I spoke briefly by phone with Martin Jue of MFJ Enterprises today in Starkville, Mississippi. Martin is the owner/operator of MFJ. He was eager to do this interview - even though it was a short-notice request. I kept my questions quick and to the point, as I was grateful that he took time out of his busy day for some often asked questions. He agreed and responded calmly even when asked some tough questions.
He is also a Ham with the call K5FLU.
The initials "MFJ" in the company name are those of the founder, Martin F. Jue. The company was founded in 1972 with just a few products. Today, the MFJ catalog is some 120 pages in length and growing. Some have claimed that MFJ focuses on low-cost gear rather than on high quality. The acronym is also commonly referred to as "Mighty Fine Junk". Martin was not afraid to answer this misgiving, and talked in a calm, gentleman's southern drawl.
"We had some problems with the original traditional method of producing batches of a particular product at a time for example a batch of 100 or 500 units. Because of batch production, if a mistake was made it tended to be in the entire batch. We changed over to a just-in-time process where a single product goes down a line one at a time. That way a mistake is caught immediately and corrected without the entire batch having the same mistake. This gave a vast improvement in quality control.
Soldering problems have been largely eliminated by the use of automated wave solder machine which give consistently good solder joints. Automated surface mount technology now assembled MFJ products very accurately. Also, the SMT machines electrically check most parts automated for correctness in the initial run.
We have focused on quality control. We have what we call a "No Matter What Limited Warranty" That means we will repair or replace your MFJ product no matter what (at our option) for one full year..."
Ameritron, Hy-Gain, Mirage, Vectronics, and Cushcraft are some of the other well-known products from MFJ. Some of these companies were acquired when these businesses were failing. Martin has given them all an about-face as well as much deserved face lift.
Google Image Result for http://www.cushcraftamateur.com/images/R8.jpg
The Ameritron tube amps are some of the most popular and affordable HF amps on the market today.
They have new products coming out all of the time. Martin is interested in any new ideas and concepts that are available. He assured me that MFJ is interested in input that anyone might have to improve the amateur radio hobby. He waits for your feedback, be it to improve an existing product, or to suggest any new innovation that Ham operators may have. If you have any ideas, Martin assured me that he is eager to listen.
Sounds to me that he is well on the way to making MFJ a 'Mighty Fine Jewel.' He certainly has the right motivation and is headed in the right direction to that end.
So, does anyone want to take Martin's challenge seriously? I couldn't think of anything practical at that time. Maybe some of you could. He is serious - if you are.
MFJ Enterprises Inc.
He is also a Ham with the call K5FLU.
The initials "MFJ" in the company name are those of the founder, Martin F. Jue. The company was founded in 1972 with just a few products. Today, the MFJ catalog is some 120 pages in length and growing. Some have claimed that MFJ focuses on low-cost gear rather than on high quality. The acronym is also commonly referred to as "Mighty Fine Junk". Martin was not afraid to answer this misgiving, and talked in a calm, gentleman's southern drawl.
"We had some problems with the original traditional method of producing batches of a particular product at a time for example a batch of 100 or 500 units. Because of batch production, if a mistake was made it tended to be in the entire batch. We changed over to a just-in-time process where a single product goes down a line one at a time. That way a mistake is caught immediately and corrected without the entire batch having the same mistake. This gave a vast improvement in quality control.
Soldering problems have been largely eliminated by the use of automated wave solder machine which give consistently good solder joints. Automated surface mount technology now assembled MFJ products very accurately. Also, the SMT machines electrically check most parts automated for correctness in the initial run.
We have focused on quality control. We have what we call a "No Matter What Limited Warranty" That means we will repair or replace your MFJ product no matter what (at our option) for one full year..."
Ameritron, Hy-Gain, Mirage, Vectronics, and Cushcraft are some of the other well-known products from MFJ. Some of these companies were acquired when these businesses were failing. Martin has given them all an about-face as well as much deserved face lift.
Google Image Result for http://www.cushcraftamateur.com/images/R8.jpg
The Ameritron tube amps are some of the most popular and affordable HF amps on the market today.
They have new products coming out all of the time. Martin is interested in any new ideas and concepts that are available. He assured me that MFJ is interested in input that anyone might have to improve the amateur radio hobby. He waits for your feedback, be it to improve an existing product, or to suggest any new innovation that Ham operators may have. If you have any ideas, Martin assured me that he is eager to listen.
Sounds to me that he is well on the way to making MFJ a 'Mighty Fine Jewel.' He certainly has the right motivation and is headed in the right direction to that end.
So, does anyone want to take Martin's challenge seriously? I couldn't think of anything practical at that time. Maybe some of you could. He is serious - if you are.
MFJ Enterprises Inc.
