In our society with a shift from physical to virtual proximity, our sense of values are changing, for instance many comments posted online for all to see and know, would never have been voiced in a face to face situation. Another value which often sometimes suffers from this instant message society is that of quality. This is understanding that cheapest is not necessarily best, and in fact can actually in the long run turn out to be a lot more costly. I saw an example of this overseas, when an organisation, went to the trouble and effort of installing a large swimming pool. They did everything to a good standard of quality except for one element, the pump. Instead of buying the appropriate pump for the capacity of the pool they installed one which was far cheaper but entirely inadequate. It wasn’t long before it broke down, and after throwing money down the drain trying to fix it, the powers that be finally recognised their error and replaced it with the pump they should have put in place originally. So not only did they incur the cost of that pump, they had also paid for the other cheaper pump, and for call out and repair costs on top of that. This need to recognise the value of quality can be translated into a number of areas, including the types of services that a company like Orchard Joinery provides.

Orchard Joinery is a local business that has been in operation now for over 22 years, much of the business that we generate comes by word of mouth. That is satisfied customers informing other people of the services we provide and recommending us to them. This means that providing a quality service is absolutely essential to the ongoing success of the company. So how do we at Orchard Joinery ensure that we provide a quality service, and by so doing enhance the value of those services?

Firstly Orchard Joinery use quality products and source these from reputable suppliers. Not long ago someone came through the area trying to sign up company’s including Orchard Joinery to their supply chain. However the product they were supplying although significantly cheaper was also significantly inferior in quality, also they were pretty much a sole trader with no proper structures in place to ensure that what they promised they could deliver on. We treated them with courtesy but explained that we were happy with the quality of the products we already had, and had no plans to change suppliers, simply because they offered a cheaper price. Not long after this the company went bust and those companies who had signed on to the cheaper deal, were left red faced as they now had no means of continuing to supply the product, especially replacement parts for the large number of failures that were occurring, due to the inferior nature of the product. This meant a cost on several fronts, firstly the cost of reputation, and secondly the cost of removing all the inferior product and replacing it with what should have been put in place initially. The value of quality is that it is reliable and can match the promises made about its ability to function over a long period of time.

Secondly Orchard Joinery provide quality services. As a registered member of Master Joiners, we stand by the services we provide with a 10 year workmanship guarantee. This gives the customer the peace mind to know that if something were to go wrong, Orchard Joinery will provide the service they deserve to put it right. Because we are a local company, we are not just a flashy façade shop with no real substance behind it, who if they have a problem have to send away to somewhere else in NZ, or even worse overseas. We have an onsite factory, large spray booth, and a team of experienced tradesmen who can ensure that the job is done to your satisfaction. Having been in the business for over 22 years, means that we can draw on a vast pool of knowledge and solutions that others may not even be aware of. The value of quality here is that those receiving the services can have a real confidence that they will be treated with respect, and that there is real substance when it comes to backing the services provided.

All of this then leads to a quality result which is why Orchard Joinery continues to grow and develop into the 21st Century. Recently this was seen when the founder and CEO of the company returned to do a makeover (tune up) of kitchen that he had put in over 20 years ago. After all that time because it was such a quality product, it was still going strong with very little repair work needed. You compare this with a cheapo kitchen, which from experience would be lucky to last 5 years before things started wearing out. So if you do the Math’s they might need to replace a cheapo kitchen four times, in the same time that a quality kitchen simply need some minor repairs. There is the value of quality, it may initially cost more, but in the long run, it is actually far more cost effective. So don’t believe the hype, believe the facts, there is real value when you invest in quality.

Not bad for over 20 years old!

Written by N. Christensen