Shutterstock

Imagine working with a new coworker who was recently given a promotion and thinks he knows everything and you know nothing. The problem is that the CEO also thinks the coworker is amazing, and it seems like you’re the only one who knows his ideas aren’t going to work.

Would you keep your mouth shut and let the “genius” get proven wrong, or would you try to prevent a disaster from happening?

In this story, one employee is in this situation, and he speaks up and corrects the coworker when he gives really bad suggestions; however, he’s unable to prevent an expensive and wasteful mistake.

Keep reading for all the details.

“Cutting edge”, “innovative” fixture designs…. are completely useless, end up in scrap bin.

Company I worked for, bought a tiny company, that they discovered at a trade show.

In the words of our CEO, “We bought the company to get the Genius designer”.

His words, not mine.

Was it really a company or simply a person?

The entire company consisted on one salesman, the “Genius Designer”, one unfinished prototype and one assembly fixture.

Impressive.

“Genius Designer” goes to Los Angeles for a year, to work on improving this product, with the engineers at our head office.

While there, he meets their “Local Genius” machinist/fixture maker. Together they collaborate on the welding fixtures needed to produce this product.

Time for a definition.

Definition: welding fixture. A tool designed to hold, support, and locate components to be welded together,in the correct position. A good fixture improves the accuracy of the finished parts,and improves productivity.

“Local Genius” has quite the reputation in the company, for his “innovative”and “cutting edge” methods. Read “gimmicks”.

The CEO has a weakness for gimmicks.

After about a year, “Genius Designer” gets transferred to our location, with the title “Director of R&D”. His head expands 3 sizes.

Here’s a conversation OP has with this “genius.”

One of our early conversations:

“Genius designer” : “The company should send you to Calif to learn about fixture design.”

Toolmaker(me) : (feeling insulted) “Seriously ?” (there was never a problem with any of the fixtures that I had made)

“Genius designer” : “Oh yeah, the guy there is using very innovative, cutting edge methods.”

OP didn’t find the idea very innovative.

Toolmaker(me) : “How innovative ?

**”**Genius designer” : “He doesn’t machine up blocks, like you do. He gets a series of 1/4″ steel plates cut on the laser, stacks them up, welds them together, and then grinds the welds down, to make a the finished piece. Quick and easy.”

Toolmaker(me) : “Oh………Sounds slow and wasteful.” ( I eventually proved it was slow and wasteful. )

This laminated steel block idea, was just another stupid gimmick that the CEO fell for.

Unique is not the same as innovative.

OP was not impressed with the product.

The prototype for this product shows up, NOTHING innovative in the design.

A few weeks later, the welding and assembly fixtures show up.

Worse than I expected. Total and complete crap. I stay away.

They set up an assembly area, and start welding parts.

This isn’t going well.

“Genius Designer” shows them how to make the parts,how the fixtures work, and how to assemble the parts. Which would be fine, if the welded parts were any good.

I get a call from the Quality Inspection department:

“This design, 1/4 of the parts are no good.”

Another design:”1/3 of the parts are no good”

Another design: “1/2 of the parts are no good.”

Yikes! This is not working at all.

(These were welded components, made with fixtures from California.)

A lot of money went in the scrap bin. Why ? Because the welding fixtures were all garbage.

They never established Process Capability. Never proved the parts could be made in production.

In the automotive industry, one rejected part per MILLION is acceptable.

These guys ? Ummmm, yeah.

OP to the rescue.

And who gets to fix this problem ?

ME, of course.

The guy who needs to ***”learn about fixture design.”***Yeah, that guy.

The fixture designs were so bad, they couldn’t be saved, even if I wanted to. Poor concept, bad execution.

The “genius” was proven wrong.

One by one, I replace the fixtures from California.

Suddenly, 100% of the parts are good.

All the original welding fixtures went in the scrap bin.

Right on the top of the pile, for “Genius Designer” to see.

(and he did)

I don’t think the CEO knew what he was doing when he hired the “genius.”

Let’s see how Reddit responded.

A welder weighs in.

This person shares their perspective.

This person knows some things are consistent.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a fast food employee who shuts down a customer angry about her change with a single word.

But one person has a question.

The “genius” failed. Will the CEO care? That’s the real question. Perhaps, buying that company was a big mistake. At least OP is there to fix the problem.