Bura and the counterfeit handle -- Final results.

Bill Martino

Bill Martino

Joined
Mar 5, 1999
Messages
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Things have been in a turmoil at BirGorkha. Pala, Gelbu and Pradeep have been fairly relentless in their pursuit of the culprit who manufactured the counterfeit handle. No eye witnesses or if there are they will not admit to it. Bura denies any knowledge of the incident and I'm inclined to believe him. It is not uncommon for a helper to put a handle on a blade that is ready for one since making a handle does not require the skill of making a blade. And I think this is exactly what happened -- one of Bura's helpers did the deed but understandably will not admit to it. So, here is the action taken.

Bura forfeits his Dasein bonus -- about half a month's salary. If any such incident occurs again Bura is gone. Bura is reminded that he hires his helpers, not BirGorkha and is therefore responsible for their work. Bura's current helpers are dismissed -- the innocent have to suffer along with the guilty. A stern warning has been issued to all shop personnel. Any similar incident will result in dismissal -- no if's, and's, but's -- just goodbye.

I'm glad it worked this way. I didn't want to see Bura essentially put out on the street to starve. Oh, he might not have starved but I can tell you from personal experience that it would have been very slim picking for him and his family. Even though he holds the title "Royal Kami" that is not going to buy him much at another shop. If he is lucky enough to find work at some other shop he'll be expected to pound out production type khukuris and a lot of them for some set salary which will be in the neighborhood of $50 per month -- about a third or fouth of what he earns at BirGorkha. And unlike BirGorkha who is pretty heavy on perks other shops give nothing. Hurt on the job? Tough. Sick? Tough. Need a loan to cover unexpected expenses? Tough. This is why our top kamis like Bura, Sher, Kumar have been with us since the day they started work. They know they will never find a job at any other shop that even comes close to matching the pay and perks of BirGorkha.

Bottom line is I'm about 99.9% certain we will never see another counterfeit handle and that we're going to see some improvement in overall quality.
 
WOW!!!!!
This is a good thing but also a sad thing. If all companies jumped on quality control like H.I. does we would have some extreemly nice service and products. Cars and trucks would average 1,000,000 miles on a bad day, electronics would never go hay wire, everything would work as advertised!!!

I'll say a prayer for those who lost their jobs and for those who kept them. Things will work out in the end for everyone!
 
I'm glad it is over.

I am sorry it happened.

In terms of reputation, Bill Martino, and Himalayan Imports, are shining even brighter from the polishing of this friction.

So, maybeso, some good from it.




Kis
enjoy every sandwich
 
A just resolution. I know you agonized over this. My compliments to you and Pala.
 
How many helpers did Bura have?


"Bottom line is I'm about 99.9% certain we will never see another counterfeit handle and that we're going to see some improvement in overall quality."

I believe so.
 
That seems harsh to me- Glad I didn't have to make that decision. And what's really gutless, as long as all helpers were dismissed, the guilty one should have stepped forward and saved his peers their livlihood.

THat really is sad.

But, can you imagine if a blade in Iraq or Afganistan, or one in my own hand while chopping wood with my small sons around, had come loose and went flying? All the money in the world couldn't have made up that difference if disaster occured. If you made guns like that you'd be sued out of existence. ( and yes, I'm aware of both blade and muzzle control.)

I'm sorry for all. But they should have pinned the blade, or not used it.

munk
 
I guess it is very hard for Pakcik Bill to decide that action. With dasein coming nearer Bura must be heart broken as well. Still I can see it as a win win solution. Every party have just to say .. Nepal Ho!
 
I feel (as you do) that Bura has no knowledge who pulled off the incomplete tang job. I doubt he'd want his name signed on the steel, and his heart and soul is part of H.I. I'm sure the incident will have an effect (a positve one at that) on BirGhorka's quality control in the future.

I fondly remember the story on H.I.'s website when you entered the workshop without Gelbu giving the crew advance notice. :D :eek: You are an important man to BirGhorka to say the least, and it was funny that Bura cursed out everyone, including Gelbu! I can imagine the verbage he's using after this unfortunate incident. :eek:

All will work out well, U.B., and you handled the situation well. Bura will definitely not want ANYONE in the shop taking some extra treats out of his family's mouth for 2 weeks, snatching a few articles of nice clothing, etc. This will be a win win situation to all involved, including H.I.'s customers. ;)

Good job as usual, Bill!
 
I must have missed this. I gather that a khukuri left the shop unpeened (or un pinned in the case of a chiruwa.) I do wish that who ever the culprit is would have stepped forward and taken the reprimand himself. But this will likely ensure better quality control for some time to come.
 
Tough call Uncle Bill, but for what it's worth I think you handled it (no pun intended!) just right. All that HI really has going for it over your smaller competitors is this bullet-proof reputation for unique strength in a real user khuk (and not just a wall hanger) and handmade _quality_; your customers have a time-proven knowledge that these knives are built like a tank and if something goes wrong HI backs it up without question.

You put the load right on Bura's shoulders where it belongs (along with the many kudo's he earns) and sent a clear message that such half-assed build methods that may be allowed in other touristy shops are simpy not tolerated at BirGhorka, even one time. Someone cut corners and thank God got caught. (Although I HOPE not before he did 8 or 10 other handles this way!) :eek:

Good decisive, clear action on your part that just reinforces my faith in HI products!

Thanks for keeping us informed.

Regards,

Norm
 
Can somebody explain to me exactly what happened at Birghorka? I've been out of the loop lately. What exactly is a counterfeit handle?
 
I'm certain that Bura inspects the blades that carry his mark. Should we send him a multimeter so he can test to make sure there is a complete curcuit on each knife? I'd hate to see another slip through...and have him take the fall for someone else!
 
One thing about the multimeter test is that if the nail touches the tang, you still won't know it's a nail. I think sneaking the khuk into the dentist's office and putting the handle against your jaw when he goes to do your x-ray is a better idea. :)

I guess if there's no continuity you know for sure you have a nail but if there is, you're still not absolutely sure.
 
Yangdu has suggested that if any more such handle/buttcap combinations are found that we replace the counterfeit khukuri with two good ones. We'll do that but I'm hoping this was just a one khukuri episode.
 
Bill,

Two thoughts:

1) I would hate to have an upset worker working for me. Bura is an old hand, and I am sure that he will do his best. But, you may want to consider putting a carrot on the table by offering to restore all or part of his bonus a few months from now once he gets through his "parole" and regains your full trust.

2) Have you considered getting stamps for each of your helpers? You can go with a small font alphabet set, assign each worker a letter, and make them add their stamp somewhere on the knife as they finish their task. That should clear up some of the responsibility and perhaps even allow them to start developing a positive reputation of their own. You may try dividing the letters into blocks so that you can tell which task the worker was responsible for (e.g. a-f =helpers working on blades, u-z =helpers working on handles), or else have them stamp specific locations (e.g. the hidden tang, or the pommel). The idea would be to avoid having to once again fire the innocent along with the guilty.

n2s
 
Thanks for good ideans n2s.

Pala is a good Buddhist and as such is very forgiving. He'll be handing Bura bonus money in less than six months.

The marking is a good idea that probably would not work. The kamis think it is nuts to put marks on the blade, even the marks idenifying the kami who made the knife. I don't think they would ever adhere to extra marking.
 
I DONT AGREE SACKING ALL BURAS HELPERS :mad:

its just not fair to sack all just cos you cant find the one culprit :(

bura is supposed to oversee the work and make sure its done properly, he should have been punished for being slack.

his helpers should have been made to own up as to who the guilty one was, and then he alone should have been sacked. :confused:

I FOR ONE WILL NO LONGER BUY HI PRODUCTS AGAIN AS THIS DOES NOT SEEM RIGHT TO ME.

EVERY TIME I LOOK AT MY KHUKS NOW I WILL THINK OF THE INJUSTICE DONE BY BIGHORKA. :(

a pity pala and bill think this is ok to sack the innocent along with the guilty :confused: .

i thought you were better than that bill. regards ken
 
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