Page 6 - Demo

6|July 2019
Slippery rock Gazette
Training & Education
been covered and the job can proceed.
When the Measure Tech is satisfied that all necessary templates are completed for each room and that the cus- tomer is fully satisfied with the plan, he/she should add a signature on the job pa- perwork indicating that op- erations can proceed with confidence that the template is correct. Many companies require a customer sign-off at this point as well.
Cutting
Once each piece is cut, the finished piece should be checked to the template to ensure a match. This is a critical step. It is important that each template and cut piece is matched before pro- ceeding. When the worker is satisfied that it is perfect, a signature should be applied directly on each cut piece and/or on the paperwork.
Each piece should be labeled1of5,2of5, etc. There is a new product called SPEEDlabel from
Fifth Gear Technologies, a TCF company. It provides a solution to track each cut piece in your shop. It main- tains accountability for qual- ity control, piece by piece. It ensures the entire job is kept together – no missing pieces. It is an excellent tool to ad- dress many of the problems countertop fabricators expe- rience. Visit www.speedla- bel.net and check it out.
Fabrication
General quality standards are the responsibility of each employee who works on the job. Employees should look closely at and feel each piece throughout the process to ensure the correct finished texture. Any scratches or in- correct appearance should be addressed at that time and before the piece is allowed to move to the next step.
Final Inspection
Before the finished prod- uct is loaded on an A-Frame, a final Quality Assurance Inspector should follow a
checklist to ensure each piece is consistent with the quality standards. This check should include feel- ing each edge and the top surface.
Ideally, the pieces of the job should be moved together as they will fit in the final installation. This final check will also ensure that all pieces are done, in- cluding all backsplashes, and that all accompanying paperwork is available.
When the inspector is confident that all pieces are done, that each piece fits the template within tol- erance, and that the surface quality of each piece meets the company standard, the Quality Assurance Inspector should sign the paperwork that goes with the Installer.
The final inspection should be a quantity and quality check. All pieces needed for a job should be confirmed and should be of acceptable quality.
Please turn to page 7
Quality at the Source
Continued from page 5
Quality specifications, in- cluding tolerances, should be provided for each pro- cess. These methods and specifications are available from the NSI and other sources. The appropriate document pages should be copied and laminated for posting near each operation in the process. Each em- ployee should understand the quality standards of the job and should be held accountable for meeting them. As errors are noted, a discussion should be held with the employee involved to ensure that a lesson has been learned.
Checklists
An airline pilot is re- quired by law to com- plete a checklist on every takeoff and landing. After
several of these every day, the pilot probably knows the checklists by heart. Nevertheless, they are re- quired to complete the drill every time. That same logic should apply at several steps in the countertop process including:
Templating
CAD Programming Fabrication final Installation
It All Starts at Sales
The role of the salesper- son is much larger than just securing the close of a deal. The task also includes gaining market intelligence regarding what trends exist and what each customer sees in demand forecasting. Moreover they should be held accountable to accom- plish this.
Templating
The first operational step in countertops is templating. If a job is not templated correctly, it does not matter how good and careful the remainder of the processing steps are. The job will still be unacceptable.
It is important that the Measure Tech review the details of the job with the customer to ensure there is complete consensus on how the finished product will look and what is to follow. The Measure Tech should use a prepared checklist to ensure that every detail has