AMD's response to discontinuing some MoPar product

Dartnut said
Just to be straight up with you, I have nothing against you or your opinions, as a matter of fact, I like your posts and the discussions they create!

Oh, I know what you are saying, and I agree with it.............to a point.
I work at a plant that produces products (mainly Canola oil, shortening, and margarine) and we have runs of 10,000 units per week to 300 per month.
The volume ones are the most profitable for sure, but the low volume ones are still deemed necessary to keep the customers happy.
To my employer, it is all about keeping the wheels turning and producing something instead of the machines sitting idle, and to keep people moving.
My point is, that sometimes companies need to cater to the low volume stuff to keep their name out there even if the profit margin isn't that high, and that is what keeps the consumers happy............to a point.
Also, by having a wider variety of products for sale, there is potential for future growth to the low volume buyers if they decide to expand their product line and grow their business, and then they are the first ones to approach the company that provided the short runs with their increased needs. I've seen it happen several times in the 18 years that I have worked there.

Sure, supply and demand shapes companies and their profits, but if a company like AMD sells (for example) Nova fenders like hotcakes, then why produce the slower moving parts for the same car (or other cars) at all?
There wouldn't be as much profit in them as the fenders.
They do produce the other parts as well to support the fender sales, and to keep the consumer happy buying their brand exclusively.
It needs to be more rounded to keep the customers happy and buying their products and only their products.

So, it follows in my opinion that if AMD takes a small hit in profits on quarter panels, then the floor pans etc. will still sell because people are more apt to save cars and fix them if you can get reasonably common rust out or damaged panels for them.
I'm sure you remember the days of when there was NOTHING available for Mopars in general when it came to body panels, and your only option was to go to a junk yard (or 20) and scrounge for parts.
This of course was way before the internet!
Just think of all the cars parted out and crushed because it's all that there was to choose from.
(Again, supply and demand)
Now, we are blessed with a lot of reproduction parts for our cars, and that's awesome because the older cars in junk yards have all but dried up now...........

You won't have the demand if you don't have the supply, it's a vicious circle...........

A good example of my point is with the new(ish) Trick Flow heads for Mopars.
I'm sure that they sell a lot more heads to Chevrolet and Ford guys, but they tapped into the Chrysler market i'm sure to take away business from Edelbrock and others, and continue their name and to build their market share.
They have arguably the best product out there at this time for the money.
Why did they do this?
My speculation is it's the same as what AMD did, they were willing to take a chance on tapping into a market hoping that a lot of people wanted better quality parts for their builds, and were willing to pay more for them.
Brand name marketing at it's best!

Who knows what the future of cars and parts will bring with us baby boomers getting too old to restore cars or dying off?
I guess time will tell............

Good discussions and if I can poke a couple holes in your discussion respectfully then let me add a couple of my opinions on what you're saying...
I too have worked in production like you we're talking about the canola oil or margarine. I worked as a lab technician at a bottling plant that made Rockstar and those kind of energy drinks. we would have long big runs that would last days on end or something that would last only a half-day or less. Changing the tooling in canning machines and stuff like that could sometimes take up to 2 hours to a half-day themselves which would all have to be taken into consideration or passed on to the consumer.. I have a feeling that changing tooling isn't quite that simple when you're talking body panels..
And when you talk about keeping customers happy just like that's pointed out I mean how many of us have actually order a fender for a Duster??.. I've been working on a 65 GTO where we've changed both the rear fenders the trunk and the rear tail light panel and these fenders are nothing like what came off the car. Don't touch them or they'll get a dent! They're not the same measurements and they don't have the same hardlines as the factory ones did.. For me personally I have a whole field full of factory a-bodys less than 50 miles away at a wrecking yard... And after having this car I think I have extra doors and extra right fender three hoods and extra trunk lids LOL...
Kind of my point is with the production we were talking about canola oil and Rockstar, people who don't drive cars people who drive Ford Chevy Priuses and everything use those products... When we're talking body parts we're getting down to the specifics.. I would think more of the bigger e bodies and b bodies were crushed back in the gas crunch days..
And here's another scenario of it being worth the money. My 65 GTO customer his last car was a El Camino. by the time he had 20K into the El Camino it was worth 20K. Now if you put 20K into this GTO it's going to be worth double that. if we put 20K into a duster we'd be lucky to get 15. If we put 20K into a challenger well you know the numbers on that...
Even though our a bodies are getting harder to find they're still not bringing any kind of good money.. and most of the people are who are asking for it, are still asking for it and are dreamers..