Some might wonder what’s the link between a blog about outsourcing and offshoring and a TV show.
I’m a big fan of American Chopper, a TV show that cronicles the construction of custom bikes (choppers). Before I watched the show, I thought custom bikes are just that - custom. They had to be. If someone’s playing 100,000 USD, they better build this bike custom.
Watching the different bike builds, I realized three things:
- The majority of parts going into the bike are standard. They have to be, otherwise maintenance will be hell. Also, building a custom engine is obviously beyond even the $100,000 scope.
- The guys at OCC focus on the elements that create a unique look/feel: handlebars, tank, etc.
- When they need a custom element done, they are calling guys who specialize in wheels, or painting, or engines. The list goes on and on. I’d imagine over 75% of the custom work is NOT done in the shop.
What struck me is that this is a brick-and-mortar shop. Yet, even they are outsourcing the vast majority of the elements that go into a chopper. They are not sending them next door either. In one episode, the tank was done in California and shipped overnight (FedEx being the great equalizer). I’m sure this wasn’t the exception to the rule..
Some food for thought…
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