[ebarker]

"Houston, we have a problem"...........

Out in the 'real' world manufacturing / supply chain operations get something called a 'forecast'.

At some point the forecast is poured into concrete and cast into iron and that triggers events that allow the manufacturer to meet a delivery schedule at some future date. For example the clothing industry designs and makes your clothes 6 months to a year before it hits the stores.

Either it seems like BaneBots didn't get a forecast, or they just don't stock enough raw and semi-finished material and and or have enough work center capacity. Even then it is tough to accomodate a twelve billion percent increase in business.

The capacity problem isn't limited to FIRST robotics. A few years a go a glue factory in Japan caught on fire and burnt down. It was going to take months to put it back into operation. Problem was the glue from the factory was used to seal most of the worlds supply of integrated circuits. The event risked bringing down a good chunk of the planets electronic manufacturing and computer industry.

Cool minds, calm nerves, good thinking, hard work, and excellent planning solved the problem and the world hardly noticed the blip.

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