[comp.sys.hp] Why are HP DAT tape drives not shipping?

pja@ralph.Lafayette.LA.US (Pete Alleman) (08/04/90)

My employer has had the new HP 1.3 GByte DAT tape drive on order for
a while.  We were recently told that they were on production hold.
Does anyone know why?
-- 
Pete Alleman
	pja@ralph.lafayette.la.us

wayne@dsndata.uucp (Wayne Schlitt) (08/06/90)

In article <3738@ralph.Lafayette.LA.US> pja@ralph.Lafayette.LA.US (Pete Alleman) writes:

> My employer has had the new HP 1.3 GByte DAT tape drive on order for
> a while.  We were recently told that they were on production hold.
> Does anyone know why?

while i dont know why the dat tapes are on production hold, i do know
that this is a very common thing to have happen.  basically,
"production hold" means that something, be it the parts, the
manufacturing process, the software, or something else is keeping the
product from being everything HP wants it to be.  think of it as being
the downside to HP's high reputation for quality.  

production holds seem to happen the most on new products or products
that arent in great demand.  they often come and go on a weekly basis.
i have rarely heard the exact reason for the production holds, but in
my experience, they usually dont last more than a week or two.


anyway, dont feel bad.  when hp started advertising their read/write
optical disk in their new "pick any three device package" last
january, i decided that we should get one.  we are still waiting.
rumor has it that we should have it sometime in september.  i am not
holding my breath.  


-wayne

stevej@hpcpbla.HP.COM (Steve Jerman) (08/07/90)

>
>My employer has had the new HP 1.3 GByte DAT tape drive on order for
>a while.  We were recently told that they were on production hold.
>Does anyone know why?

-- 
Hi Pete,

  From time to time, most products will go on hold due to vendor
  problems. Unfortunately, HP's DDS drive just had one of these
  problems. All is now resolved and production is as normal. Your
  employer should expect to recieve the product on the date of order
  acknowledgement. Please let me know if there are any more problems
  with this.

  For your information we use a Just In Time production process which
  is why the line will go on hold so quickly, and this also explains
  why it comes off hold just as quickly (assuming the problem gets
  sorted). There is a little red light hanging on the ceiling which
  comes on when the line goes on hold to emphasize the fact!

Steve Jerman
Hewlett Packard
Computer Peripherals Bristol
(We make the drive)

Address:	     Email:
  Filton Road		stevej@hpcpbla.cpb.hp.com
  Stoke Gifford
  Bristol
  BS12 6QZ
  UK

Phone:                   Fax:
(44) 272 799910 x22424   (44) 272 236091