By Andy Steele, CPO,MBA

One of my favorite movies, Jerry Maquire, reminds me a lot of the current state of central fabrication. Tom Cruise plays a run down sports agent tired of the impersonal high pressure field. He desires a business world where service is centered around personal contact and less pressure for numbers. We at O&P1 found out years ago that personal service is a definite key to success. While many are saying, "Show me the money." O&P1 likes to refer to another line in the movie, "Help me help you." If you don't remember, it's a turning point in the movie where Jerry convinces his client that he is as much a part of the overall success as Jerry. Simply put, if both parties communicate, success is a two way street.

What Differentiates Us?

Service. Service in central fabrication entails speed, accuracy and quality. We have reached a point in the orthotics and prosthetics field where product differentiation is minimal. Repeat business only occurs when the client sees value in the relationship, has trust in the business partner and the business partner shares the same vision with the client. Service benefits therefore weigh heavier than product features.

Price vs. Cost

Remember price isn't that same as cost. You may save a few dollars somewhere else but does that savings cost you in other areas? John Ruskin a famous author once said:

"It's unwise to pay too much...but it's worse to pay too little. When you pay too much you lose a little money that is all. When you pay too little, you sometimes lose everything, because the thing you bought was incapable of doing the thing it was bought to do.

The common law of business balance prohibits paying a little and getting a lot. It can't be done. If you deal with the lowest bidder, it is well to add something for the risk you run. And if you do that, you will have enough to pay for something better."

Help Us Help You

Give us a try and you will find a fun, friendly atmosphere where people listen to each other. There are only a few things we ask – accurate measurements, a good cast and a complete work order. Those three simple things are a big part of the success or failure of utilizing central fabrication.

Posted: 7/19/2004