puzzle (or system) and don't even understand how to fit all the components together properly you just have a disaster on your hands.

I suspect that Siemens' management at least senses this problem, and may have even internalized it intellectually. However, what the brain knows and what the heart makes one do are two different things. I suspect that Siemens' management is also too proud and/or arrogant to seek help on the outside .... not from the big consulting firms with their pre-packaged solutions to every 'problem' or strategy issue, but real people who have had real experience in designing, developing, and manufacturing successful systems. There are still plenty such people around. All Siemens need do is to go over the lists of experienced people who they laid off or who were laid off by their predecessor companies to make balance sheets look good for the acquisition.

The knowledge and talent to turn Siemens around still exists. It just doesn't happen to exist in the form of current Siemens employees. Siemens management would be wise to remember the following:

A smart person knows what he knows.

A very smart person knows what he doesn't know as well and isn't afraid to ask when necessary. It is a matter of true self-confidence to feel comfortable enough to admit one's limitations and know where to go to fill in the missing pieces.

"Siemens seems to be trying the OEM-outsourcing route for many parts of their systems. They really need a good lesson in history to see that the most successful DX companies have been fairly self-sufficient and vertically integrated. They need people who have experience from start (concept) to finish (sales, reagent contracts, etc., and service). The varied activities necessary for success cannot be compartmentalized no matter how much Siemens believes it. They need some people with a track record of success in overall program management. I don't mean clerks and paper pushers; I mean doers."

This is actually very astute observation. Siemens tries to outsource and internal market one function to another with very little team to team cooperation. Without some sort of team spirit the functions become isolated and insular, inward looking only.

The irony of this is whilst Siemens insists (at least in lip service) to ever higher standards for external customer service, the most ATROCIOUS customer service it gives is internally to itself! if they could, many departments would rip up the 'contract' with other departments of Siemens for the terrible and indifferent service it receives. Getting the most trivial things done within Siemens is less preferable to putting your balls in a vice and playing spin the handle! both are agony.

Siemens seems to be trying the OEM-outsourcing route for many parts of their systems. They really need a good lesson in history to see that the most successful DX companies have been fairly self-sufficient and vertically integrated. They need people who have experience from start (concept) to finish (sales, reagent contracts, etc., and service). The varied activities necessary for success cannot be compartmentalized no matter how much Siemens believes it. They need some people with a track record of success in overall program management. I don't mean clerks and paper pushers; I mean doers.

Siemens manages in classic silos - one silo can grow at another's expense. If you do not have proper leadership to balance things out it can get ugly. Like gladiators fighting it out. The bullies usually win this game-but this is not usually optimal.

The other issue is that DX messed with supply chains and procurement to cut costs. It may not be possible to have a reliable source of reagents without major changes.

I think mgmnt understands problem. What they cannot do is select the right personnel to fix it. After all they already let them go long ago...

As an engineering company, Siemens makes many successful products. They design a machine, produce it, and sell it and make their profit. Diagnostics is different. In addition to the above, there is an aftermarket that is the main source of profit. To use to Gilette model, most of what Siemens does is to make razor machines whereas the DX business is all about selling razor blades. But unlike Gilette, each razor machine must be capable of using something like 100 different kinds of blades (reagents). This makes DX very different than most businesses. Bayer never learned this which is one reason they failed. Siemens is also showing that it cannot adapt to the difference between DX and all of its other businesses. It isn't just in the products themselves; the entire economics of DX is different than most of the other things that Siemens does. It is little wonder that they are managing things so badly.

You have business consultants and finance guys running DX - along with a smattering of sales and marketing types. Translated this means DX will get profitable by slashing costs in obvious ways with no thought for how it affects the future and current product lines and strong arm muscling of the market to make sales. What is strange is that this is not Siemens normal mode of operating. They are traditionally an engineering company and usually these types get the leadership posions. It is like there is a movement within Siemens to try out business consultants at Siemens. Lets hope it is short lived - mirroring their short lived tactics to make companies profitable!

Sadly Quality and Regulatory rarely make it to the top either...

Everyone knows that yet another rehash of the unreliable Centaur is the 'future platform' work is well under way on it. Immulite has a large amount of back order issues and the blood gas consumables manufacturing is currently screwed. Siemens seem incapable of running a manufacturing site properly.

My Machiavellian side would think that Siemens would let it slip out that there was a large backorder problem with Immulite just to push prospective customers towards Centaur. Whether I am just imagining all this or not, it is fairly likely that Siemens will have more of a long term commitment to Centaur than to Immulite. I would look elsewhere simply because Siemens is in a state of flux, at best or chaos, at worst. They still have unresolved issues with the FDA that affect Centaur reagents and, whatever the number, have had a long history of Immulite reagent manufacturings issues ever since they started to close down LA. So either way, you are looking at some degree of uncertainty.

Can someone from Llanberis confirm the amount of backorders.
130 seems quite a lot.
Didn't they have this same problem a few years ago?
It would seem no lessons were learned.
A Siemens Rep is paying my lab a visit this week. They're pushing a Centaur or Immulite on us. They tried the hard sell last visit.
I think we'll postpone the appointment and contact Roche and see what they can offer.

Siemens has spent far more time and money on maintaining Immulite than they could have ever imagined. LA was supposed to have been closed years ago, and Llanberis was supposed to be humming along almost innocuously as the Immulite cash cow was milked. Well, none of that plan worked out too well, did it? Immulite methods were to be transferred to Centaur and, through an agressive exchange program, Centaur was to gradually replace Immulite. But the new Centaur was basically DOA and they older systems still had some problems. A second great plan that failed. With no new systems in sight, with Vista lagging far behind expectations, Siemens is essentially forced to continue support for Immulite since Immulite will be around much longer than originally anticipated. They might even go so far as to make some improvements in Llanberis, but it is still hard to see a long term future there unless Siemens can find other things for Llanberis to produce. For now, it sounds like things are in limbo with no clear course in sight. Then again, those same words seem to describe Siemens DX in general.

130 backorders?
Last I heard it was 60 or so backorders...but that was a few weeks ago.
Things just keep getting better and better.

It's a wonder Immulite is still around.
Any plans on revamping the site or just business as usual with the new person.
What a waste of cash.