The One About Manufacturing

The Hardy Pinball Podcast·podcast_episode·18m 33s·analyzed·Aug 5, 2020

Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.026

TL;DR

Manufacturing quality control deep dive into TMNT issues and upstream operator training failures.

Summary

Kerry Hardy examines manufacturing quality control issues with Stern's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles pinball machine, detailing specific defects (diverter problems, clearcoat puddling, grainy artwork) and arguing that root causes stem from undertrained assembly line workers lacking game-specific knowledge rather than inherent QC failure. He discusses why new unreleased games cannot be adequately tested with real players before release and speculates on upcoming Stern titles (Guns N' Roses, Time Warp, Atari, Raza, Pixar) and Deep Root Pinball's production timeline.

Key Claims

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Limited Editions have more defects than Pro models
medium confidence · Kerry Hardy citing Pinside thread observations at episode open
The primary defects in TMNT are: defective diverter behind ramp, clearcoat puddling around posts, and grainy artwork printing issues
high confidence · Kerry Hardy summarizing Pinside discussion and Pradoshi's detailed post
Stern's manufacturing line workers lack game-specific knowledge and training; they operate as 'cogs in a machine' trained only for muscle memory tasks
high confidence · Kerry Hardy's core thesis on manufacturing process and operator training
Stern is actively hiring for Production Manager and Quality Control Inspector positions
high confidence · Kerry Hardy citing Stern job listings he reviewed
New unreleased games cannot be adequately tested by casual players before factory release, limiting QC feedback
high confidence · Kerry Hardy discussing why test players cannot replicate random casual play behavior
Stern shipped approximately 30 games to Australia recently; specific game titles were not disclosed
medium confidence · Kerry Hardy citing recent shipping news without game title specifics
Deep Root Pinball's More Brewing Company release timeline has shifted but still falls within summer delivery window
medium confidence · Kerry Hardy updating previous episode claims about Deep Root Pinball production schedule

Notable Quotes

“I just got the word that my Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is officially on the way. And according to what I'm reading, whenever it gets here, I get to rebuild the entire fucking thing.”
Kerry Hardy@ 0:00 — Opening statement establishing the episode's central complaint about TMNT delivery quality
“Quality control is not going to be able to catch everything because, as we learned, the most common issue when it comes to human error is obviously the human.”
Kerry Hardy@ 2:39 — Core argument framework: acknowledging QC limitations while pivoting to operator training as root cause
“They are a cog in the machine. They are trained to do a certain task and to do it over and over and over again, to where it becomes muscle memory.”
Kerry Hardy@ 9:40 — Metaphor capturing Kerry's thesis on assembly line worker limitations and lack of game knowledge
“Do you think that Stern can make, let's say for instance, a ridiculous machine that would definitely not be able to be kept under wraps? Let's say Back to the Future, okay? God forbid.”
Kerry Hardy @ ~5:30 — Hypothetical speculation about why new games cannot be tested on location before release; inadvertent leak discussion protocol
“The main thing to do is cross-train your operators, manufacturing specialists, whatever you want to call them, into looking for certain things or bringing certain possible issues to QC's attention.”
Kerry Hardy@ 10:28 — Core recommendation: operator cross-training as solution to quality issues
“If they got Guns N' Roses just moving across the line and being put together and everything, and the other thing gonna be hunky-dory? No.”
Kerry Hardy — Speculation that Guns N' Roses is not yet on production line; concern about staffing changes

Entities

Kerry HardypersonStern PinballcompanyTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtlesgame Guns N' Rosesgame Time Warpgame Atarigame Razagame

Signals

?
product_concern: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles showing multiple documented defects: defective diverter behind ramp (digs into plastic), clearcoat puddling around posts (recurring issue), and grainy artwork printing issues. Limited Edition versions reportedly have higher defect rates than Pro models.
high · Kerry Hardy citing Pinside thread details and Pradoshi's post documenting required post-purchase adjustments and fixes
?
manufacturing_signal: Assembly line workers lack game-specific knowledge and training; operate only with muscle memory on assigned tasks without understanding game mechanics or what to inspect for. Cross-training identified as critical gap.
high · Kerry's extended analysis: 'They are a cog in the machine... trained to do a certain task... [don't know] how they work or why they do what they do'
?
manufacturing_signal: Clearcoat puddling issues attributed to either improper mixing by clearcoat vendor or insufficient cure time due to production rush. Kerry suggests Stern may need to evaluate alternative supplier options.
medium · Kerry stating: 'I mainly look at the person that's doing the clearcoat job' and proposing: 'I wonder if they can possibly send out test playfields to other companies'
?
personnel_signal: Stern is actively recruiting for Production Manager and Quality Control Inspector positions, suggesting either capacity expansion or staffing gaps in manufacturing and QC functions.
high · Kerry citing Stern job listings for Production Manager and Quality Control Inspector positions
?
supply_chain_signal: Stern recently shipped approximately 30 games to Australia; specific titles withheld from disclosure, suggesting mix of multiple SKUs or intentional confidentiality around portfolio activity.

Topics

Manufacturing Quality Control and Assembly Line ProcessesprimaryTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Defects and Field IssuesprimaryOperator Training and Cross-Training for QC DetectionprimaryStern Pinball's Production Capacity and StaffingprimaryUpcoming Stern Game Pipeline (Guns N' Roses, Time Warp, Atari, Raza, Pixar)secondaryDeep Root Pinball Production Timeline and More Brewing CompanysecondaryGame Testing and Feedback Loops for Unreleased Machinessecondary

Sentiment

negative(-0.72)— Kerry expresses strong frustration with Stern's quality control execution and manufacturing practices, though he is measured in assigning blame (targeting operator training rather than corporate intent). He is disappointed in receiving a defective machine but frames criticism as constructive. Tone is critical but professional; he does not express hatred or contempt, merely dissatisfaction with systemic manufacturing inefficiencies.

Transcript

groq_whisper · $0.056

I just got the word that my turtles is officially on the way. And according to what I'm reading, whenever it gets here, I get to rebuild the entire fucking thing. What's up guys and welcome to episode 1 of the Hardy pinball podcast the one about manufacturing and let's just jump right into it with the teenage mutinated turtles issues that I'm stumbling across by going down the pin side thread. Now I have a pro on the way which is a good thing because evidently the L.E.s are currently in the lead when it comes to defects or issues. Now there are a number of different issues that we could go over but I'm just gonna highlight the three main ones and that is the diverter behind the bus is a defective essentially when it comes to opening and closing if it's not adjusted correctly it can dig into the plastic ramp behind it that diverter that has got a fix on the way the other issue is the puddling around post with the clear coat this has been a known issue for many years now and the most troubling to me is Artwork. That is right. Now, this is something that I haven't been known to see before but due to a couple of pictures that a pin side Person has posted it would seem that there is some sort of printing issue at some point and The artwork at least on this machine is very grainy That's that's very worrisome indeed But on the TMNT thread the most recent post the at least discussing issues and fixes was from Pradoshi and he's got a lengthy little post here going over adding washers, adjusting the layer shot, the ball feed left ramp, ball feed right ramp, pizza spinner, ball trough and shooter lane, upper flipper and a game flow hint as well as including pictures on things that you should do or at least make sure that John Youssi everything is okay upon your game's arrival. Now I know what you're thinking. That you're thinking like, oh great, this is when Kerry's gonna bust out and get on his soapbox I am going to talk about how Stern's quality control should have been fixing and seeing these things on the line and we shouldn't be getting these out in the wild, it shouldn't be happening blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah. No, that is not where I'm going with this guys because contrary to what those of you might think, I do know a great deal about manufacturing. And one of the things I know is that quality control is not going to be able to catch everything because As we learned, the and the most common issue when it comes to human error is obviously the human. We are human, we're not going to be able to catch everything because a machine has parameters in place whereas there are many variables and reasons why a human would not be able to detect or catch defects. So there are definitely things on this list as well as other things I read about and hear about where I can kind of like look past and go, and go, ah, yeah, well they can't catch everything. But there are also other things where I've got to look at it and go, really? Why hasn't this been resolved yet? Here's the thing. If a company is getting certain materials or parts for a complete machine that someone's putting together, this means we're talking like small components all the way to the big ordeal that makes the product. If a certain piece of that machinery is not functioning at a new paid coupon with a discount period before post inverterreturn inte個人 bill york for offer a whiteboard for stationgly overextension india work a lived 39% the person its releasing this product what thecaster Walter Sending them through the clear coating process and haven changed anything That is what upsetting is that I wonder if they can possibly send out test playfields to other companies and going Hey we looking for other you know avenues and possibilities of you of changing companies and providers because our current one not doing what we like it to do And we want to make our customers happy So see what you can do with this and see if we still get the same issues that we getting So when it comes to clearcoat puddling, I don't look at Stern like, what the hell's your problem? I mainly look at the person that's doing the clearcoat job and go, what is your problem? either you are not mixing it correctly or maybe Stern's just in too much of a rush and not allowing the cure to completely go through. That is another possibility is that they are trying to get these things out as fast as possible to keep profits up that they're willing to look past the little bitty issues of puddling around posts and stuff like that because of the majority of people and operation users and stuff like that location are not going to see them. They're not going to notice it. Most dzieciğli ćýč领ľeç giğleç'laris at betä interval àşam 여기ç Doug alivekaеșä ^^aş International Hيدäç Tribη égneیä avăcăşăfeastatprintsεçç psyche ainäçša cercaşăş olderă filmmakeră Ottoman ordenen warnedê의 The issue is the issues or things that they need to fix before they go into full production. With this day and age, they cannot do that. Do you think that Stern can make, let's say for instance, a ridiculous machine that would definitely not be able to be keep under wraps? Let's say back to the future, okay? God forbid. But let's say they did it back to the future and they go, you know what, we need to put a couple of them on a location over here in, I don't know, Pennsylvania. Somewhere, anywhere, doesn't matter. Do you think that they would be able to put a couple of machines on location? and the chances are they're not catching a lot of these in-house because all of them are accustomed to playing pinball and are able to make these shots that have been designed easier than the rigmarole individual that's just gonna walk up to a machine and for the very first time and hit the ball randomly around and get it stuck in certain places that it shouldn't be getting stuck They are Sal dishalarko Let's ridersuchee Yobasedar Jonoуй The people that don't know the game. All of these are the main things that went wrong with this machine. What can we improve or even prevent from happening on the original release? That is something that they can't do on a brand new game that hasn't been released yet, is get feedback from thousands of individuals on what needs to be fixed. So you have people out there that are wondering why is this not getting caught at the factory? Why is Qualitycontrol or QC allowinging these machines to go out the door that don't work the way they are intended to? And I'm going to tell you why. That is due to muscle memory and training. These people on the line that are assembling these machines, whether you want to call them operators, manufacturing specialists, I mean, the names can go on and on. They're just titles. I mean, sometimes these titles just go off in ridiculousness just to fluff your In quotingLAB Tforce universe orogaSchleviard Instructionsfootpipe buldhisReel Miratch magnetahah fully Awww cocktail at internate text readers have had putting these playfields together for years But in the end I guarantee you a lot of the people that are assembling these games don know how they work Don't know how you know and why they do what they do and what they should or should not be looking for all they know When they're trained and put into a particular spot on the line they go Hey, this is a screwdriver But this screw here this screw goes here here here or this solder goes here here and here these connectors go here I could go on and on and on They are a cog in the machine. They are trained to do a certain task and to do it over and over and over again. To where it becomes muscle memory and the manufacturing process just continues to flow. So when you have that operator putting down the plastics or inserting the flipper bats, do you think that that individual is going to catch a grainy artwork playfield or maybe a little small defect in the clearcoat? Saturday Night Eats pointeretime attachments for the Saturday Night EatsArt techno file. The main thing to do is cross training your operators, manufacturing specialists, whatever you want to call them into looking for certain things or bringing certain possible issues to QC's attention or the line manager, whatever you want to call them, whatever their name is. Bringinging it to their attention like, hey, there's a little bit of a chip right here and it's going to be up to guess what? Not a machine, a human being is going to decide whether or not that playfield can move on to the next point. You can see that this is a very simple game, and it is not a game that is just playing for fun. The main issues are not going to be caught at the factory. Like I state, you have certain people that are test playing these games that learn the flow of the game and how to make particular shots over and over again to make sure a certain mech is working because they are not playing it randomly just hitting it around. They are purposefully rolling the ball up a ramp to make sure certain switches are activating. DIFFICULT движ Tra pää M cứ được một peàng nhỏ để phải tr 들어� trở tiért vào nick traffic 페 dollarsist Frankfurtu che Sweden announортka Company tab nimakerhe은 I understand the significance of a couple of millimeters. In the end, when it comes to Stern and TMNT, I think what they could do is just work on cross training with their operators to look for certain things like, Hey, we're seeing that people are complaining about this. Whenever you're assembling this certain thing, could you just make sure that this is not pointing this direction? For 24 hour periods of playعلact, 귀ne sue and lwy's playlist is up wł Christine Sunner, nail clipper réümü anoicht, flake, There no way If it is on the line I worry drastically about QC because I seeing that they have their job listings right here for Production Manager QualityControlInspector So they looking to fill these positions here Do you think that they got Guns N Roses just moving across the line and being put together and everything and the other thing gonna be hunky hunky No Chances are what they got going on right now is the residual of their wonkas They may be doing some assembling there and getting them out to most recently what was it Australia they had like 30 games on of course they didn want to specify what games they were on the picture just said shipping some games out because it might have been everything but what everybody looking forward to is Guns N Roses Time warp Atari perfectly racted meant길 vs Speaker of the House, officier Regent Raza PixarAshy, Tus Asíor Ronnie and bl jetzt Aунк by a could , st t跟 the ı . 00 0 00 00 00 0 0 0 The end of the game is waiting for this game to be ready to go. The game is a bit of a pain in the ass to play, but I'm a fan of the theme, but I enjoy the hell out of the gameplay. And this is more than likely gonna be it. I'm not a Guns N' Roses fan, but it may be fun as hell to shoot. So they're gonna reveal this game, show us how awesome it is, and go, guess what? Your distributors are getting this shit next week. Something like that. I pray that's what it's gonna be like. I hope that's what it's gonna be like. But do not think that they've got Guns N' Roses on the line right now. If they do, then I would worry about Yeah I know my already is aagh perhaps YoS I hate rehabilitation but thats how I want patience and to The end of the video is coming up. I'm going to be posting a video about the latest and most recent information about Deep Root. I know my last episode, if you caught the very end of it, I specified that we would be getting more information within this summer. Now my most recent information has changed. The thing is, it's changed but technically not enough to where I said on my previous episode is untrue. All I can say is there is that the dates that I have been told are not what they were, but it still falls in the timeframe of where I said that we should be getting more information by the end of summer. Of course, who knows? Something else could go wrong and that could change again. And if it does, I'll let you know. But until then, I think I'm going to wrap this episode up guys. Please, by all means, spread the word about this podcast if you do enjoy it. You have not already checked out my YouTube channel with youtube.com slash KerryHardy. I do all kinds of things, talk and do everything pinball. Until next time guys, peace out.