“Why exactly four cents?”
“It’s the variable service adjustment.”
“I know what it says.”
“Why four?”
Richard answered.
“It offsets monitoring infrastructure cost while still producing net savings.”
“How was the net saving calculated?”
Malcolm leaned back.
“Finance reviewed that.”
“I’m asking the calculation.”
Victoria said:
“Ethan, you’re not being asked to approve the economics.”
“I understand.”
He looked at her.
“But my signature confirms the production records used to create the economics.”
Claire, the attorney, spoke.
“The certification is limited.”
“Then I need to know what data is being connected to my name.”
Malcolm’s patience shortened.
“Annual production volume is approximately 12.4 million finished assemblies.”
Ethan nodded.
“That sounds right.”
“Four cents per unit gives about $496,000 annual variable adjustment.”
Ethan looked at Section One.
“Per unit?”
“Yes.”
“Contract says covered cycle.”
Richard smiled professionally.
“For billing purposes.”
“What’s a covered cycle?”
“Any monitored production activity captured by the system.”
Ethan looked at him.
“That isn’t a number.”
Richard’s smile faded slightly.
“It’s defined in the appendix.”
Ethan flipped pages.
Appendix C.
Covered Cycle Definition.
A covered cycle was not a finished assembly.
It was each monitored machine-processing event.
Machining pass.
Pressure test.
Wash cycle.
Calibration cycle.
Final electronic verification.
Ethan read it again.
Then again.
“How many covered cycles per assembly?”
Richard answered:
“It varies.”
“Average.”
“Depends on product family.”
Ethan looked at Victoria.
“That matters.”
Malcolm interrupted.
“Not for your certification.”
“It matters if finance modeled four cents per finished unit.”
Malcolm’s expression tightened.
“The financial analysis was reviewed by corporate.”
Ethan looked at the contract.
“Who gave corporate the cycle counts?”
Owen said:
“Meridian worked with our systems team.”
“Did anybody ask maintenance?”
“You provided the production records.”
“Finished counts.”
Victoria leaned forward.
“What are you seeing?”
Ethan hesitated.
Maybe nothing.
Maybe terminology.
Maybe Meridian billed based on a system event but contract software aggregated them into one qualified unit.
He needed data.
“I don’t know yet.”
Malcolm exhaled.
“Then sign the data certification.”
Ethan closed the contract.
“No.”
Silence.
Owen frowned.
“Ethan.”
“I’m not signing until I understand how the production data is being used.”
Richard said:
“The deadline is today.”
“Then somebody should have shown me this sooner.”
Victoria looked at Malcolm.
“How long do you need?”
Ethan considered.
“Day.”
Malcolm shook his head.
“We don’t have a day.”
“Then an hour.”
Richard checked his watch.
“Board authorization expires at five.”
Ethan stood.
“I’ll come back before lunch.”
Malcolm said:
“This agreement affects six hundred jobs.”
Ethan paused.
“How?”
Malcolm looked at him.
“Meridian’s cost guarantees are part of corporate’s commitment to keep Briar Ridge open rather than consolidate capacity elsewhere.”
There it was.
Pressure.
Not sign this because it is right.
Sign because people could lose jobs.
Ethan thought of Ruth.
Derek.
Carl.