| In the consumer marketplace, people may pay extra | | | | everything works and the end users seem pretty |
| for a designer label, a recognized brand or products | | | | pleased (at first, anyway). |
| with celebrity endorsements. When a business | | | | Today, it seems, consumers are convinced that if TV |
| invests in capital equipment, however, all the above | | | | can do it, manufacturers should be able to as well. In |
| becomes meaningless unless the equipment performs, | | | | reality, if I plunked down $100,000 for a chipper, I |
| meeting or exceeding expectations. While price, | | | | would not want them to build it in a week - but |
| delivery and aesthetics are the usual factors people | | | | that's me. And as for my home, I would prefer they |
| claim as the primary criteria when making a purchase, | | | | let the concrete dry before they start putting the |
| reliability, in my view, has slowly taken over the No. 1 | | | | walls on top. |
| spot as the key to customer satisfaction and repeat | | | | Call me old-school, but I still believe Rome wasn't built |
| business. | | | | in a day. Even if it could have been done, the extra |
| By reliability, I mean confidence that the purchased | | | | time was needed to make sure that it would last. |
| equipment will perform as advertised over a | | | | So, how can you make certain you get your money's |
| reasonable amount of time. | | | | worth? Time, procedures and accountability. |
| Manufacturers will tell you that they are responsible | | | | No matter how many people you throw at a product |
| for building the reliability into their products through a | | | | to complete it, it takes time and testing to assure |
| combination of good design, quality materials and | | | | the quality is there and that the reliability is built in. |
| careful manufacturing techniques. | | | | Contrary to reality TV, a lot of things can happen to |
| This is true to a point. However, manufacturers | | | | a product once it rolls off the assembly line. Leaving |
| today are not only under the gun to produce quality | | | | aside obvious abuse and catastrophic accidents, even |
| products, but are being challenged to do it in record | | | | some fairly common practices can add to your repair |
| time. America has long been a society that wants to | | | | bills, increase downtime and reduce the useful life of |
| have its cake and eat it, too. As if demanding things | | | | your equipment if procedures are expedited or even |
| great but also cheap was not challenge enough, | | | | skipped altogether. |
| today the bar has risen to include great, cheap, and | | | | The majority of manufacturers I have met take |
| delivered in 24 hours. | | | | pride in the products they produce. Years of |
| One only needs to turn on television to see how this | | | | experience have taught them the steps necessary to |
| phenomenon is running rampant. Is "reality TV" | | | | produce a quality product that will assure reliability for |
| changing the way we conduct business? Is it | | | | the owner once they take ownership. Asking them |
| entertainment or a sign of things to come? | | | | to compromise their standards inevitably will result in |
| Everything from building custom $100,000-plus | | | | steps being left out or expedited. In the end, you will |
| motorcycles in a week to doing a full home | | | | not get the quality you paid for. |
| renovation while the owner is at the movies. Is this | | | | Working hand-in-hand with your suppliers and |
| reality? The producers of the shows try to convince | | | | coordinating reasonable timetables is the Mo. 1 thing |
| you it is. It happens every Wednesday night, and | | | | consumers can do to assure reliability and get what |
| they never missed a deadline yet. It appears that | | | | they pay for. |