article about Nikolai Smolensky in Evo mag
Discussion
This month's Evo magazine has a half-page article about Nikolai's changes at TVR. These include:
* additional layers of quality control
* final quality control checks
* delay to the Sagaris until they've done another 50,000 test miles
* 10% increase in price to cover these changes
All sounds good except the last part -- coming dangerously close to Porsche prices now.
* additional layers of quality control
* final quality control checks
* delay to the Sagaris until they've done another 50,000 test miles
* 10% increase in price to cover these changes
All sounds good except the last part -- coming dangerously close to Porsche prices now.
evo said:
What Next For TVR?
Even by TVR's standards the last couple of months have been extraordinary. The saga began after a surprise phone call to TVR boss Peter Wheeler from 24-year-old Russian multi-millionaire Nikolai Smolensky, saying he'd heard the company was for sale and he wanted to buy it. Immediately. Two weeks later, on July 27, at 10am, Smolensky signed the paperwork and became 100 per cent owner of TVR Engineering Ltd for a sum rumoured to be in the region of £15 million.
Small specialist sports car companies seldom rate many column inches in Fleet Street, but the Russian connection and Smolensky's youth created a thirst for information amongst the national press. They were to be largely thwarted, as Smolensky shares Wheeler's loathing for self-publicity.
Now the dust has settled, evo can reveal that behind the scenes Smolensky was quick to make his presence felt around the TVR works in Blackpool and is quietly instituting a programme of changes that may silence cynics who believe he's simply a rich boy playing at carmaker. One of Smolensky's first actions was to reassure the 400-strong workforce that their jobs were safe and that he intends to realise TVR's true potential over the coming few years.
Clearly a realist, Smolensky feels that the first and most important nettle to be grasped is to attend to TVR's reputation for unreliability, perceived or otherwise. He has already introduced several more layers of quality control in the production process. Now, as each car is assembled at a production station it has to be signed off by the quality control department before moving on to the next process.
Additionally there's now a new, separate quality control department. It's responsible for every finished car that rolls off the production line and carries out numerous final checks, including a road test, before the car is ready to be signed off and delivered to the dealer.
This quest for increased quality control has led to both the Sagaris and Typhon being delayed for several months as Smolensky believes insufficient development testing has been done to consider releasing them to customers. He's insisting that at least another 50,000 test miles are completed before a sign-off process can begin.
It's this tough stance that will surprise most pundits, who thought Smolensky's purchase of TVR was just a rash move by a young, wealthy Russian with money to burn. And it appears that Smolensky is planning to move his family to Blackpool so that he can concentrate fully on sorting out the company. Smolensky claims to love the unique appeal of TVRs, citing their design and performance as his motivation for purchasing the company.
The young Russian is also keen to demonstrate to the workforce
how much he values them and how important they are to the future success of TVR. Recognising that there has been a certain lack of resources in recent times, Smolensky has been supplying lunch for all 400 employees prior to a new canteen being built on-site. And a corporate uniform has brought a feeling of team spirit to the factory.
Smolensky is actively looking for a new site for the TVR factory as the current Bristol Avenue facility has a very haphazard layout that would stifle future growth. TVR is currently advertising for engineers and assembly workers to facilitate Smolensky's ambitious plans to expand the company into new markets around the world.
Sensibly there are no plans to introduce new models, simply to enhance the existing range. However, the upshot of the quality improvements will mean that the cars will be more costly to produce and TVR is planning a price rise of around 10 per cent across the range to cover this; existing orders will be honoured at current prices.
Smolensky starts each day at TVR with an 8am Heads of Department meeting, with another at 5pm to see if everything discussed in the morning has been actioned.
Ex-boss Wheeler is now acting as a consultant, heading up the existing TVR design team; working with the designers was what Wheeler always enjoyed most. Despite selling the company for a considerable sum, Wheeler's only big purchase so far has been a year-old Vauxhall Signum.
In a very short period of time Smolensky has made a big impact at TVR, and is described by insiders as 'fearsomely' intelligent. TVR would seem to have a rosy future under its new Russian ownership.
>> Edited by sacha on Saturday 4th September 12:12
The cars were always road tested before delivery, nothing new there then.
10% extra for quality assurance? or is it to speed up the currently forecast 75 year payback on the investment? You can remove a lot of glue for £4K.....or £8K on a Typhon.
No mention either of the fact that he seems to have peed off the vast majority of the dealer network. (That includes the good ones who have supported the factory over the years and undertand the product)
Not convinced at all. I am sure time wil tell.
>> Edited by daftlad on Saturday 4th September 12:27
10% extra for quality assurance? or is it to speed up the currently forecast 75 year payback on the investment? You can remove a lot of glue for £4K.....or £8K on a Typhon.
No mention either of the fact that he seems to have peed off the vast majority of the dealer network. (That includes the good ones who have supported the factory over the years and undertand the product)
Not convinced at all. I am sure time wil tell.
>> Edited by daftlad on Saturday 4th September 12:27
daftlad said:
No mention either of the fact that he seems to have peed off the vast majority of the dealer network. (That includes the good ones who have supported the factory over the years and undertand the product)
>> Edited by daftlad on Saturday 4th September 12:27
I think you might find on the previous thread, ted posted that the dealer network stays intact, only a couple of bad ones are going.
sacha said:
No mention either of the fact that he seems to have peed off the vast majority of the dealer network. (That includes the good ones who have supported the factory over the years and undertand the product)
>> Edited by daftlad on Saturday 4th September 12:27
I think you might find on the previous thread, ted posted that the dealer network stays intact, only a couple of bad ones are going.
And I think you will find that they are all on contract notice with terms to be negotiated, such as lower margins, which will of course enable the dealer to provide an enhanced service....
daftlad said:
And I think you will find that they are all on contract notice with terms to be negotiated, such as lower margins, which will of course enable the dealer to provide an enhanced service....
How can lowering margins allow a dealer to enhance it's service? If the margin is lower they make less money, they will not be able to re-invest to improve service, surely?
daftlad said:
And I think you will find that they are all on contract notice with terms to be negotiated, such as lower margins, which will of course enable the dealer to provide an enhanced service....
Golden Boy said:
How can lowering margins allow a dealer to enhance it's service? If the margin is lower they make less money, they will not be able to re-invest to improve service, surely?
John, I learned long ago not to try to be sarcastic in an internet forum, it goes way above most people heads
I'm in Blackpool next Thursday but from what I hear, the factory is now 'locked-down' with access only to autorised personel by swipe cards, etc. Lets see if I can make it past reception...
Golden Boy said:
Clearly sarcasm (the lowest form of wit I believe) does not come across in the written word, instead it becomes a factually incorrect comment. There is a legend for sarcasm however 
Ho hum, I'm new to this, so I'll learn to take the 'experts' views as they are intended in future...
My apologies. I should as you say have made it clearer with the correct legend.
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