From: "Mark Hessey" 


"Randall Parker"
 wrote in
message news:40035d26{at}w3.nls.net...
> Why does it take so long to scale up? What sort of capital equipment is
involved? Any
> one know?

I worked in an injection molding plastic plant in high school - it was a
long lead time for the tool makers to do new molds initially and the same
for adding to an extra machine. At the time Ma Bell wanted more
"Charlies Angels" style speaker phone cases and paid extra
(according to the legend passed on by the foreman to us working stiffs) to
get it done faster. Ironically enough, at the same time they (Ma Bell) paid
for a whole new quality controlled room with half a dozen small machines to
make the new plug-in wire ends that we use today exclusively. I imagine
manufacturing bullets would run into similar bottlenecks.

> In WWII the US ramped up a lot more quickly. Surely the capital equipment
could be
> built more quickly.

In WWII the perception was a potential loss, and it wasn't all that far
from the truth, so naturally there was a greater sense of urgency on all
fronts of supply. Once this battle in Iraq in the overall war on terror is
over, the bullet requirements will drop back down and stay down until the
next operation 

--- BBBS/NT v4.01 Flag-5