Interview with Barrie Wills - Supply Management

[5875]

I stumbled across this article today while working in my day job. I'm a procurement officer with the Canadian Government, so this article really resonated with me. Procurement - whether you're buying fighter jets, ships or in this case a car really has a lot of common pitfalls. It's a great read.

http://www.supplymanagement.com/analysis/interviews/2015/interview-we-were-mavericks-says-barrie-wills-former-purchasing-director

[spedlot]

Wow that was an awesome article. Can't wait to read the book when it comes out.

[Jimmyvonviggle]

I wish there was a definite answer on the finances and demise of DMC. This article seems to state that they couldn't sell the cars and they were in a dire financial situation. Other articles I read said they had a a waiting list of car orders, money in the bankb, but Margaret Thatcher's political agenda ultimately destroyed the company.

[jamesrguk]

Barrie Wills had a higher calling, the Sinclair C5.

When DMC went bust Sinclair tried to buy the VARI equipment to make the body for the C5

Sorry, wildly O/T

J

[David T]

Interesting but wrong on some things like JZD being tried on drug charges. The charges had to do with money laundering, the drugs were only for effect. As with any large enterprise, we will see some glimpses from his personal prospective but not the whole picture. Anything he has to say can only be taken in context with other people's views who were there at the time. The end was the result of the requirement to increase production on a fixed schedule (not having anything to do with demand or sales) the initial teething problems with quality and lack of performance, the downturn in the economy and the change in political climate forcing the company into bankruptcy. DMC was not the only casualty. Lear Fan was among the companies that failed too. Bottom line, Ms Thatcher and the hard liners did not want anyone in Northern Ireland to be successful at the expense of the English taxpayer.

[5875]

Interesting but wrong on some things like JZD being tried on drug charges. The charges had to do with money laundering, the drugs were only for effect.

I think this is kind of splitting hairs. Generally speaking, that's what they boiled down to - a money laundering deal involving the trafficking of drugs. Regardless, JZD was acquitted and he was just trying to keep the dream alive at any cost. I know many of us try to distance the JZD from the drug related charges, but fact of the matter is they are connected. During that fateful hotel interview JZD and the FBI were talking about trafficking drugs for money, not Huey Lewis cassette tapes...

[Dangermouse]

All these years and I thought his name was Willis. :biggrin:

Interesting story, thanks for posting.

[David T]

I think this is kind of splitting hairs. Generally speaking, that's what they boiled down to - a money laundering deal involving the trafficking of drugs. Regardless, JZD was acquitted and he was just trying to keep the dream alive at any cost. I know many of us try to distance the JZD from the drug related charges, but fact of the matter is they are connected. During that fateful hotel interview JZD and the FBI were talking about trafficking drugs for money, not Huey Lewis cassette tapes...

Yes, it is "splitting hairs" but back in the day if you wanted to really taint someone's reputation you mentioned his name and drugs in the same sentence. Today we see it happen but they use "child molester" to really get people's attention. I pointed that one thing out, there were a few things he didn't get quite right but it is splitting hairs. I guess since he was in the UK and all of that news happened in the US they didn't get the whole story in the UK. He was not personally involved with that part so his view on that subject is hearsay, rumor, and innuendo. When you read first person accounts you have to understand what information he had first-hand. Anything else is not reliable and is just speculation on his part. The drugs were a part of the whole picture but legally they were irrelevant to JZD's case. The drugs were used to make the case all the more spectacular, money laundering is not very glamorous and the lay person doesn't care much about that. But show a suitcase full of drugs and that is newsworthy and gets everyone's attention. Heck, people STILL remember that TODAY!