SGIA Journal Garment Edition Spring 2016 - 24

You can look at your own work and find
something wrong with it. It's that balance
of productivity to quality that is where
we've got to strike that, and everybody has
to understand that within the operation.
Everybody has to be accountable to that.

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Media - Textile - Apparel

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for Fabric

Roll-to-Roll Dye Sublimation on Textile
for Fabric

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22 | SGIA Journal ■ Spring 2016

clients, but it's your reputation. Even
though your client's expectations are low,
you don't want to meet their expectations.
You always want to exceed them. Then
when somebody asks, "Hey, where did
you get that shirt," do you want them to
say your name?

Audience Member: Do you have printed
samples for your employees to say, "This Shell: I used to work at a place where they
is acceptable for this customer. This is had a little sign hanging up and it said
acceptable for this certain customer?"
the definition of quality is exceeding the
customer's expectation. That's true. All
Winters: Again, it's an attitude kind of the customers are different, but it's like you
thing, culture type of thing. This sounds said. If you have an internal standard of
really cliché. Our goals are perfection, excellence at least or perfection, you come
we'll settle for excellence. That's for every out ahead of the game.
client, every customer's expectation. Now,
there's always exceptions to that rule, but Taublieb: I have the pleasure of going into
if your goals are 'good enough', you're a lot of shops, and in the ones that really
going to get fair. Nobody wants to be fair. stand out, you never see anything leave
You look at good enough as being good their shop that isn't perfect. It just doesn't
enough, but that's your goal.
happen. They just tune their people in and
If your goal is there, you're not going to they tune themselves in to put it together so
get to that. You're going to come just short that it's dead on the money. If it isn't, they
of it. That perfection is not acceptable until won't run it. They'll check with the client
it's perfect. This is excellent. We'll take it. and see what it takes to make it that way.
Then, that passes on to the expectation of
I'm working with one client and
the client. It's an attitude and a culture basically they're saying, "Okay, we send
and where you set that level and what's out our work and we then take customer
important to you will add that value to complaints. How much tolerance could
your client.
you allow for?" That's always a stupid
question because I want it dead on the
Ellsworth: If I could just add a couple more money. If I see a sliver of white showing
things to that, the tolerance idea. I think out from underneath, is that acceptable?
it's making sure that I'm documenting and Certainly you set that up. If you're going
establishing these tolerances and making to be a top shop, if you want to get the
sure they're upfront with the sales team as amount of money that you think you're
well. When you're accepting a job you're deserving for the work you're putting out,
setting that expectation with a customer you need to put it out there where nobody
that this is the tolerance for our company can really critique it other than the fact
for that quality of print. If it's a zero that maybe you charge more than they do.
tolerance and that's what your company
Having had the fortunate thing of
was established on and operates off of, working with several shops that are in
you'll have it.
that position, they're considered the most
If there's some tolerance for placement expensive shops in their particular area.
and how everything is going to turn out, They end up getting the top of the world
once you get your production understanding clients. They produce. They produce fast
that same tolerance and it goes from sale and they produce outstanding quality.
and sample through to final inspection and I think it's just an attitude and even
delivery, everybody will be on the same speaking for when the guy said, "Hey,
page. Then, it's just making that pay scale how long would it take me to train your
by function commensurate with risk in the crew to really be sharp on what they're
process. The person heat pressing is the one doing?" It took him about a year of really
that can ruin all the work that's been done getting everybody to understand what
prior. You have a lot at risk if you don't have they needed to do and exactly how they
that person heat pressing be on top of their needed to do it. It's not we're going to
game with quality inspection before it goes have a meeting, we're going to talk about
on the garment and you lose everything this or we're going to then go out and, yay,
you've done.
we're all ready to go. It just takes a lot of
patience, but at the same time, tolerance
Rader: We don't have expectations by is not an acceptable thing. You have to be
client. We have a shop expectation. Again, on the money.
not only do you want to impress your
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SGIA Journal Garment Edition Spring 2016

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