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