Simon Kohler to retire from Hornby

[woodenhead]

@Covkid perhaps the new heads recognise something needs to change and asking Simon to step aside is part of that new approach.

 

Maybe they will do less A4s, Flying Scotsmen and other Pacific engines and more off the OO poll, it would be a good place to start looking.

 

The new man might be a Midland fanatic and employ a small engine policy for Hornby.

 

And they might sell more as the Midland liked double heading.

[AY Mod]

Starting to smell like a wishlist again!

 

Even though I got something I was looking forward to.

 

Still waiting for an 88DS though.

[Steamport Southport]

12 minutes ago, Covkid said:

 

 

Well well and next step is ?

 

Mr MacDermott and his colleagues go to great lengths every two years to publish a relatively definitive wishlist of what model railway enthusiasts each would aspire to.   I don't recall reading at the very top of that list

Gresley pacific

Gresley pacific

Stanier pacific

Bulleid pacific

Gresley pacific

Pacific of any kind but must include working steam, lights and sound

Gresley pacific

 

etc etc

 

Do the execs at Hornby really honestly believe that producing what is it ? TEN Gresley pacifics is their panacea.       No hang on  let me rephrase that.  Do the execs at Hornby think we have the sort of cash available to hand to them in one year for ten Gresley pacifics

 

Is it unreasonable of me to fancy a Midland 2F 0-6-0 or an LNWR radial 2-4-2 or an LMS Fowler or Stanier class 3 2-6-2, or a GWR Aberdare, or an LMS "Austin seven" or a  BR std 77xxx ?  Would these be such detractors from the pacificphobia ?  Or actually perhaps it is me.  I don't have a single pacific in my collection. 

 

As I said elsewhere  Hornby could have produced sets of 3 of each of the new TTA tank wagons, with different running numbers, in a similar manner to previous runs of their coke hoppers etc  Surely the costs vs profits are advantageous, as I am sure Accurascale are not marketing them for fun.

 

I don't think Simon will be short of work, but I do wonder about the fortunes of Hornby for the future.

 

 

 

How many do they sell though?

 

Look at all those locomotives in the bargain bins, it's very rare to see any Pacifics and usually when you do it's the ones in short lived or unpopular liveries.

 

This is the current "bargains" at Kernow. Picked as they sell all the manufacturers whereas others don't for various reasons. Full of all those little black engines.

 

 

https://www.kernowmodelrailcentre.com/c/1787/Steam-Locos

 

Only one Pacific and that is £190 so not quite a bargain IMO. However it's Flying Scotsman, in possibly it's most unpopular form with single chimney and no smoke deflectors. I'm afraid most FS fans want it as it is now or as 4472.

 

 

Jason

[Guest]

I appreciate that there’s lots of history here and some are upset by Hornby’s, and by Simon’s, previous actions but the company wouldn’t keep producing LNER locomotives if there wasn't a market for them. They also have their tie- up with the NRM which will affect their decisions, while their commercial model and market base is also different to that of niche manufacturers.

 

I’ve only recently returned to the hobby, but in my dealings with Simon via email, have found him to be approachable, enthusiastic and helpful. He himself is a Southern man I believe, so am sure would have loved to turn out other models if he could. 

 

I’m grateful to him and the team for enticing me back to the hobby with TT120, HM7000 & the TV series and wish him well, whatever the circumstances of his departure. From my personal experience, the company will find it hard to replace his customer-focused attitude and engagement. 

[woodenhead]

36 minutes ago, Gatesheadgeek said:

He himself is a Southern man I believe, so am sure would have loved to turn out other models if he could. 

A true Southern man would’ve known Bulleid Shorties were not a 1930s product (except the chassis).

 

Back to LNER pacific engines, they clearly sell but are they produced in the quantities we think they are?

[Drifter]

So who actually is left at Hornby with Tim Mulhall due to retire in the next month or so?

[Guest]

2 minutes ago, Drifter said:

So who actually is left at Hornby with Tim Mulhall due to retire in the next month or so?

 

They had plenty of designers featured in the television series and given that retirement ages are known well in advance, succession planning will have been in place for years. In recent episodes of their You Tube videos they had two or three designers prominent who had been there  many years as well as the younger designers. 

[AY Mod]

7 minutes ago, Gatesheadgeek said:

 

They had plenty of designers featured in the television series and given that retirement ages are known well in advance, succession planning will have been in place for years. In recent episodes of their You Tube videos they had two or three designers prominent who had been there  many years as well as the younger designers. 

 

Yes, there's continuity and succession at the coalface through several regimes but we are yet to see management evolutions - that's what changes in each cycle.

[Drifter]

1 hour ago, Gatesheadgeek said:

 

They had plenty of designers featured in the television series and given that retirement ages are known well in advance, succession planning will have been in place for years. In recent episodes of their You Tube videos they had two or three designers prominent who had been there  many years as well as the younger designers. 

Tim Mulhall is the Chief Operations Officer, difficult to plan for someone to retire when they  are 54. 

[Guest]

1 minute ago, Drifter said:

Tim Mulhall is the Chief Operations Officer, difficult to plan for someone to retire when they  are 54. 

 

May be retiring early, but succession planning for a business like Hornby will be in place for all senior positions. A company’s business continuity plan has to plan for all eventualities for key personnel including retirement, headhunting/resignation, major illness and death in service.

[AY Mod]

Armchair HR now. 😬

[Bucoops]

1 minute ago, AY Mod said:

Armchair HR now. 😬

 

I was asked to write the bit of the company DR plan for if the IT department was unavailable. I said to ask someone else as I genuinely wouldn't care so can't be objective 😛

[AY Mod]

5 minutes ago, Bucoops said:

if the IT department was unavailable

 

Don't start me off, it's been a lovely weekend. 😎

[Guest]

Business continuity and succession planning isn’t HR’s responsibility.

[Bucoops]

3 minutes ago, AY Mod said:

 

Don't start me off, it's been a lovely weekend. 😎

 

I'm signed off for a couple of weeks after an op so if it all goes wrong, see above.

[Bucoops]

2 minutes ago, Gatesheadgeek said:

Business continuity and succession planning isn’t HR’s responsibility.

 

It's senior managment's responsibility, which would also include but not limited to, the head of HR.

[Guest]

Sure, HR will be involved at some point but succession planning and business continuity planning that I’ve been involved in when working for my current and previous employer was mainly the preserve of those who fully understood the roles and responsibilities, and the risks. Anyway, I’ll shut up now you’ll be pleased to hear. 

 

 

[Pint of Adnams]

21 minutes ago, AY Mod said:

Armchair HR now. 😬

HR = Hornby Railways?

[Bucoops]

10 minutes ago, Gatesheadgeek said:

Sure, HR will be involved at some point but succession planning and business continuity planning that I’ve been involved in when working for my current and previous employer was mainly the preserve of those who fully understood the roles and responsibilities, and the risks. Anyway, I’ll shut up now you’ll be pleased to hear. 

 

 

 

Just about every company's BCP should have had had a really good workout starting in around Feb 2020 - everyone assumes that the biggest risk to a company is fire, flood or similar. The pokey little section on highly virulent disease that causes high staff shortages etc. always gets skipped on annual read-throughs. Whoops. Whose area of responsibility is staff? HR 🙂 Succession planning too - keep a list of suitable staff to be acting whatever, and a job description up to date so they can hit the ground running if the worst happens. Our BCP meetings are chaired by the head of HR as they have to be central to it :)

 

I shall also wander off now and blather on at someone else 😁

[Fireline]

13 hours ago, Gatesheadgeek said:

 

May be retiring early, but succession planning for a business like Hornby will be in place for all senior positions. A company’s business continuity plan has to plan for all eventualities for key personnel including retirement, headhunting/resignation, major illness and death in service.

 

That's probably how it SHOULD work, but....

[adb968008]

How does this sound for a BCP…?

 

1. Make sure youve got more than adequate Scotsman available.

2. Have at least two Ducks in stock, one Mallard.

3. if supplies of wagons falter, just select anything at random, put any random name on it*

4. if your competitor announces something, rush out, do the same faster, cheaper.

5. if all else fails churn out endless BR era carriages, if the livery is complex use a tattoo, dont  worry about the locos or power cars, someone else might do them.

6. if things get really bad, set up a new scale, youve got the market to yourself. Tell potential customers its a walk not a sprint (because youve no real competition).

 

* you could use chatgpt for this and tell marketing your now using AI.

 

 

Edited May 30, 2023 by adb968008

[Edwardian]

7 minutes ago, adb968008 said:

BCP…

 

4. if your competitor announces something, rush out, do the same faster, cheaper.

 

 

 

and nastier

[AY Mod]

18 minutes ago, adb968008 said:

How does this sound for a BCP…?

 

You forgot...

Mother's Day

Valentine's Day

Father's Day

Christmas

Gresley's Birthday

Gresley's Niece's Birthday etc.

[adb968008]

5 minutes ago, AY Mod said:

 

You forgot...

Mother's Day

Valentine's Day

Father's Day

Christmas

Gresley's Birthday

Gresley's Niece's Birthday etc.

Ah yes..

 

And the anniversary of the last time the model was made.

[Covkid]

19 hours ago, AY Mod said:

Starting to smell like a wishlist again!

 

Even though I got something I was looking forward to.

 

Still waiting for an 88DS though.

Sorry Andy.  I genuinely didn't mean it like that - just a few examples of models never RTR before.