Is it over for MMM?

[Ash]

wasn’t there the infamous analogy of MMM charging thousands of pounds for a new fence post ?

MMM was used by old Merlin to cook the books and overcharge themselves on inexpensive projects, it makes sense to restructure and stop paying over the odds for their services. Hopefully the artists all find employment

Every company does that. With separate internal accounts. All of them.

It’s simple, the two most successful theme park companies in the world have seem in house prop creation departments (items less than 10ft tall)

And they manage just fine.

But if Merlin think they can do it better for less, then let them crack on.

Will the same be happening to the AVTeam?

They did this with the mechanics years ago stating all rides were going more electrical. Look where that got them. In a shambles mess having to set up an engineering academy. But that more about fighting unions at the time.

As always the proof will be in the pudding but I could see a vicious scaling back all items related to events, small scenic pieces etc.

The utterly hideous signification of Alton now looks awful. But let them keep devaluing their own product see where it gets them.

If they can’t keep a couple of in house design shops suitably busy and well ran with refreshes, refurbs, events, additions, new items across the theme parks, tussauds, dungeons, sea life, LEGO centres they they can’t run anything.

Let Aramark do it

Scott O’Neil strikes again, knows the cost of everything and the value of nothing.

The parks, particularly Alton. Is becoming a husk.

 

[RIPCorky]

Is there anything in Curse that could not have been done by an outsourced company? It's not like Keith Sparks, whose company had a very distinctive art style and were very innovative, working with limitations in technology for the time. Do you need to employ a team full time to do this work? Seems like massive savings to me. I wonder where John burton stands in all of this now? Maybe Merlin aren't happy with recent ride additions....

That being said there appears to be a financial situation at AT and it's becoming increasingly obvious.

 

[GooseOnTheLoose]

Alton Towers and Merlin Magic Making, whilst belonging to the same company and based at the same site, are two entirely different entities.

The recent issues experienced at Alton Towers, the park, are unrelated to the potential closure of the MMM Studios at Alton Towers.

The facilities for MMM, at the AT location, are woefully inadequate. Significant investment and expansion would be required to adapt them for Merlin's needs. Whilst theming is a crucial part of Merlin's business, it doesn't make commercial sense for them to run an industrial facility for it. Other companies, who specialise specifically in industrial and commercial manufacture, will be able to produce incredibly high standard pieces at competitive cost.

Cameras lenses, camera sensors, batteries and screens are all crucial parts of Apple's business. All of these components feature in almost all of their products, but they do not manufacture them. They assist with the design of some components, they adapt some components, or they purchase components as they are.

Whilst it is sad that the studio could be closing, it is a sign that Merlin has outgrown it and that they're are no longer fit for purpose. This is also standard practice across the entire arts and leisure industry.

Walt Disney Imagineering is primary a design house. They work and collaborate with specialist manufacturers, engineering, resourcing and all sorts of other companies to deliver their projects. Whilst Imagineers will be overseeing every step of the process, and project managing it, Disney does not physically create everything, or manufacture everything, in house.

 

[Squiggs]

Of course, there is no guarantee (or indeed likelihood) of cost saving via outsourcing.

Outsourcing tends to be an expensive route for most things, especially in the long run. It is usually championed in organisations that are obsessed by short-term profits over long term viability.

The only real way of guaranteeing a cost saving is if you outsource at the same time as significantly downscaling your requirements - in this case, that would be requiring significantly less small-scale theming to be produced. This would somewhat fit with the rumblings about around further cuts to events next year.

On paper, it seems like an incredibly risky strategy, and one that is more than likely going to result in the park's becoming less themed in the future, not least because there will no longer be a direct route to maintaining the props that are already in place.