{"data":{"id":16902,"title":"Portfolio: Greycat Industrial","rsi_url":"https:\/\/robertsspaceindustries.com\/comm-link\/spectrum-dispatch\/16902-Portfolio-Greycat-Industrial","api_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-links\/16902","api_public_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/comm-links\/16902","channel":"Undefined","category":"Undefined","series":"Portfolio","images":[{"id":8906,"name":"CS_SC_GREYCAT_COMP_01A.jpg","rsi_url":"https:\/\/robertsspaceindustries.com\/media\/1zdzx8heh9w31r\/source\/CS_SC_GREYCAT_COMP_01A.jpg","alt":"","size":1362876,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","last_modified":"2015-06-03T17:20:19+00:00","api_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/8906","similar_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/8906\/similar"},{"id":26463,"name":"source.jpg","rsi_url":"https:\/\/media.robertsspaceindustries.com\/weozjmuuh3hwh\/source.jpg","alt":"","size":843046,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","last_modified":"2019-09-19T15:49:32+00:00","api_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/26463","similar_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/26463\/similar"}],"images_count":7,"translations":{"en_EN":"Writer\u2019s Note: Portfolio: Greycat Industrial was published originally as a Subscriber Exclusive on December 12, 2018.\nStep onto almost any industrial site in the universe and you\u2019ll likely find something made by Greycat. Be it a Pyro Multi-Tool safely slicing through metal or a heavy-duty suit protecting a miner against falling debris, the company\u2019s extensive line of industrial equipment and armor make it one of the most respected brand names around. Greycat has remained a UEE staple for centuries thanks to their streamlined-yet-inventive designs, exacting safety standards, and a diverse product line.\n\nSimilar to RSI, Shubin, and Tarsus, the company\u2019s long history makes it a corporate cornerstone of the modern UEE. While Greycat experienced success early on, it only really became a household name after releasing the Personal Transport Vehicle (PTV) centuries later. These days, it\u2019s hard to imagine the Empire without Greycat\u2019s PTVs buzzing across expansive hangars or their massive mining bots extracting ore from asteroids. Most analysts credit Greycat\u2019s growth into a manufacturing empire to shrewd managerial moves made by the company\u2019s founding family \u2014 the Broussards. However, a growing number of historians believe that much of the company\u2019s success can be attributed to Ruben Pardue, the until-recently forgotten engineer responsible for designing and developing some of Greycat\u2019s most important products. Neither Pardue nor the Broussards alone could have made Greycat what it is today, but together their combined vision and ambition created a company that has become an essential part of the Empire.\n\nArrogance of Youth\nRuben Pardue first made a name for himself while attending the University of Rhetor. After publishing his graduate dissertation exploring future applications of geohacking tech, he attracted the attention of Titania Terraforming. The company courted the ambitious young engineer to aid their efforts in terraforming Uriel \u2014 an experimental undertaking to raise the planet\u2019s core temperature to compensate for the lack of heat generated by the Oberon system\u2019s neutron star. Pardue was undaunted by the immense task. In fact, he jumped at the chance to try and crack the riddle of \u2018fixing a planet\u2019.\n\nPardue quickly distinguished himself as an adept problem solver with a caustic tongue; many who worked with Pardue bristled at his unchecked arrogance but never questioned his competence and dedication to the project. He rocketed through the ranks and was soon asked to lead the construction of a network of tunnels under the planet\u2019s surface to house another team\u2019s experimental thermal device. Pardue spent months in the tunnels obsessing over every last detail. In his downtime, he sketched ideas for new equipment that would\u2019ve been useful to his operations. These included initial designs for what would eventually become the Pyro Multi-Tool. Yet, these sketches wouldn\u2019t be realized for years due to a tragedy that changed the trajectory of Pardue\u2019s life and career.\n\nOn May 23, 2381, a section of the underground operations hub collapsed, tragically killing thirty-seven and injuring dozens more. Trapped in a connecting tunnel, rescuers barely made it to Pardue in time to save his life. Unfortunately, his dominant left arm required amputation above the elbow. With Titania obligated to cover medical costs, Pardue could\u2019ve had the finest prosthetics available at the time, but he refused. A choice Pardue\u2019s biographer Jing Fermi believes was self-imposed penance for his failure to prevent the catastrophe. Pardue quietly left the company after the accident. Titania investigated the incident, but never publicly released their report. The tragedy was yet another setback to the grand plan of terraforming Uriel. The company dissolved years later after deeming their attempt to manipulate the core temperature an utter failure.\n\nUpon hearing that Pardue had left Titania, former university classmate Pippa Broussard reached out and offered him a job. Her family owned a small yet respected industrial goods manufacturer and she was eager to put her stamp on the brand by infusing it with new ideas. Though never officially declared responsible, Pardue\u2019s tarnished reputation after the accident had left him without any other options, so he agreed to the comparatively low salary offered by Broussard. A mere three months after the collapse, Pardue began his career at Greycat.\n\nExpanding Ambition\nIn 2337, Odis Broussard founded Greycat Industrial, with the goal of producing and supplying safety equipment to miners seeking their fortune among the stars. The company\u2019s moniker was a nod to the family\u2019s nickname for Odis, whose hair unexpectedly turned grey when he was still in his twenties. By the mid-24th century, Greycat was manufacturing a number of well-regarded and affordable products from their Mars headquarters. It was successful, but their market presence was minimal.\n\nWhen Odis\u2019 daughter, Pippa, took control of the company in 2380, her ascendance coincided with the creation of the United Nations of Earth (UNE) and the completion of terraforming projects in the Croshaw system. Inspired by the expansionist spirit, Pippa\u2019s first act as Greycat CEO was to open their second manufacturing facility on Angeli. Away from the watchful eye of her father, who still maintained control of the Board, Pippa hired Pardue to expand Greycat\u2019s product line.\n\nPardue\u2019s first design was a line of industrial armor. Incorporating new safety features and advanced alloy plating that would have been critical to helping workers in the Uriel tunnel collapse, the \u2018Aril\u2019 industrial armor became a huge success. Its clean, functional design would come to set the standard for Greycat products going forward. Today, Aril armor remains a bestseller for Greycat, with only minimal changes made to Pardue\u2019s classic concept.\n\nInspired by the Aril\u2019s success, Pippa asked Pardue to head up Greycat\u2019s engineering department, but he politely declined. Pardue refused any promotions for the remainder of his career, avoiding all managerial positions so he could simply focus on building. This also ensured that every one of his designs would be thoroughly vetted and implemented by others. While his vision and style are now synonymous with Greycat, his preference for the drafting table over the boardroom table meant his influence was not well known until the release of Jing Fermi\u2019s biography, Hidden Design, in the early 30th century. The book became a bestseller by juxtaposing Pardue\u2019s incredibly fertile yet uncelebrated professional career at Greycat with a tumultuous personal life, which the events on Uriel haunted until his death in 2458.\n\nQuick Reflexes\nMeanwhile, Pippa discovered that expanding Greycat\u2019s influence and production pipeline wasn\u2019t without problems. The popularity of the Pyro Multi-Tool upon its release so overwhelmed the company\u2019s supply chain that the backlog kept most customers waiting months for their order. This gave competitors time to design and sell cheap knockoffs. The ongoing battle with copycats and counterfeiters would consume significant company resources for centuries.\n\nWhen profits plateaued in the early 27th century, CEO Liana Broussard implemented a controversial plan to overhaul their production chain in an attempt to fix the issues that plagued them. The ultimate goal was to have a manufacturing facility in every UEE system. Since building and managing all of these new plants would be costly and time-consuming, Liana outsourced much of the work to regional manufacturers. This turned out to be a costly miscalculation. Many of the regional plants either chose to ignore or failed to meet the strict standards set by Greycat. To make matters worse, some of these unreliable third parties leaked (or outright sold) design specs to counterfeiters. Soon, most knockoffs carried the exact same color scheme and design specifications as the real thing. Many of them even claimed to be made by Greycat Industries, not Greycat Industrial; a distinction lost on many casual consumers.\n\nThe fallout from this strategic blunder harmed Greycat\u2019s bottom line and led to a power struggle within the Broussard family for control of the company. When the dust settled, Liana became the only Greycat CEO to ever be ousted. Her brother, Marcel, became CEO and embarked on an equally ambitious plan of his own.\n\nBigger is Better\nAs CEO, Marcel Broussard enacted a two-pronged plan to keep Greycat solvent. He aggressively lobbied the UEE to clamp down on counterfeiters. Even with the eventual passage of a bill that introduced harsher penalties for those convicted, government intervention could only go so far. Documents would later reveal that Marcel also contracted private security forces to find counterfeiters and convince them \u201cby any means necessary\u201d to shutter their operations.\n\nHowever, what was considered Marcel\u2019s most daring gamble would come with expanding Greycat\u2019s product line. Up until the early 27th century, the company mainly made handheld tools, safety devices, and industrial armor \u2013 products that could easily be copied. To insulate the company\u2019s sales, Marcel argued that Greycat should make big tickets items that would be harder to counterfeit. Many were skeptical and scared of the upfront costs, but undaunted, Marcel pushed the plan forward.\n\nMarcel knew the success of the plan hinged on the products, so he dug through the company\u2019s archives and uncovered old Pardue designs that were explored, but not implemented. Among the designs Marcel moved into production were the PTV (buggy), massive Cydnus mining bot, and their series of mining lasers and tractor beams. While most of their larger industrial devices took time to turn a profit, the buggy proved to be more popular than expected. Pardue initially designed the vehicle to navigate cramped mining tunnels, but Greycat employees discovered that early test models were perfect for cruising across the expansive factory floor where the buggies were being made. After a few minor changes to Pardue\u2019s design, like removing the heavy protective roof, the purely industrial vehicle was transitioned to be more general purpose, allowing the PTV to be marketed to a larger audience. It has since become ubiquitous across the UEE.\n\nMarcel\u2019s controversial but inspired leadership finally made Greycat a household name and ensured that the company would remain strong for centuries. He told the Terra Gazette that \u201cGreycat needed to reinvent itself to remain relevant.\u201d Doing so without losing one\u2019s identity or alienating loyal customers was an impressive feat. Greycat pulled it off because it combined the Broussards\u2019 focus, dedication to quality, and daring to try something new with the strong yet distinct design stylings of Ruben Pardue. Simply, Greycat became a household name because of their commitment to making the right business choices; not just the easy ones.","de_DE":"Betreten Sie fast jedes Industriegel\u00e4nde im Universum und Sie werden wahrscheinlich etwas von Greycat finden. Ob es sich nun um ein Pyro Multi-Tool handelt, das sicher durch Metall schneidet, oder um einen strapazierf\u00e4higen Anzug, der einen Bergarbeiter vor herabfallenden Abf\u00e4llen sch\u00fctzt, die umfangreiche Palette an Industrieausr\u00fcstung und R\u00fcstungen des Unternehmens macht es zu einem der angesehensten Markennamen \u00fcberhaupt. Greycat ist seit Jahrhunderten ein Grundnahrungsmittel der UEE, dank ihres stromlinienf\u00f6rmigen, aber erfinderischen Designs, der hohen Sicherheitsstandards und einer vielf\u00e4ltigen Produktlinie.\n\n\u00c4hnlich wie RSI, Shubin und Tarsus ist das Unternehmen aufgrund seiner langen Geschichte ein Eckpfeiler der modernen UEE. W\u00e4hrend Greycat schon fr\u00fch erfolgreich war, wurde es erst nach der Ver\u00f6ffentlichung des Personal Transport Vehicle (PTV) Jahrhunderte sp\u00e4ter zu einem Begriff. Heutzutage ist es schwer vorstellbar, dass die PTVs von Greycat \u00fcber weitl\u00e4ufige Hangars schwirren oder ihre riesigen Minenboote Erz aus Asteroiden gewinnen. Die meisten Analysten sch\u00e4tzen Greycats Wachstum zu einem Produktionsimperium als Folge kluger Managementmethoden der Gr\u00fcnderfamilie des Unternehmens - den Broussards. Immer mehr Historiker glauben jedoch, dass ein Gro\u00dfteil des Erfolgs des Unternehmens auf Ruben Pardue zur\u00fcckzuf\u00fchren ist, den in letzter Zeit vergessenen Ingenieur, der f\u00fcr die Entwicklung einiger der wichtigsten Produkte von Greycat verantwortlich ist. Weder Pardue noch die Broussards allein h\u00e4tten Greycat zu dem machen k\u00f6nnen, was es heute ist, aber gemeinsam haben sie mit ihrer gemeinsamen Vision und ihrem Ehrgeiz ein Unternehmen geschaffen, das zu einem wesentlichen Bestandteil des Reiches geworden ist.\n\nArroganz der Jugend\nRuben Pardue machte sich zun\u00e4chst einen Namen, als er an der University of Rhetor studierte. Nach der Ver\u00f6ffentlichung seiner Doktorarbeit \u00fcber zuk\u00fcnftige Anwendungen der Geohacking-Technologie erregte er die Aufmerksamkeit von Titania Terraforming. Das Unternehmen umworben den ehrgeizigen jungen Ingenieur, um seine Bem\u00fchungen beim Terraforming von Uriel zu unterst\u00fctzen - ein experimentelles Vorhaben zur Erh\u00f6hung der Kerntemperatur des Planeten, um den W\u00e4rmemangel des Neutronensterns des Oberon-Systems auszugleichen. Pardue wurde von der immensen Aufgabe nicht abgeschreckt. Tats\u00e4chlich ergriff er die Gelegenheit, das R\u00e4tsel der \"Fixierung eines Planeten\" zu l\u00f6sen.\n\nPardue zeichnete sich schnell als geschickter Probleml\u00f6ser mit \u00e4tzender Zunge aus; viele, die mit Pardue arbeiteten, str\u00e4ubten sich \u00fcber seine ungebremste Arroganz, stellten aber nie seine Kompetenz und Hingabe an das Projekt in Frage. Er schoss durch die R\u00e4nge und wurde bald gebeten, den Bau eines Tunnelnetzes unter der Oberfl\u00e4che des Planeten zu leiten, um die experimentelle thermische Vorrichtung eines anderen Teams aufzunehmen. Pardue verbrachte Monate in den Tunneln und war bis ins kleinste Detail besessen. In seiner Ausfallzeit entwarf er Ideen f\u00fcr neue Ger\u00e4te, die f\u00fcr seinen Betrieb n\u00fctzlich gewesen w\u00e4ren. Dazu geh\u00f6rten erste Entw\u00fcrfe f\u00fcr das sp\u00e4tere Pyro Multi-Tool. Doch diese Skizzen w\u00fcrden jahrelang nicht realisiert werden, aufgrund einer Trag\u00f6die, die die Entwicklung von Pardues Leben und Karriere ver\u00e4nderte.\n\nAm 23. Mai 2381 brach ein Teil der unterirdischen Betriebszentrale zusammen, wobei 37 Menschen auf tragische Weise get\u00f6tet und Dutzende weitere verletzt wurden. Gefangen in einem Verbindungstunnel schafften es die Retter kaum rechtzeitig zum Pardue, um sein Leben zu retten. Leider musste sein dominanter linker Arm oberhalb des Ellenbogens amputiert werden. Da Titania verpflichtet war, die medizinischen Kosten zu decken, h\u00e4tte Pardue die beste Prothese haben k\u00f6nnen, die zu diesem Zeitpunkt erh\u00e4ltlich war, aber er weigerte sich. Eine Wahl Pardues Biograph Jing Fermi glaubt, dass es sich um eine selbst auferlegte Bu\u00dfe f\u00fcr sein Versagen, die Katastrophe zu verhindern, handelte. Pardue verlie\u00df nach dem Unfall leise das Unternehmen. Titania untersuchte den Vorfall, ver\u00f6ffentlichte aber ihren Bericht nie \u00f6ffentlich. Die Trag\u00f6die war ein weiterer R\u00fcckschlag f\u00fcr den gro\u00dfen Plan, Uriel zu errichten. Das Unternehmen l\u00f6ste sich Jahre sp\u00e4ter auf, nachdem es den Versuch, die Kerntemperatur zu manipulieren, f\u00fcr einen Totalausfall hielt.\n\nAls sie h\u00f6rte, dass Pardue Titania verlassen hatte, streckte die ehemalige Universit\u00e4tskameradin Pippa Broussard die Hand aus und bot ihm einen Job an. Ihre Familie geh\u00f6rte einem kleinen, aber angesehenen Industrieg\u00fcterhersteller und sie war bestrebt, die Marke mit neuen Ideen zu pr\u00e4gen. Obwohl nie offiziell f\u00fcr verantwortlich erkl\u00e4rt, hatte Pardues angeschlagener Ruf nach dem Unfall ihn ohne andere M\u00f6glichkeiten zur\u00fcckgelassen, so dass er dem vergleichsweise niedrigen Gehalt von Broussard zustimmte. Nur drei Monate nach dem Zusammenbruch begann Pardue seine Karriere bei Greycat.\n\nErweiterter Ehrgeiz\nIm Jahr 2337 gr\u00fcndete Odis Broussard Greycat Industrial mit dem Ziel, Sicherheitsausr\u00fcstung f\u00fcr Bergleute herzustellen und zu liefern, die ihr Gl\u00fcck unter den Sternen suchen. Der Name des Unternehmens war ein Spitzname der Familie f\u00fcr Odis, dessen Haare unerwartet grau wurden, als er noch in den Zwanzigern war. Mitte des 24. Jahrhunderts stellte Greycat von seinem Marshauptsitz aus eine Reihe von angesehenen und erschwinglichen Produkten her. Es war erfolgreich, aber die Marktpr\u00e4senz war minimal.\n\nAls Odis' Tochter Pippa 2380 die Kontrolle \u00fcber das Unternehmen \u00fcbernahm, fiel ihr Aufstieg mit der Gr\u00fcndung der Vereinten Nationen der Erde (UNE) und der Fertigstellung von Terraforming-Projekten im Croshaw-System zusammen. Inspiriert vom Expansionsgeist, er\u00f6ffnete Pippa als erster Akt als Greycat CEO ihre zweite Produktionsst\u00e4tte auf Angeli. Abseits der wachsamen Augen ihres Vaters, der immer noch die Kontrolle \u00fcber den Vorstand hatte, beauftragte Pippa Pardue mit der Erweiterung der Produktlinie von Greycat.\n\nPardues erstes Design war eine Linie von Industriepanzern. Mit neuen Sicherheitsmerkmalen und fortschrittlichen Legierungsbeschichtungen, die f\u00fcr die Arbeiter beim Einsturz des Uriel-Tunnels entscheidend gewesen w\u00e4ren, wurde die Aril-Industriepanzerung zu einem gro\u00dfen Erfolg. Sein klares, funktionales Design w\u00fcrde in Zukunft den Standard f\u00fcr Greycat-Produkte setzen. Bis heute ist Aril Armor ein Bestseller f\u00fcr Greycat, mit nur minimalen \u00c4nderungen am klassischen Konzept von Pardue.\n\nInspiriert durch den Erfolg des Aril, bat Pippa Pardue, die technische Abteilung von Greycat zu leiten, aber er lehnte h\u00f6flich ab. Pardue lehnte alle Bef\u00f6rderungen f\u00fcr den Rest seiner Karriere ab und vermeide alle F\u00fchrungspositionen, damit er sich einfach auf den Aufbau konzentrieren k\u00f6nne. Dadurch wurde auch sichergestellt, dass jedes seiner Entw\u00fcrfe von anderen gr\u00fcndlich gepr\u00fcft und umgesetzt wurde. W\u00e4hrend seine Vision und sein Stil heute gleichbedeutend mit Greycat sind, bedeutete seine Vorliebe f\u00fcr den Entwurfstisch gegen\u00fcber dem Besprechungsraumtisch, dass sein Einfluss bis zur Ver\u00f6ffentlichung von Jing Fermi's Biographie Hidden Design im fr\u00fchen 30. Jahrhundert nicht bekannt war. Das Buch wurde zu einem Bestseller, indem es Pardues unglaublich fruchtbare, aber ungezwungene berufliche Karriere bei Greycat einem turbulenten Privatleben gegen\u00fcberstellte, das die Ereignisse auf Uriel bis zu seinem Tod im Jahr 2458 heimsuchten.\n\nSchnelle Reflexe\nUnterdessen entdeckte Pippa, dass die Erweiterung von Greycats Einfluss und Produktionspipeline nicht ohne Probleme war. Die Popularit\u00e4t des Pyro Multi-Tools nach seiner Ver\u00f6ffentlichung hat die Lieferkette des Unternehmens so \u00fcberw\u00e4ltigt, dass der R\u00fcckstand die meisten Kunden monatelang auf ihre Bestellung wartete. Dies gab den Wettbewerbern Zeit, billige Nachahmer zu entwerfen und zu verkaufen. Der anhaltende Kampf mit Nachahmern und F\u00e4lschern w\u00fcrde jahrhundertelang erhebliche Unternehmensressourcen verbrauchen.\n\nAls die Gewinne Anfang des 27. Jahrhunderts in die H\u00f6he schnellen, setzte die CEO Liana Broussard einen umstrittenen Plan zur \u00dcberholung ihrer Produktionskette um, um die Probleme zu l\u00f6sen, die sie plagten. Das oberste Ziel war es, in jedem UEE-System eine Produktionsst\u00e4tte zu haben. Da der Bau und die Verwaltung aller dieser neuen Werke kostspielig und zeitaufwendig w\u00e4re, lagerte Liana einen Gro\u00dfteil der Arbeit an regionale Hersteller aus. Dies stellte sich als kostspielige Fehleinsch\u00e4tzung heraus. Viele der regionalen Werke haben sich entweder daf\u00fcr entschieden, die strengen Standards von Greycat zu ignorieren oder nicht zu erf\u00fcllen. Zu allem \u00dcberfluss haben einige dieser unzuverl\u00e4ssigen Drittanbieter Designspezifikationen an F\u00e4lscher weitergegeben (oder vollst\u00e4ndig verkauft). Bald trugen die meisten Nachbauten genau die gleichen Farbschemata und Designspezifikationen wie das Original. Viele von ihnen behaupteten sogar, von Greycat Industries und nicht von Greycat Industrial hergestellt zu werden; eine Unterscheidung, die bei vielen Gelegenheitskonsumenten verloren ging.\n\nDie Folgen dieses strategischen Fehlers schm\u00e4lerten das Ergebnis von Greycat und f\u00fchrten zu einem Machtkampf innerhalb der Broussard-Familie um die Kontrolle \u00fcber das Unternehmen. Als sich die Lage beruhigte, wurde Liana die einzige Greycat CEO, die jemals verdr\u00e4ngt wurde. Ihr Bruder Marcel wurde CEO und startete einen ebenso ehrgeizigen eigenen Plan.\n\nGr\u00f6\u00dfer ist besser\nAls CEO verabschiedete Marcel Broussard einen zweigleisigen Plan, um das L\u00f6sungsmittel Greycat zu erhalten. Er setzte sich aggressiv f\u00fcr die UEE ein, um gegen F\u00e4lscher vorzugehen. Sogar mit der letztendlichen Verabschiedung eines Gesetzes, das strengere Strafen f\u00fcr die Verurteilten vorsah, konnte die staatliche Intervention nur so weit gehen. Sp\u00e4ter w\u00fcrden Dokumente zeigen, dass Marcel auch private Sicherheitskr\u00e4fte beauftragt hat, F\u00e4lscher zu finden und sie \"mit allen Mitteln\" davon zu \u00fcberzeugen, ihren Betrieb einzustellen.\n\nWas jedoch als Marcel's k\u00fchnstes Gl\u00fccksspiel galt, w\u00fcrde mit der Erweiterung der Produktlinie von Greycat einhergehen. Bis zum Beginn des 27. Jahrhunderts stellte das Unternehmen vor allem Handwerkzeuge, Sicherheitsvorrichtungen und Industriepanzer her - Produkte, die leicht kopiert werden konnten. Um die Verk\u00e4ufe des Unternehmens zu isolieren, argumentierte Marcel, dass Greycat gro\u00dfe Ticketartikel herstellen sollte, die schwerer zu f\u00e4lschen w\u00e4ren. Viele waren skeptisch und hatten Angst vor den Vorlaufkosten, aber unerschrocken dr\u00e4ngte Marcel den Plan nach vorne.\n\nMarcel wusste, dass der Erfolg des Plans von den Produkten abh\u00e4ngt, also grub er durch das Archiv des Unternehmens und entdeckte alte Pardue-Designs, die er erforscht, aber nicht umgesetzt hat. Zu den Entw\u00fcrfen, die Marcel in Produktion nahm, geh\u00f6rten der PTV (Buggy), der massive Cydnus-Minenroboter und seine Serie von Mining-Lasern und Traktorstrahlen. W\u00e4hrend die meisten ihrer gr\u00f6\u00dferen Industrieger\u00e4te Zeit brauchten, um Gewinne zu erzielen, war der Buggy beliebter als erwartet. Pardue entwarf das Fahrzeug zun\u00e4chst f\u00fcr die Fahrt durch enge Bergwerksstollen, aber die Greycat-Mitarbeiter entdeckten, dass fr\u00fche Testmodelle perfekt waren, um \u00fcber die weitl\u00e4ufige Fabrikhalle zu fahren, in der die Buggys hergestellt wurden. Nach einigen kleinen \u00c4nderungen am Design von Pardue, wie dem Entfernen des schweren Schutzdaches, wurde das reine Industriefahrzeug zu einem universelleren Fahrzeug umgebaut, so dass der PTV an ein gr\u00f6\u00dferes Publikum vermarktet werden konnte. Inzwischen ist es in der gesamten UEE allgegenw\u00e4rtig geworden.\n\nMarcel's umstrittene, aber inspirierte F\u00fchrung machte Greycat schlie\u00dflich zu einem Begriff und sorgte daf\u00fcr, dass das Unternehmen \u00fcber Jahrhunderte stark blieb. Er sagte der Terra Gazette, dass \"Greycat sich neu erfinden m\u00fcsse, um relevant zu bleiben\". Dies zu tun, ohne seine Identit\u00e4t zu verlieren oder treue Kunden zu entfremden, war eine beeindruckende Leistung. Greycat hat es geschafft, weil es den Fokus der Broussards, die Hingabe an die Qualit\u00e4t und den Mut, etwas Neues auszuprobieren, mit den starken und doch unverwechselbaren Designs von Ruben Pardue kombiniert. Greycat wurde einfach zu einem Begriff, weil sie sich daf\u00fcr einsetzen, die richtigen Gesch\u00e4ftsentscheidungen zu treffen, nicht nur die einfachen.","zh_CN":"Writer\u2019s Note: Portfolio: Greycat Industrial was published originally as a Subscriber Exclusive on December 12, 2018.\nStep onto almost any industrial site in the universe and you\u2019ll likely find something made by Greycat. Be it a Pyro Multi-Tool safely slicing through metal or a heavy-duty suit protecting a miner against falling debris, the company\u2019s extensive line of industrial equipment and armor make it one of the most respected brand names around. Greycat has remained a UEE staple for centuries thanks to their streamlined-yet-inventive designs, exacting safety standards, and a diverse product line.\n\nSimilar to RSI, Shubin, and Tarsus, the company\u2019s long history makes it a corporate cornerstone of the modern UEE. While Greycat experienced success early on, it only really became a household name after releasing the Personal Transport Vehicle (PTV) centuries later. These days, it\u2019s hard to imagine the Empire without Greycat\u2019s PTVs buzzing across expansive hangars or their massive mining bots extracting ore from asteroids. Most analysts credit Greycat\u2019s growth into a manufacturing empire to shrewd managerial moves made by the company\u2019s founding family \u2014 the Broussards. However, a growing number of historians believe that much of the company\u2019s success can be attributed to Ruben Pardue, the until-recently forgotten engineer responsible for designing and developing some of Greycat\u2019s most important products. Neither Pardue nor the Broussards alone could have made Greycat what it is today, but together their combined vision and ambition created a company that has become an essential part of the Empire.\n\nArrogance of Youth\nRuben Pardue first made a name for himself while attending the University of Rhetor. After publishing his graduate dissertation exploring future applications of geohacking tech, he attracted the attention of Titania Terraforming. The company courted the ambitious young engineer to aid their efforts in terraforming Uriel \u2014 an experimental undertaking to raise the planet\u2019s core temperature to compensate for the lack of heat generated by the Oberon system\u2019s neutron star. Pardue was undaunted by the immense task. In fact, he jumped at the chance to try and crack the riddle of \u2018fixing a planet\u2019.\n\nPardue quickly distinguished himself as an adept problem solver with a caustic tongue; many who worked with Pardue bristled at his unchecked arrogance but never questioned his competence and dedication to the project. He rocketed through the ranks and was soon asked to lead the construction of a network of tunnels under the planet\u2019s surface to house another team\u2019s experimental thermal device. Pardue spent months in the tunnels obsessing over every last detail. In his downtime, he sketched ideas for new equipment that would\u2019ve been useful to his operations. These included initial designs for what would eventually become the Pyro Multi-Tool. Yet, these sketches wouldn\u2019t be realized for years due to a tragedy that changed the trajectory of Pardue\u2019s life and career.\n\nOn May 23, 2381, a section of the underground operations hub collapsed, tragically killing thirty-seven and injuring dozens more. Trapped in a connecting tunnel, rescuers barely made it to Pardue in time to save his life. Unfortunately, his dominant left arm required amputation above the elbow. With Titania obligated to cover medical costs, Pardue could\u2019ve had the finest prosthetics available at the time, but he refused. A choice Pardue\u2019s biographer Jing Fermi believes was self-imposed penance for his failure to prevent the catastrophe. Pardue quietly left the company after the accident. Titania investigated the incident, but never publicly released their report. The tragedy was yet another setback to the grand plan of terraforming Uriel. The company dissolved years later after deeming their attempt to manipulate the core temperature an utter failure.\n\nUpon hearing that Pardue had left Titania, former university classmate Pippa Broussard reached out and offered him a job. Her family owned a small yet respected industrial goods manufacturer and she was eager to put her stamp on the brand by infusing it with new ideas. Though never officially declared responsible, Pardue\u2019s tarnished reputation after the accident had left him without any other options, so he agreed to the comparatively low salary offered by Broussard. A mere three months after the collapse, Pardue began his career at Greycat.\n\nExpanding Ambition\nIn 2337, Odis Broussard founded Greycat Industrial, with the goal of producing and supplying safety equipment to miners seeking their fortune among the stars. The company\u2019s moniker was a nod to the family\u2019s nickname for Odis, whose hair unexpectedly turned grey when he was still in his twenties. By the mid-24th century, Greycat was manufacturing a number of well-regarded and affordable products from their Mars headquarters. It was successful, but their market presence was minimal.\n\nWhen Odis\u2019 daughter, Pippa, took control of the company in 2380, her ascendance coincided with the creation of the United Nations of Earth (UNE) and the completion of terraforming projects in the Croshaw system. Inspired by the expansionist spirit, Pippa\u2019s first act as Greycat CEO was to open their second manufacturing facility on Angeli. Away from the watchful eye of her father, who still maintained control of the Board, Pippa hired Pardue to expand Greycat\u2019s product line.\n\nPardue\u2019s first design was a line of industrial armor. Incorporating new safety features and advanced alloy plating that would have been critical to helping workers in the Uriel tunnel collapse, the \u2018Aril\u2019 industrial armor became a huge success. Its clean, functional design would come to set the standard for Greycat products going forward. Today, Aril armor remains a bestseller for Greycat, with only minimal changes made to Pardue\u2019s classic concept.\n\nInspired by the Aril\u2019s success, Pippa asked Pardue to head up Greycat\u2019s engineering department, but he politely declined. Pardue refused any promotions for the remainder of his career, avoiding all managerial positions so he could simply focus on building. This also ensured that every one of his designs would be thoroughly vetted and implemented by others. While his vision and style are now synonymous with Greycat, his preference for the drafting table over the boardroom table meant his influence was not well known until the release of Jing Fermi\u2019s biography, Hidden Design, in the early 30th century. The book became a bestseller by juxtaposing Pardue\u2019s incredibly fertile yet uncelebrated professional career at Greycat with a tumultuous personal life, which the events on Uriel haunted until his death in 2458.\n\nQuick Reflexes\nMeanwhile, Pippa discovered that expanding Greycat\u2019s influence and production pipeline wasn\u2019t without problems. The popularity of the Pyro Multi-Tool upon its release so overwhelmed the company\u2019s supply chain that the backlog kept most customers waiting months for their order. This gave competitors time to design and sell cheap knockoffs. The ongoing battle with copycats and counterfeiters would consume significant company resources for centuries.\n\nWhen profits plateaued in the early 27th century, CEO Liana Broussard implemented a controversial plan to overhaul their production chain in an attempt to fix the issues that plagued them. The ultimate goal was to have a manufacturing facility in every UEE system. Since building and managing all of these new plants would be costly and time-consuming, Liana outsourced much of the work to regional manufacturers. This turned out to be a costly miscalculation. Many of the regional plants either chose to ignore or failed to meet the strict standards set by Greycat. To make matters worse, some of these unreliable third parties leaked (or outright sold) design specs to counterfeiters. Soon, most knockoffs carried the exact same color scheme and design specifications as the real thing. Many of them even claimed to be made by Greycat Industries, not Greycat Industrial; a distinction lost on many casual consumers.\n\nThe fallout from this strategic blunder harmed Greycat\u2019s bottom line and led to a power struggle within the Broussard family for control of the company. When the dust settled, Liana became the only Greycat CEO to ever be ousted. Her brother, Marcel, became CEO and embarked on an equally ambitious plan of his own.\n\nBigger is Better\nAs CEO, Marcel Broussard enacted a two-pronged plan to keep Greycat solvent. He aggressively lobbied the UEE to clamp down on counterfeiters. Even with the eventual passage of a bill that introduced harsher penalties for those convicted, government intervention could only go so far. Documents would later reveal that Marcel also contracted private security forces to find counterfeiters and convince them \u201cby any means necessary\u201d to shutter their operations.\n\nHowever, what was considered Marcel\u2019s most daring gamble would come with expanding Greycat\u2019s product line. Up until the early 27th century, the company mainly made handheld tools, safety devices, and industrial armor \u2013 products that could easily be copied. To insulate the company\u2019s sales, Marcel argued that Greycat should make big tickets items that would be harder to counterfeit. Many were skeptical and scared of the upfront costs, but undaunted, Marcel pushed the plan forward.\n\nMarcel knew the success of the plan hinged on the products, so he dug through the company\u2019s archives and uncovered old Pardue designs that were explored, but not implemented. Among the designs Marcel moved into production were the PTV (buggy), massive Cydnus mining bot, and their series of mining lasers and tractor beams. While most of their larger industrial devices took time to turn a profit, the buggy proved to be more popular than expected. Pardue initially designed the vehicle to navigate cramped mining tunnels, but Greycat employees discovered that early test models were perfect for cruising across the expansive factory floor where the buggies were being made. After a few minor changes to Pardue\u2019s design, like removing the heavy protective roof, the purely industrial vehicle was transitioned to be more general purpose, allowing the PTV to be marketed to a larger audience. It has since become ubiquitous across the UEE.\n\nMarcel\u2019s controversial but inspired leadership finally made Greycat a household name and ensured that the company would remain strong for centuries. He told the Terra Gazette that \u201cGreycat needed to reinvent itself to remain relevant.\u201d Doing so without losing one\u2019s identity or alienating loyal customers was an impressive feat. Greycat pulled it off because it combined the Broussards\u2019 focus, dedication to quality, and daring to try something new with the strong yet distinct design stylings of Ruben Pardue. Simply, Greycat became a household name because of their commitment to making the right business choices; not just the easy ones."},"links_count":0,"comment_count":43,"created_at":"2020-07-15T00:00:00+00:00","created_at_human":"5 years ago"},"meta":{"processed_at":"2026-05-07 22:39:27","valid_relations":["images","links"],"prev_id":16901,"next_id":16903}}