the shape of things to come

In light of these events, this group has attempted during
the past two months to develop several alternative business
models, the fi rst of which we present in this document.
For ease of reading, you will fi nd a management summary
of each technological topic with its respective chapter.
Detailed fi gures, projection charts and investment calculations
are grouped in Annexes I through IV.
INTRODUCTION
With the advent of new weapons systems and technologies
in the past twenty years, the refi t market for BattleMechs has
been profoundly altered. Blooming in the early fi fties by upgrading
old machines to state-of-the-art models, this well of
orders naturally begins to run dry. Customers run out of machines
to upgrade, or decide to buy new, modern merchandise
in the fi rst place. While Gilmour Miltech has also taken
steps in this direction, the mass market is clearly dominated
by larger corporations. Meanwhile, the mercenary niche market—to
which we sell our current Cronus series—has grown
increasingly threatened over the past few years, and sales
there have noticeably declined.
A similar picture shows up in the maintenance branch. Big suppliers
tend more and more to sell their increasingly sophisticated
products with service contracts included, leaving maintenance
providers out of the loop. In addition, the fl are-up of warfare with
abundant use of new, more destructive weapons has further diminished
the stock of military equipment left to maintain.
None of this, however, can be said of the IndustrialMech
market.
At the same rate the military markets have fl ourished, civilian
customers have been neglected. Most of this industry has
remained in an early thirty-fi rst century state and shows great
potential in sales and maintenance markets. With the resources,
facilities and know-how of Gilmour Miltech at hand, it would be
relatively easy to quickly establish a stable foothold in this sector.
Based on a two-year focus program, concentrated mainly on
refi tting and reorienting our assets, calculations project that the
local Talitha market alone could already account for close to sixty
percent of our current export income. Bundled service contracts
and maintenance support are not yet taken into consideration.
Thus, our company’s survival could be assured even with a hampered
interstellar distribution network—a distinctly probable
scenario, considering the current state of aff airs.
Preliminary surveys among potential customers from
governmental and industrial sectors also indicate a general
tendency toward automation, despite the ongoing fi ghting
across the Inner Sphere. Whether this is a momentary fad—
image-guided attempts to keep up in an increasingly technologized
environment—or a real necessity due to reduced
workforce capacity remains to be seen.
On the topic of war: As military hardware is almost unattainable
for private parties by now, alternatives in the security
market are highly sought after. Off ering products in this
branch would be a viable and profi table intermediate step
while we retool our BattleMech-oriented factory lanes to
manufacture IndustrialMech components.
STRUCTURAL CORE
Form follows function: IndustrialMechs have to perform a
specifi c task and are built accordingly. This is not only refl ect-
ed in their outward appearance, but also drastically changes
how their mainframe must be designed. It is highly unlikely
our development staff can be brought up to this challenge
without external know-how. A cursory job-analysis on this
topic was not very promising, revealing specialists in that
fi eld to be rare on the open market. Consequently, if we are
willing to go this route, we must fi rst take appropriate measures,
or else accept a minimum three-year developmental
period before a fi rst prototype.
Blueprints
Acquiring blueprints or prototypes could prove diffi cult
as well. Current large manufacturers are understandably reluctant
to part with information about their core businesses.
Some see a quasi-monopoly endangered, others belong
to interstellar corporations with no interest in selling, or
only maintain old, automated factories with a rudimentary
knowledge of how they work.
Smaller companies represent a possibility to exploit. Often
specializing in one kind of IndustrialMech, they hold an incredible
amount of experience and innate knowledge about the
workings of such machines. Freelancers and self-proclaimed
inventors present a third option, off ering their plans and ideas
freely, often for reasonable sums. Dealing with most of these
calls for utmost caution, but then again, more than one great
achievement has stemmed from risk and dubious sources.
We also cannot discount various unforeseen means of
obtaining technical data through the ongoing chaos of the
current wartime state, Sphere-wide, especially with regard
to multi-state corporations and major factories threatened
by hostile action or occupation. This raises the possibility
of engineers who not only boast the necessary experience
and knowledge, but who may already have completed the
design task on someone else’s dime, forced to relocate to a
more…stable setting, which we may be able to provide.
Internal Structure
The necessary materials and resources—as well as the
knowledge and hardware to process them—are readily available
to our company. Built of basic alloys, the structural core
of IndustrialMechs follows similar construction procedures to
those we already use, and our own metal plants are perfectly
capable of delivering the amounts and qualities needed.
Moreover, we can very well do without the import of endosteel.
Rare and extremely expensive in wartime anyway, it is
an unnecessary component in IndustrialMechs. Working machines
are not placed under anywhere near the same stresses
as BattleMechs and they do not have to carry as much weight in
the form of weaponry and armor. The advantage of endo-steel’s
lighter weight also does not carry over, being quickly negated
by the additional bulk, which blocks space needed for sleek,
nimble design or tools in general.
Armor
Armor is something of a misnomer here as the term for
what goes on IndustrialMechs. Instead, IndustrialMech “armor”
substitutes battlefi eld integrity for physical protection
against the environment. Most IndustrialMechs are thus armored
for daily wear and tear, some more than others, depending
on their purpose.
INTRODUCTION
CONSTRUCTION
BASICS
BATTLEMECH
CONSTRUCTION
INDUSTRIALMECH
CONSTRUCTION
PROTOMECH
CONSTRUCTION
COMBAT VEHICLE
CONSTRUCTION
SUPPORT VEHICLE
CONSTRUCTION
CONV. INFANTRY
CONSTRUCTION
BATTLE ARMOR
CONSTRUCTION
AEROSPACE UNIT
CONSTRUCTION
WEAPONS AND
HEAVY EQUIPMENT
INFANTRY WEAPONS
AND EQUIPMENT
COSTS AND
AVAILABILITY
BATTLE VALUE
INDEX
RECORD SHEETS
61