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Years ago a SS manufacturer gave a seminar in which the speaker defined quality as “meeting the customers expectations”.
I should explain that the topic was on cutting costs.
What do you think?
Linda
I disagree…in a loving way of course…cause some of my customers are not the actuall homeowners who would be observing the counters…the GC or etc.. wants price and might say “ahhhh ya dont need to do that do ya, we just need this signed””
i wont do that because all da paperwork of the total house or building with my name for the counters and sometimes fixtures is in that pile of papers that gets handed to the new homeowner………….dammm refresh did these counters
my ppoint is that some customers expectations are my garbage or what I like to call hack,hack,hack,hack
I personally cant define “QUALITY” Linda but i know what it is and isn’t
I also disagree with the statement, but many at the discussion said they ran their business on that premise. I was the odd one. Thought it was an interesting discussion.
Well if we are talking about Quality than you should read the book. “Out of the Crisis” Dr. Deming.He states that for years Americans have thought that Quality and Production don’t go hand in hand. You can have one or the other. Sounds like what that speaker was saying.Deming goes on to say that true Quality will bring production. Mainly because of less re-work. Thus more production.Quality really starts from the time a sheet of SS is brought in. If the way you lay it down cause it to be warped . It just goes on from there. The first time a Sony TV is turned on is when the consumer turns it on. They believe so much in there quality standards they know it will work.And I, undoubtedly, would have been forcibly ejected……..
For SAI, quality comes from MY expectation, which (at least according to our guys) gets more grandiose every minute.
My idea of quality is if another person doing the same trade as you looks at your work, and can’t find anything wrong with it, and actually admires it.
My Idea of quality is when you loose a bid and the customer calls back and asks you to do the job anyway
My personal favorite is when I get called back to inspect or even repair the work done by the other guy…….
In the early days of solid surface warranty work, we were asked to be the repair company for our area. I stopped doing the “Courtesy resand” as it was called when I recognized a kitchen who’s bid I lost because of price. I asked never to be called again for a courtesy resand.
I did the work, of course, but that was the last one.
I think the bottom line is that there are those fabricators that provide quaility and then there are those fabricators that provide quantity. Those that provide quantity are usually business people that are just running a business and not getting “their hands dirty.” Those of us that are providing quality generally either at some point, or still are doing the work themselves. When you are actually a part of helping your clients go through the process of choosing a material that is right for them, and then working through the building process, you want to give your clients something that they and you are proud of. This also alows you to see the result of all of that…..happy clients and more referalls.
On the other hand, those providing quantity are simply running a business with a “bottom line.” I am not saying that is NECESSARILY a bad way to do business, just a different philosophy. I also think consumers are alot more savey these days. They do a lot of research, etc. It becomes our job to educate our clients to the advantages of purchasing quality instead of quantity.
Just my opinion!
Val
I think it is both possible and quite likely to be a large shop and a quality shop. What I think the large quality shop gives up is individual attention, if they use a cell-based fabrication. There is something different about one guy doing all the fabrication on a job, versus several, each with their own duties to fabricate.
It’s like the top has personality. I can sell that.
here is a question for ya, we recently did a cabinet reface job and the tops were existing SS from an HD fabricator. I had to resize a top and the leftover had the edge detail ( a full round over) I would like to put it in my show room ,not to show the obvious seams in the stacked edge but to show the color with a full round over. I wrote in pen underneath ” edge by HD fabricator” If i have to ever compare quality it’s right there between our samples. Is this wrong to use this as a sample or comparision?
That’s a tough one. If your conscience is comfortable in this representing the typicl detail and workmanship, I say sure. I have to tell you though, I have seen some good HD and Lowes fabricators. The difference, I think, that I am comfortable selling against is the necessary attitude they have towards a job, versus the attitude I have.
Shane and some of the other big box fabricators (Travis?) can correct me if I’m wrong here, but we are able to act more at the customers convenience in terms of schedule fpr template and installation. More importantly, we can see some cool thikngs on the jobsite and just offer to do them, rather than get back into selling mode. Decisions we make on the job can be more reliably based on what’s best for the job and customer, rather than will it take more time and profit from our part of the job.
I also know that not everyone does this, but the vast majority of BB installers won’t template if the tops are in place, or charge a fee to remove them. Leveling is another fee, etc.
Just my thoughts, yo.
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