The Idiots

I work in manufacturing. Ever since January 1996, I have worked in manufacturing. That's over ten years in plants of prettiness (pharmaceutical) and scuzziness (water treatment chemicals). Now I'm somewhere in the middle.

However, my current work force - we will call them "The Manufacturer-y People" (aka the MP's) - is the least skilled of any I have ever worked with. I usually like, if not love, the MP's. They have more practical understanding of plant operations, and know more than the engineers I have worked with. If I want to know what THAT pipe carries, they probably know.

But now? The MP's have disappointed me. I've found out that they're sampling non-existent sampling ports. Which means they're getting their marching orders to sample ports A, B, and C, and even though port C isn't there, they come back with a sample from it. It's pretty impressive to pull that sample from mid-air.

Being that I work in QUALITY, I am perturbed. Highly perturbed. How much more basic can we get on the 'not getting it' front?