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Signs of the beginning of the breakdown of JIT distribution.

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General interest discussions, not necessarily related to depletion.

Re: Signs of the beginning of the breakdown of JIT distribution.

Unread postby JJ » Fri 20 Mar 2009, 19:02:38

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('timmac', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('JJ', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('timmac', 'T')he trucking industrial system is not going to stop,, yes there is trucking companies going in BK and others shutting there doors and will be some delivery problems but others will open up with little debt and others will come out of there BK better and stronger..

It is not the cannery in the mine shaft,, just business problems that are coming about but it will work it self out as always,, Don't Fear What You Cant Control..


:mrgreen:


like Las Vegas is going to recover? :)



Yes Vegas is having its problems and there will be big layoffs soon, but did you know as from a business level Vegas is still doing better than most business in the Rust Belt and Wall Street,, Hell we are still making $$ in the billions as of today, just getting tighter and the weak will fall away but Vegas will be here to stay.....

:P


one of "the weak" just returned here to Burnet, Texas from there with her menagerie; she had little good to say about Vegas (nothing personal, I've never been there)
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Re: Signs of the beginning of the breakdown of JIT distribution.

Unread postby the48thronin » Fri 20 Mar 2009, 19:07:49

While SOME trucking will probably survive... the JIT system cannot...

good luck eating those chips.....
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Re: Signs of the beginning of the breakdown of JIT distribution.

Unread postby MD » Fri 20 Mar 2009, 19:08:11

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('the48thronin', '
')
The Government has the right to control all trucking under FEMA if TSHTF.. but they cannot resurect dead businesses.
...

Do not think all those trucks will be parked in neat rows waiting for someone to need them. 2 weeks ago the truck stops were full of trucks seeking loads, many of those trucks are now on the way to liquidation forced or voluntary. and still there is over capacity, rinse and repeat.


Don't forget to mention how much fun it is (not) to start up idled equipment and make it road worthy after it has been sitting a season or two. Not to mention the fact that the operators have run the tires and brakes down to nothing and much of the fleet has 500k+ miles on the engines which means overhauls are due, not to mention all of the other maintenance that's been skipped due to fuel prices in 2007/2008.

On a related topic I am stunned by the sudden collapse of manufacturing orders in the markets around here. In the last three weeks the bottom has dropped away.

Thoroughly enjoyed your previous post too, btw. Very nice rant.
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Re: Signs of the beginning of the breakdown of JIT distribution.

Unread postby skeptik » Fri 20 Mar 2009, 19:13:40

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('timmac', '
')It is not the cannery in the mine shaft,,

Sometimes I think it's worth reading these boards just for the surreal visions they induce....
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Re: Signs of the beginning of the breakdown of JIT distribution.

Unread postby timmac » Fri 20 Mar 2009, 19:16:36

Oopps I meant Canary.. LOL

:mrgreen:
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Re: Signs of the beginning of the breakdown of JIT distribution.

Unread postby vision-master » Fri 20 Mar 2009, 19:18:05

The trucking industry was deregulated in 1980. Have your cake and eat it.
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Re: Signs of the beginning of the breakdown of JIT distribution.

Unread postby the48thronin » Fri 20 Mar 2009, 22:53:47

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('vision-master', 'T')he trucking industry was deregulated in 1980. Have your cake and eat it.


HMMM when I see something I cant put into the context of the discussion, I question it to try to figure out it's purpose or intent.

Let's review the topic at hand.

I started this discussion by pointing to what I called the canary of 350 self employed contractors being let go by one of the mogul outfits of JIT and stated that JIT was at the discernible beginning of the end. That end being caused by lack of product to distribute leading to surplus equipment available leading to starving contractors.


We have strayed a little from that, but the fact of JIT systematic destruction is becoming clearer quickly. I fail to see however the pertinence of bringing in deregulation of the freight industry. Please enlighten me on that.

Not all trucking is in fact deregulated. Most of it yes, but not all. Among those sectors still highly regulated in tariffs ( you do understand the only deregulation was of TARIFFS the industry still remains completely regulated for safety and mandatory equipment standards of drivers etc.) some as in House Hold Goods are now thinking of applying for further deregulation. None of that discussion has any peak oil connection I can see.

The failure of JIT was caused in my opinion by the failure of the cheap energy/transport model. That failure resulted in the economic contraction we are enduring now, and the soon to be seen failure of delivery due to failure to even manufacture. Those failures are peak oil related so I posted about that failure here.

If you can show me a relationship for deregulation of tariffs, I would be glad to examine it and place it into context for myself. For now I see no connection between those things and so decline to enter into some protracted discussion of them here.

As I do work in the industry, I would however be glad to continue any discussion of the industry and ways to improve the chances of some survival of portions of it as we will need distribution of what ever resources are available. You can choose a place appropriate for that discussion, or I can suggest several and you can choose one.
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Re: Signs of the beginning of the breakdown of JIT distribution.

Unread postby VMarcHart » Sat 21 Mar 2009, 06:59:08

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('the48thronin', 'I') hope you have plenty of anything you might want to use to survive...
How many times have we heard that?

I know it will eventually happen, but the cry wolf is getting old.
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Re: Signs of the beginning of the breakdown of JIT distribution.

Unread postby Quinny » Sat 21 Mar 2009, 07:16:45

Yes - there is some disconnect, but I take your arguments and see it is an indication of the collapse of the financial aspects of the JIT/trucking system. The companies may no longer exist, but the trucks (and many of the drivers) will. In the current crisis there will also be fuel to make them run (maybe next time round it may be different). The missing ingredient is money, but IMO the whole financial system is FUBAR anyway.

If the truckers want to eat they'll have to drive and if the Government wants to distribute food, it'll have to feed the truckers!


BTW I do agree that financial constraints will result in stock being piled in different locations than it currently is.




$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('the48thronin', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Quinny', 'I')'ve always thought that the breakdown in JIT food distribution is one of the biggest problems we face WTSHTF.

Would an alternative interpretation of the above however not be that there is surplus capacity in the system that can be plugged in to deliver emergency goods if TSHTF.

I take your pont that there are shifts in where goods are stored, but doesn't mean there are less overall.



Hmmm some disconnect here. The surplus capacity will disapear rapidly. 3 months with no loads to haul means most trucking companys are beyond salvage.

The Government has the right to control all trucking under FEMA if TSHTF.. but they cannot resurect dead businesses.

As to less over all, we are living on what is "in the system" because the amount of goods entering the system has gone WAY down.

The equivelent of living on the water in the storage tank while the pumps in the well are running at reduced rates.. When the amount outgoing the system exceeds the input, the reserve begins to disapear and shortages appear.

There will be thousands and thousands of unwanted cars parked in rented lots near ports, but here will be no transportation left working to deliver what food stuffs are produced... JIT has assuered that.

When the auto plants world wide stopped building cars ( or greatly reduced production) the transportation system went into chaotic paraxioms as people searched for loads to keep thier employess and infrastructure intact waiting for the restart that has yet to begin. That surplus capacity is beginning to die for lack of income. in the mean time they drove the rates down and are killing the non auto transport systems.

Do not think all those trucks will be parked in neat rows waiting for someone to need them. 2 weeks ago the truck stops were full of trucks seeking loads, many of those trucks are now on the way to liquidation forced or voluntary. and still there is over capacity, rinse and repeat.
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Re: Signs of the beginning of the breakdown of JIT distribution.

Unread postby Cloud9 » Sat 21 Mar 2009, 07:27:51

So, when will Wally World run out of bread?
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Re: Signs of the beginning of the breakdown of JIT distribution.

Unread postby mgibbons19 » Sat 21 Mar 2009, 07:34:22

Thanks to the OP for this discussion, and please be so kind as to keep it current. I have no window into the trucking industry, so your input is valuable

As this problem matures, and equipment is mothballed, what are the effects of that if/when that equipment is needed? What would be needed to rebuild those businesses if/when needed?
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Re: Signs of the beginning of the breakdown of JIT distribution.

Unread postby vtsnowedin » Sat 21 Mar 2009, 07:49:36

I think the case is being over stated here. Instead of the canary being the O/O truckers it is the lack of orders for goods that need to be shipped. I know of no order that has been placed that isn't being filled. Even the dog food example is more likely to be a store manager over reacting to the downturn and ordering less stock. Did he think people would stop feeding their pet's? Sure the O/Os are on the tip of the trucking industry and the first to get idled when volume drops but they will be the first to be called when orders return. When that happens they will have to change those tires and do other maintenance they are putting off now and in turn create an order for tires that have to be trucked.
The problem is the bar code scanners at the check out. People haven't been running enough stuff under them creating orders at the factories for the replacement items. The reason they haven't been running stuff under the scanners is that their credit cards are maxed and the banks are killing them on the interest rate for the card. They are waiting to have cash in hand to buy. As soon as they do the orders will come in again and freight volume will pick back up. Now that we own Citibank and others could we not set card rates at reasonable numbers and get credit flowing again?
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Re: Signs of the beginning of the breakdown of JIT distribution.

Unread postby Cloud9 » Sat 21 Mar 2009, 07:59:58

I am not so sure. The bank waits for no one. When the truck payments stop, the repo man shows up. The majority of those truckers who lose their trucks and go into the bread lines, won't be coming back into the industry. Their credit will be shot and their rigs will be in receivership. The stronger outfits will survive and there will be deals on rigs in reposession. Having said that, it is not going to be as easy as changing oil and tires and getting back on the road.
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Re: Signs of the beginning of the breakdown of JIT distribution.

Unread postby vtsnowedin » Sat 21 Mar 2009, 08:24:51

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Cloud9', 'I') am not so sure. The bank waits for no one. When the truck payments stop, the repo man shows up. The majority of those truckers who lose their trucks and go into the bread lines, won't be coming back into the industry. Their credit will be shot and their rigs will be in receivership. The stronger outfits will survive and there will be deals on rigs in reposession. Having said that, it is not going to be as easy as changing oil and tires and getting back on the road.


Thats all true enough but if there is a load waiting to be shipped someone will find a way to deliver it. I don't think JIT shipping ends until oil production is obviously in decline and diesel prices start rapidly rising. Even then it will switch to trains and short hauls from the depot to the store that get the job done.
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Re: Signs of the beginning of the breakdown of JIT distribution.

Unread postby vision-master » Sat 21 Mar 2009, 09:39:39

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('the48thronin', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('vision-master', 'T')he trucking industry was deregulated in 1980. Have your cake and eat it.


HMMM when I see something I cant put into the context of the discussion, I question it to try to figure out it's purpose or intent.

Let's review the topic at hand.

I started this discussion by pointing to what I called the canary of 350 self employed contractors being let go by one of the mogul outfits of JIT and stated that JIT was at the discernible beginning of the end. That end being caused by lack of product to distribute leading to surplus equipment available leading to starving contractors.


We have strayed a little from that, but the fact of JIT systematic destruction is becoming clearer quickly. I fail to see however the pertinence of bringing in deregulation of the freight industry. Please enlighten me on that.

Not all trucking is in fact deregulated. Most of it yes, but not all. Among those sectors still highly regulated in tariffs ( you do understand the only deregulation was of TARIFFS the industry still remains completely regulated for safety and mandatory equipment standards of drivers etc.) some as in House Hold Goods are now thinking of applying for further deregulation. None of that discussion has any peak oil connection I can see.

The failure of JIT was caused in my opinion by the failure of the cheap energy/transport model. That failure resulted in the economic contraction we are enduring now, and the soon to be seen failure of delivery due to failure to even manufacture. Those failures are peak oil related so I posted about that failure here.

If you can show me a relationship for deregulation of tariffs, I would be glad to examine it and place it into context for myself. For now I see no connection between those things and so decline to enter into some protracted discussion of them here.

As I do work in the industry, I would however be glad to continue any discussion of the industry and ways to improve the chances of some survival of portions of it as we will need distribution of what ever resources are available. You can choose a place appropriate for that discussion, or I can suggest several and you can choose one.



Just like what has happened to the construction business. Cheap help with poor results. You guy's have been killing yourself.

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'D')eregulation has also made it easier for nonunion workers to get jobs in the trucking industry. This new competition has sharply eroded the strength of the drivers' union, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. Before deregulation ICC-regulated truckers paid unionized workers about 50 percent more than comparable workers in other industries. Although unionized drivers still are paid a premium, by 1985 unionized workers were only 28 percent of the trucking work force, down from around 60 percent in the late seventies.

Truckers have been able to slash rates mainly by improving efficiency—reducing empty backhauls, eliminating circuities, pricing flexibly, and reducing by about 10 percent the proportion of employees who are drivers and helpers. At the same time, it has cut the pay of such employees by over 10 percent relative to wages of workers in the economy generally. In other words, although wages of drivers and helpers are still considerably higher than wages of comparable workers in other industries, the differential has shrunk.

There is a perpetual elimination of the weakest companies, even when only strong ones are left.

During the heated competition phase, the name of the game is not prosperity, but survival.

Corporations become desperate to cut costs wherever possible to maximize profits.

Consumer and worker safeguards are reduced or eliminated.

Environmental safeguards are reduced or eliminated.

Convenience and comfort are reduced or eliminated.

Wages are reduced.

Workers are laid off by the thousands.

Production and workloads are pushed to the limit, often at the risk of life and limb.

Entire markets -- for example, rural areas -- are dropped if they are deemed low-profit.

In the final stages, a monopoly or oligopoly emerges, after which prices are raised, services dropped, quality reduced, and corruption and abuses of power become commonplace.

Workers from failed companies continue working in their fields by either joining the few surviving giants (usually at lower wages) or working alone (always at lower wages). In other words, a monopoly or oligopoly will dominate the market, but hundreds of nickel-and-dime operations may work around the edges.



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Re: Signs of the beginning of the breakdown of JIT distribution.

Unread postby the48thronin » Sat 21 Mar 2009, 11:18:12

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('vtsnowedin', '
')
Thats all true enough but if there is a load waiting to be shipped someone will find a way to deliver it. I don't think JIT shipping ends until oil production is obviously in decline and diesel prices start rapidly rising. Even then it will switch to trains and short hauls from the depot to the store that get the job done.



Excuse the length of this reply... End disclaimer...LOL

I just spent a couple hours having breakfast with a man who retired from a major chemical company. He was in charge of all shipping all modes world wide. He is retired now and in fact thinks like you. Both of you missed the point. There is a finite amount of available cheap easily extracted oil.

For those who don't know me, I own with my wife two trucks and trailers.
We drive them and haul high value or high security items for customers who engage our services through an independent booking agent.


I am spending this week in Florida at the home of a radio broadcaster who spent 22 years broadcasting an over night radio show on an am network all over the USA aimed at the long haul trucking industry. I have been a regular contributer to the show for many years.

Through activism in my industry and my participation in that program ( which is still heard daily by a large audience of truckers even though now it is only available via the Sirius/XM satellite radio networks, and on line from Sirius ) I have made many contacts across the trucking industry.

Normally I would this weekend be at the Mid America truck Show in Louisville.

I have spent the last 4 days extensively checking for signs that the canary is not dead. Unfortunately I am becoming more convinced that I was right to call it dead. My opinion has grown that;

If you think JIT will disappear over night, you are wrong. If you think JIT distribution can survive you are also wrong.

Your description; $this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('vtsnowedin', ' ') Even then it will switch to trains and short hauls from the depot to the store that get the job done

is a description of the changes made in JIT over the last 10 years. You are behind the curve. That change is well underway already.

The largest carriers bet on this business model several years ago, and they will lose as surely as the "buggy whip" manufacturers who converted to "goggle" making, and for the same reason.

You might recognize the names J B Hunt, Schneider, Yellow freight. These companies are in the midst or almost done converting to that model. J B ceased hiring OTR ( over the road) drivers over a year ago, and has announced that they are going to entirely concentrate on "inter-modal" ( an industry name for haul containers from rail yards). Unfortunately that model is based as most current models are on availability of product in the system to move power units consistently enough to make both the company and the driver a living.

To continue to have distribution available, someone will have to admit they have to abandon the model now in use and devise a better model.

Factors that PEAK OIL did already demonstrate make the extinction of the current models for global transport and distribution from slave labor manufacturing sites and production centers obvious.

The end of JIT distribution is as inevitable as the extinction of the dodo bird. No amount of increasing the capacity of the distribution system will adjust for the reality of the non existence of cheap dependable and readily available transport. The failure of a system that depends on cost shifting from labor to transport is clear. Just as the failure of the slave labor production was driven home by the contamination for minimum gain of dog food, baby toys, baby formula and dry wall for example. The slowness of the response to those deliberate contaminations made the error of dependence on global distribution from limited output centers stand out to the real target of all production.. THE END USER.

To postulate a simple shift in mode of transportation as the remedy for a lack of unlimited cheap transport without actually changing the energy amount needed to assemble produce and distribute will be demonstrated to be the whale oil lamp of the 21st century with in this decade.

The chaos that will result in markets as product is neither available for conversion to goods, nor produce and food available to sustain massed slave labor centers may in fact reverse most of the productivity gains won at such social and moral/ethical cost from the entire industrial revolution.

This canary "JIT" has stopped singing.. what do the miners do when the canary dies.... EVACUATE THE MINE not argue about the color of it's feathers or propose to simply buy a parrot instead.

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Re: Signs of the beginning of the breakdown of JIT distribution.

Unread postby threadbear » Sat 21 Mar 2009, 14:35:49

From Vision Master's last post:


"In the final stages, a monopoly or oligopoly emerges, after which prices are raised, services dropped, quality reduced, and corruption and abuses of power become commonplace.

Workers from failed companies continue working in their fields by either joining the few surviving giants (usually at lower wages) or working alone (always at lower wages). In other words, a monopoly or oligopoly will dominate the market, but hundreds of nickel-and-dime operations may work around the edges."



This will happen in nearly every sector. Oligopoly domination with a few scrambling around the fringes. Once there is established oligopoly control, and competition has been eliminated, prices can be fixed upward for the customer base. The argument that as soon as prices start to go up, competition will move back in, is devoid of any merit. The barrier to entry in many fields is just too high now, particularly with commercial loans being difficult to secure.

The name of the game, for the past 30 years, has been corporate focus on market share, with prices held low, to support vast economies of scale. In the future a whole new pricing regime, will replace what we have now. Market share won't be a consideration. There will be desire for services, but that won't translate into demand, for the average person with limited means. Very ,very third world.

I have been arguing this point about the price of gasoline since I started posting here. Regardless of the price of oil, the price of gasoline and particularly diesel will be kept high, as refiners consolidate or go under.
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Re: Signs of the beginning of the breakdown of JIT distribution.

Unread postby jupiters_release » Sat 21 Mar 2009, 15:27:44

the48thronin,

Do you know what percent of the trucking business has been shut down or 'taken off-line' since last year?

Do you know what percent of the existing trucking business is involved in hauling food?

thanks!
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Re: Signs of the beginning of the breakdown of JIT distribution.

Unread postby timmac » Sat 21 Mar 2009, 16:51:30

the48thronin :
You can toot your horn all you want however the trucking industrial system is not about to collapse,, 1st of all they are enjoying the lower cost of fuel compared to a year ago, 2nd for every 1 trucker/driver removed from the road another trucker gets more miles/hours, 3rd Obama has stopped Mexican truckers from delivering into ours states, now that is going to bring back more drivers, and 4th they will always be some company somewhere to filled the void when there is money to be made..

Yes there will be less truckers and less supplies to be delivered but the system will stand and will be here till fuel runs out....

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Re: Signs of the beginning of the breakdown of JIT distribution.

Unread postby the48thronin » Sat 21 Mar 2009, 17:11:36

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('jupiters_release', 't')he48thronin,

Do you know what percent of the trucking business has been shut down or 'taken off-line' since last year?

Do you know what percent of the existing trucking business is involved in hauling food?

thanks!



Back to front..

percent of trucks hauling food.

If you need hard numbers, I recommend asking OOIDA. I think their numbers might be closer to truth than most sources. The university of Michigan has a transportation department and someone there might hazard some numbers. They would have credibility with me for publishing the book "sweat shop on wheels" which has even with it's obvious agenda more reality about the industry as I have seen it than any government studies I have seen or anything from the ATA . (American Trucking Association)


off the cuff... my conclusions would be;

Reefer companies are 3/4 small fleet owners either running directly for customers as I used to do years ago, or leased into fleets that own no trucks. 1/4 percentage wise will be owned by product owners ( farms production co ops etc) or belong to major fleets. Some large producers are back to using rail reefers for mostly citrus and juices.

Non refrigerated food stuffs ( canned goods for instance) 1/2 of those loads will be small fleets or production co owned, and almost 1/2 will be hauled by the retail distribution contractors. ( the "great wides" of the world). Those distribution fleets are made up of leased small fleets with a sprinkling of surviving retail chain owned trucks.

Everything from meat to boxed meals moves by truck at least once usually at least twice.

I have continued to explore how many fleets are hiring new equipment, and continue to find mostly downsizing instead.

The people I ask think that food is now about 20 percent of all trucking if you include all phases.

What percent has shut down? That is one of the questions I am desperately working on knowing. Or a version that actually is "How many are on the cliff now."

There are some numbers floating around that are like all numbers suspect by agenda. To explain.. if OOIDA claims 2,500 small fleet operators went out of business, but doesn't explain the selection criteria further than "fleets under 6 trucks". You cant know if they are talking about independent fleets, leased fleets or even including the myriad lease/lease back independent contractors from companies like prime inc etc. who frankly go broke with regularity no matter the economy.



The on the ground facts are that every company I have checked on has or is down sizing. some around 10 percent, ( 5000 truck company parking 500 trucks, 40 truck company closing doors, 200 truck company closing doors, 30 truck company chapter 11 downsizing to 14 trucks etc.) No one seems to know how much this will continue or what percentages we will see gone over how long a period yet.

The projections are bleak however.. Right here on the PO forum we rad about percentages of manufacturing output reductions around the world. We also read about percentages of freight reductions on rail and aboard ship. Those percentages seem to be reaching the 1/3 of all area soon world wide.. I can only assume those percentages will over time translate here also. That is a frightening prospect. But even more frightening is the absolute chaos the American transportation sector will go into long before we reach a reduction like 20% of all loads.

Getting back to the topic at hand, JIT will not survive, cannot survive the coming reduction in volume. More important than food, the manufacturing base ( what is left here, and around the world) cannot depend on JIT to lean material costs and warehousing expenses just at the time when capital to increase warehousing no longer exists.
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