Rumors: test-sequence
August 24, 2011 in Rumors
There are rumors floating around that Saab might run a test-sequence on the production line next week, to make sure that it runs as it should, this would mean that the cars on the line would move a bit again! Some cars might actually get finished!
DUTCH900C said on August 24, 2011
At last there is positive news and let’s hope this, the news and the poduction, is for ever.
JH said on August 24, 2011
+1
turbokalle said on August 24, 2011
If this rumour is correct it is the first sign of an actual start up for quite some time now, and I love it!
The test might have been on the schedual since weeks back, or it is a sign that something is actually about to be announced. Or both
TimR said on August 24, 2011
The talk is just about a test, nothing else! They need to check if any machines might have been affected by the stoppage so that if or when they do start up, everything works!
Tobbe said on August 24, 2011
Smart to do so.. would not have been funny to start everything again with problems without any securitytest before.
JoppeVR said on August 24, 2011
This is good news!
Ken H said on August 24, 2011
Probably takes a while to clean away all the cobweb and bird nests…
JoppeVR said on August 24, 2011
I most say: that is not funny!
Audun said on August 24, 2011
Why come with a not funny comment like this?
Belfast_Saab said on August 24, 2011
lighten up guys, it’s a joke……we’re all keen tosee things move again
saabworker said on August 24, 2011
I thougt it was pretty funny!
Tobbe said on August 24, 2011
+1
Pedro said on August 24, 2011
+2
Carlo A said on August 24, 2011
StefanH STHLM (www.bmsg.se/saab_sales.pdf) said on August 24, 2011
+1
With no misunderstanding as result. 
A small smiley at the end would have emphasized the funtone.
Ken H said on August 24, 2011
You are probably right. Apologies for causing unnecessary stir.
I just had this fun image in my head, tried to share it with words.
I will never joke again. I promise.
Hans H said on August 24, 2011
Oh. Please joke again.
It is necessary with a joke now and then to counter the gloom we read elsewhere.
But remember the smiley
Ken H said on August 24, 2011
I think I forgot some smileys. Again.
saabdog said on August 24, 2011
Funny! This is the first time I’ve laughed in a while when it comes to Saab. Thanks, I needed it!
kimvette said on August 24, 2011
“It’s funny because it’s true.”
Hans H said on August 24, 2011
Spiders are pretty fast when it comes to installing nets.
Leave the garen furniture unattended for a night, and they will be spiderized in the morning.
Interesting little creatures, them spiders.
martinsaab said on August 24, 2011
You’re right. Spiders are interesting. I hope Saab comes up with a (Sonnett) spider some day
akis96 said on August 24, 2011
I found a dead and dry mouse in the front my Saab 9000 when I bought it (used). Cleaning and checking things before the restart * yessss * is a good idea.
conkers said on August 24, 2011
and don’t forget to check the coffee machines for mice….
Happened to me once in my own workshop… we found a mouse skeleton underneath the filter… goodness knows how long we were brewing coffee through it… he he… (I wish I was making this up…)
Funny Joke Ken H…
aop said on August 24, 2011
Here’s hope that cars will be rolling on the line in 10 days !!!!
JoppeVR said on August 24, 2011
Just thinking: next week their gonna do a test and the plan is to start op the production in 5 days so…. Wil this test be on the 28th or….
TimR said on August 24, 2011
Well 28th is a sunday and I can promise you that they do not work then! There will be no startup on the 29th…
JoppeVR said on August 24, 2011
Sad to hear that =( I hope they will start soon…
9kCDGriffin said on August 24, 2011
look at the positive side of this:
if they start a test run (and MAYBE production after that), you might think that negotiations with suppliers are in a final stage of completion…because you don’t want to build and sell cars without buttons or switches…
TimR said on August 24, 2011
I don’t want to kill your hopes but I have pretty good insight into whats going on in the production and so far there is no talk at all from any of my sources about a startup yet. Right now they have to secure money to pay the suppliers in full for past invoices and also make sure they have money to pay future deliveries since as we’ve reported before, a lot of suppliers are demanding payment upon delivery, its as simple as that!
There will be a lot of news about preparations, different tests, training etc that will happen in the next coming weeks, but when the definite news comes about money being secured, my estimate is that it will take 4-6 weeks before we see a definite production start after a deal securing money has been made.
aop said on August 24, 2011
TimR,
4-6 weeks after the money is secured or from now on?
Sounds like a long time to me.
MrTinkertrain said on August 24, 2011
After 5 months of waiting even 6 weeks doesn’t seem to be too long:)
BoeBoe said on August 24, 2011
- First a deal to secure money (could take 10 days according to Endaevor)
- After that 4-6 week
aop said on August 24, 2011
Thank you both. I hope it will restart at all.
Timing is not an issue as long as they can stay afloat.
Hans H said on August 24, 2011
A question; Has development continued while the production has been halted?
Red J said on August 24, 2011
AFAIK, yes.
Carlo A said on August 24, 2011
I do not know for sure but I would think that all employees, other than production workers, continued to work as normal
Toby K said on August 26, 2011
Yes
CoolCombi said on August 24, 2011
When the line gets back up and rolling again, I’m buying VM a beer,… or two,… or three! To all the Trollhattan Trolls who make our favorite cars, you can join us!
Belfast_Saab said on August 24, 2011
Can someone remind me why /when the ‘Trolls’ became the bad guys? Surely Saabs are made in Trollhattan BY Trolls? Been meaning to ask for ages…….
Khrisdk said on August 24, 2011
The poor Trolls just got taken hostage by Internet slang.
I would not call them in any way affiliated to the nice Trolls of Thn
Belfast_Saab said on August 24, 2011
Thanks Khrisdk, that makes sense now, I hadn’t realised what it was……glad I can still like ‘proper’ Trolls – does anyone know where to get the stickers ‘made in THN by Trolls’?
conkers said on August 24, 2011
Google is your friend…
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Made-Trollhattan-Trolls-Saab-Decal-Sticker-900-Turbo-99-/230615073706
Henrik B. said on August 24, 2011
I believe I have one, laying around, you can have….
Cheers!
Belfast_Saab said on August 24, 2011
conkers, Henrik B – thanks both – a bit of retro for my MY08 9-3, or amybe the Viggen, but it is parked up at the moment, so won’t be seen. Henrik, so very kind of you, but you hold onto it – you never know when you’ll need another one!
Henrik B. said on August 24, 2011
Well, I’m not gonna use it in the future anyway.
So just let me know, if you want me to stamp it.
Cheers!
KarlR said on August 24, 2011
I just wonder how willing the staff are to do a test run if they havent received there pay? Could be a problem.
saabworker said on August 24, 2011
I think that most of us will do it. I know i will.
KarlR said on August 24, 2011
Good, Hope all will do that.
RadioMan said on August 24, 2011
Great! That’s the Saab spirit! Wish I could do something to help, but I am located in the Stockholm area, tearching the next generation engineers. Promiise to bring up the Saab situation in one of my lectures…
Good luck!
Troels, Denmark said on August 24, 2011
saabworker!
Thank you for doing – what I think is – the right thing !! Great spirit !!
After all it is better – in the long run – to maintain passion and loyalty to what one cares for.
kochje said on August 24, 2011
Most imortant is thatcthis test would nog been effectjes for fun or to keep people bussy. So let us all hope that definitive financing is near.
terry9000k said on August 24, 2011
.
Perhaps everyone that’s going to Saab fest [Oct 1st] could take a duster & Broom with them.
‘Cleanliness is next to Godliness’
Khrisdk said on August 24, 2011
vayuw..just misread that as “Dust My Broom”..
Sorry..Time to cut down on workhours
terry9000k said on August 24, 2011
.
”Should have gone to Specsavers”
UK readers will understand this……..For all others it’s a successful advert on UK TV.
terry9000k said on August 24, 2011
.
http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=Should+have+gone+to+Specsavers&rlz=1I7GGLL_en-GB&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sourceid=ie7&redir_esc=&ei=9PtUTuL1DsWfOoja7IwG
mikaik said on August 24, 2011
For a second there, I thought you’re talking about Jenson….:)
KarlR said on August 24, 2011
Should we have a bet if SAAB makes it and if they die what date the union file for bankrupcy?
Khrisdk said on August 24, 2011
That I would consider extremely bad taste. We are talking about real people
But that might just be me.
coggs said on August 24, 2011
I don’t think it’s just you Khrisdk. If that was an attempt at humor it was WAY OFF the mark. Let’s have a contest to see if and when thousands of people lose their jobs? Count me out.
terry9000k said on August 24, 2011
.
How much money have you got.
Oh & do you own a House, just in case?
MK said on August 24, 2011
As an employee, I find this kind of statement is one of the worst I’ve read on SU!
At best, I hope it is a bad joke, but after reading most of your comments recently, I have a hard time believing it.
Hans H said on August 24, 2011
Take it as a bad joke. KarlR himself is beginning to be regarded as a bad joke.
Toby K said on August 26, 2011
Sounds like the opposite of fun to me.
katar1na said on August 24, 2011
I´ve got an idea:
What if SAAB could do it as the Swedish Government did with the wolf hunting recently?
Background: some political experts and sheep farmers think that wolves has no place in Sweden.
The solution is to kill them all. But EU did not agree. So the Swedish Government decided not
to call it “killing wolfs” but “protective hunting” instead.
What if we call the SAAB cars “Volvo” instead..?! Hehe… eehr… or not? Something else..
Hans H said on August 24, 2011
Humor is appreciated!
sgns said on August 24, 2011
I like your idea, it might confuse trolls!
It also makes me think we might need to invent some new word to designate internet trolls, as opposed to the ones making cars
katar1na said on August 25, 2011
Means that SU will soon be renamed?!
THAT would be VERY confusing, huh!
Khrisdk said on August 25, 2011
That part suddently reminded me of Jan Troells (yes, that’s his name) movie Sagolandet ( The Land of Dreams for the nonswedes). An old movie from 1988, but very much worth seeing.
The wolf has been unvelcome for a long time
Highly recommended viewing
CurtInFalcon said on August 24, 2011
According to Swade over at Inside Saab, the crews will be coming in 25% at a time to test their equipment. He didn’t state when the tests would be run, only that they will be conducted. It may not be great news, but at least management is still doing everything to get production going again.
BoeBoe said on August 24, 2011
And according to Swade the payment of salaries will be delayed.
http://inside.saab.com/inside-saab-more-information-about-salaries-and-factory-staff/
KarlR said on August 24, 2011
Just a wonder, How can they run the machines when they cant pay the bills? Electricity is expensive.
Khrisdk said on August 24, 2011
They apparently can
skwdenyer said on August 25, 2011
Some bills have to be paid, even if you’re almost broke. Most suppliers have to be paid in rotation, but it is usual practice to ensure that the first bills to be paid each month are those without which you cannot stay in business long enough to find the money to pay the rest.
So electricity, water, internet access, and so on are essential, and are normally excluded from the ‘pot’ into which other supplier bills go into. These bills may also, of course, be part of Saab Property (or whatever that is called) and not Saab Automobile, which may make a difference.
Actually, it is unusual for there not to be separate companies for manufacturing, operations, and so on, in which case the supplier invoices currently-outstanding would (mostly) be owed by the manufacturing company, not the facilities or engineering or management companies. But that seems not to be the case here.
Ken H said on August 24, 2011
Think they connected to a couple of windmills.
katar1na said on August 25, 2011
HAHAHA!!!
Lovely comment ++1
Hans H said on August 24, 2011
Electricity might be expensive, but cynicism is apparently free.
Pour yourself a cold one, lean back and enjoy the ride for a while. Not everything is pitch black.
sgns said on August 24, 2011
Something just makes me wonder what we’ll do and where the people who see things pitch black will go when things go the way they will – when the trollhättan trolls are at work again? Almost makes one think we should have them documented or something. I might come to miss this. What IS this? I have trolls in mi heart?
terry9000k said on August 24, 2011
.
The R&D offices are still working, so I’m assuming they have more than candles for light….
KarlR said on August 24, 2011
Another wonder is where Vladimir Antonov is? He was screaming loud before! Has he gone out the backdoor?
Khrisdk said on August 24, 2011
Who knows? I doubt it.
Rune said on August 24, 2011
Isn’t VA’s hands a bit tied now until the EIB loan gets refinanced..?
Red J said on August 24, 2011
KarlR,
I’ve sent you an e-mail, I would appreciate it if you could send me an answer, in the meantime I hope you stop being disrespectful.
katar1na said on August 25, 2011
He might show up… somewhere unexpected ):-]
FB said on August 25, 2011
Well….perhaps I should get an e-mali too….because I think the joke about the windmills is really funny.
And I also, like many others, wonder why it´s so quite about VA at the moment…..? I must say that I don´t feel very disrespectful about this, but I also don´t think we should have a bet about if SAAB is going to make it or not. But IF we did…..I bet that they will make it. 
fred diesel said on August 24, 2011
While theyre sitting on their thumbs, maybe they could send a few pallets of the 93 ignition switch to parts. Theres a bunch of already made cars NOT moving cuz # 12801010 is BOd. Somebody needs to refurbish these things at a minimum. And dont let armorall monkeys near these switches.
terry9000k said on August 24, 2011
‘.
Fred diesel:
Just read your blog, interesting……..(try it SU readers).
Just a thought re 93 ignition switch, as it’s EU model, try ebay.co.uk as here:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SAAB-9-3-93-Sports-Saloon-Ignition-Switch-Module-/130565706610?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item1e66529372#ht_500wt_1156
OR
http://www.neobrothers.co.uk/index.php
Sahl said on August 24, 2011
Thank you Red J!
PPSwiss said on August 25, 2011
This might have been said before, if so, please excuse my ignorance, but I’d like to have a functionality like Thumbs up and Thumbs down. And if a comment get’s a certain amount of thumbs down, it could be automatically sent to the bin, i.e. deleted with a comment like “due to the fact that a vast majority tends to believe that the opinion stated is incorrect, misleading or hostile the post has been deleted. Please bear in mind this is a pro SAAB site” ….. or something like that….
Henrik B. said on August 25, 2011
+1
GREAT idea!
Cheers!
Pedro said on August 25, 2011
Remeber this name: Martin Niemöller
Khrisdk said on August 25, 2011
Was that an inverted Godwins law?
zippy said on August 25, 2011
Four to six weeks, while not ideal, is better than never. Best to get this deal 100% secured and get it right wth its first attempt. In all honesty I cant think of many small car companies that would have lasted this long under the circumatances. The love of his brand is there for all to see even though we sometimes let our frustration show. Gotta hand it to all the staff at Saab for sticking with the company thru this very difficult time.
Go Saab!!!
jond said on August 25, 2011
Perhaps we shouldn’t get too optimistic about an early restart to production. It seems quite possible that there may still be some suppliers who have no intention of gearing up to supply to Saab again until long-term funding and the long-term outlook is secured, whether or not they get paid off. In that case we would be looking to approval from the Chinese Government plus six weeks and the provision of quite substantial short-term investment funding in the interim to (i) add to the Chinese capital to enable an eventual restart ,and (ii) to allow Saab to fend off demands from its creditors and to continue to pay salaries meanwhile.
AFAIK the Chinese decision is expected in October and then if positive it will be some weeks for contracts to be finalized and the money to be transferred. If you then add 4-6 weeks to that, production may not actually be started again before December.
The real trouble is that, with the Chinese decision so crucial to long-term survival, it is difficult to see how it will be possible to attract short-term funding at all (since if the Chinese decision is negative the investors are unlikely to be repaid), unless the sum involved is so large that the Chinese decision is made effectively irrelevant.
Hope I’m wrong.
Red J said on August 25, 2011
jond,
you are not wrong, but also not right, you are just reading tealeaves. There are to many IF in your argumentation. I’m not saying that what you say is not valid, but maybe too negative.
I don’t know if this is quite possible, but I know that if one or two suppliers decide to do so, it will depend on which suppliers do it, but Saab could still restart production.
jond said on August 25, 2011
@Red J
You’re right, of course, too many tealeaves! After all, the management have had all summer to think of a workaround for reluctant suppliers. The reason for my post above was that other posts in this thread suggest that most still believe in an early restart to production. Logic seems to suggest to me that might well not happen and I wanted to inject an air of realism, even if based to an extent on reading tealeaves!
Good luck to all!
Ken H said on August 25, 2011
Many cups of tea…
Once two women in Lapland went walking home after a long evening drinking tea and knitting at a neighbour’s house, and of course they had to stop to let out some water. Tea does that. They were squatting a good while and the hole in the snow got bigger and bigger. Eventually they fell down and did not manage to get up, and were only found the next morning, frozen to death.
Sad story, and the morale is to be careful with tea.
Tripod said on August 25, 2011
(see, a smiley)
dohrmc said on August 25, 2011
I hope they will make some grills. My car has been in the body shop for almost 2 months waiting for a new grill. None apparently exist in the USA and I am told in Sweden as well.
All the other parts are here, they are waiting for a new grill.
I thought of flying to Sweden and buying one and taking it home, but I am told there are none in Sweden, which I find hard to believe.
I hope this situation gets resolved soon, I want my Saab back!
terry9000k said on August 25, 2011
.
I know it does not help Saab, but it is surprizing how many are available (secondhand) in the UK:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/Car-Parts-/14239/i.html?_nkw=saab+grill&_catref=1&_dmpt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&_fln=1&_trksid=p3286.c0.m282
You never know…….
Red J said on August 25, 2011
What is your car??
dohrmc said on August 25, 2011
I would post a picture if I knew how but I don’t. It is a Fjord Blue, 2010 95 Aero. Much the finest car I have ever owned.
I misspoke earlier, I am also missing one of the square covers for the windshield washers. When the chunk of tire hit the front end, it hit pretty hard.
Actually, my secret desire is to get it back so I can put on my unused license plate and the Saabs Unlimited license plate surround!!
Red J said on August 25, 2011
Yes, it won’t be easy to get one.
terry9000k said on August 25, 2011
.
Lesson to learn, Terry…..Ask what model it is 1st..!!
KarlR said on August 26, 2011
Dohrmc, SAAB has today comfirmed on Swedish Radio that there is a shortage of spareparts this is due to suppliers dont want to deliver to SAAB anymore.