TheCrusader
10/19/06 08:46 PM
216.51.214.66
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ok, I'm trying to design a program that acts as a battlemech manufacturing plant. It would simulate the processes of a mech plant from Raw materials to Finished Goods. Being an accounting major, I want to design it to keep track of internal accounting plus issue income statements and a prospectus(yeah I'm nerdy like that) Since all I really know is Visual Basic, I'd use that. I was just wondering if anyone had any advice and or information, such as average manufacturing time for mechs( based on weight and tech class I'm sure) anything would be appreciated.
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Cray
10/19/06 09:30 PM
68.200.109.191
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Quote:
ok, I'm trying to design a program that acts as a battlemech manufacturing plant. It would simulate the processes of a mech plant from Raw materials to Finished Goods. Being an accounting major, I want to design it to keep track of internal accounting plus issue income statements and a prospectus(yeah I'm nerdy like that) Since all I really know is Visual Basic, I'd use that. I was just wondering if anyone had any advice and or information, such as average manufacturing time for mechs( based on weight and tech class I'm sure) anything would be appreciated.
Well, I can point to 3025-era guidelines, but first, a point:
There are a handful of rare battlemech factories that start from raw materials and end in battlemechs in a single factory. The automated Valkyrie factory on New Avalon is one. I want to say one on Kathil is another. However, those are very unusual factories and hideously expensive.
Much more common are mech factories like modern factories: they receive components from contractors (sometimes very large and complete components, like entire fusion engines). The subcontractors in turn often receive complete subcomponents from sub-subcontractors. A choice example of this sort of operation is Boeing. Boeing ships entire airliner fuselages and nose sections across country by train and plane; it gets engines from Rolls Royce in England and Pratt & Whitney in the US; it gets avionics from yet other contractors.
You can bet that for components as complex as jet engines, Pratt & Whitney have a whole pyramid of subcontractors, too - people to sell them engine control computers, screws and bolts, etc. I know P&W does some of its own raw materials-to-components work in-house, specifically the construction of the proprietary turbine blades and combustion sections, but it still has a mountain of suppliers and its just a contractor to Boeing.
The advantage to this set-up is that Boeing doesn't have to pay for every single manufacturing operation in-house. Pratt & Whitney sells jet engines to lots of airplane makers, so Boeing alone doesn't have to pay for the billions of dollars of factory equipment that P&W has. Likewise, Boeing isn't the only company paying for the billions of dollars of computer chip manufacturing and software writing in its flight computers - its contractor (IBM or whoever) has other customers.
When you move everything needed by a complex machine, every little step in the assembly process from raw ore to finished battlemech or airliner, into a single factory...you're looking at a mindbogglingly expensive factory that very likely will be so optimized at building its one product (airplanes, cars, battlemechs, whatever) that it can't defray its cost by using all its vast arrays of machinery to build other goods for other customers.
A paranoid government could do it, but it'd never turn a profit.
Anyway...
Manufacturing rates in 3025 tended to be around 5 to 25 battlemechs per factory, with anomalies lower and higher (1 per year to 100 per year). Since the factories tend to be massively defended operations costing 10s of Billions of C-bills and the battlemechs tend to be 2 to 10 Million CB...well, make sure your accounting program has a big entry for "government subsidies." You'll spend more on running the air conditioning in those factories than you'll make from battlemechs.
For basic pricing information to get you started, a lot of your work was done by another player in a fan project. A gentleman by the handle Revanche worked out factory costs. Here's his profile on HMPro.com
http://www.heavymetalpro.com/forums/profile.php?mode=viewprofile&u=5
I'd recommend getting in touch with him about factory pricing. He's put a lot of skullsweat into the effort.
Mike Miller, Materials Engineer
Disclaimer: Anything stated in this post is unofficial and non-canon unless directly quoted from a published book. Random internet musings of a BattleTech writer are not canon.
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TheCrusader
10/20/06 11:05 AM
216.159.180.4
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"Much more common are mech factories like modern factories: they receive components from contractors (sometimes very large and complete components, like entire fusion engines). The subcontractors in turn often receive complete subcomponents from sub-subcontractors. A choice example of this sort of operation is Boeing. Boeing ships entire airliner fuselages and nose sections across country by train and plane; it gets engines from Rolls Royce in England and Pratt & Whitney in the US; it gets avionics from yet other contractors"
I understand that, but from an internal accounting point of view the Finished components recieved from other companuies, such as weapons, comms equipment etc., are consider Raw Materials.
But Thanks for the info, I apreciate it
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Cray
10/20/06 12:15 PM
147.160.136.10
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Quote:
I understand that, but from an internal accounting point of view the Finished components recieved from other companuies, such as weapons, comms equipment etc., are consider Raw Materials.
Ah, okay.
For help on your project, look up Revanche. He's already gotten some base prices down that'll get you started.
Mike Miller, Materials Engineer
Disclaimer: Anything stated in this post is unofficial and non-canon unless directly quoted from a published book. Random internet musings of a BattleTech writer are not canon.
Edited by Cray (10/20/06 12:16 PM)
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