I got an email from a dealer regarding a claim he had for a shade variation issue and it led us to a dialogue regarding overall quality of flooring materials. I asked if his concerns were for one manufacturer or if he felt the quality issues were with everyone.

His response was, "It seems to be from all of them; vinyl as well as carpet. It doesn't seem to matter if it's a small mill or a large one. I wonder if the people in charge of quality control don't have the same standards as I would.

"I've been in the construction industry since 1971 owning my own flooring store since 1987," he continued. "One thing I've noticed in flooring is when the economy slows the quality of the products goes down. I would think when business is slow everything a mill turns out would be flawless. In a slow economy the last thing any of us can afford is to pay claims. We have had at least six projects in the last two weeks where the product was badly flawed. In three of those it never should have left the mill. Now, my store had the best year it ever had last year and will equal that or pass it this year so it's not like we're slow and just notice it more. What would cause the mills to lower their standards just because the economy is slow?"

You would think with business being slower, quality would go up because there should be less rushing to get the product out the door. But as business slows down manufacturers cut back, shift people around and make changes.

When this happens it can create a ripple effect that can affect the quality of the product. The less skilled the employees the greater the chance defects will occur. This is one reason why, when we are working with a client to oversee their products we do not allow them to be made on the weekend or on third shift. We also request a specific individual to operate the shearing machine. You wouldn't think this should make a difference as the equipment is all automated but certain employees are better at operating it than others. When people are moved around or eliminated it can have an affect on quality. Cutting back during a business slow down sometimes means having to do more with less and in doing so quality can be compromised.

Sometimes everything that's made gets shipped and "we'll worry about it later." Once it's on the job, possession rules nine out of 10 times. That means if you have it, you've got to install it and chances are you'll keep it even if the mill has to make a concession. It shouldn't be this way but it's an inbred philosophy.

You'd be amazed at how ridiculous things can get during difficult times and when people try to protect their little fiefdoms at the mill. It may be upper management doesn't know what's going on because it is not micro-managing the business. Lower managers are in charge and they're protecting their territory by making sure the products ship. Welcome to the industry.

A few months ago, a mill executive said they were cutting employees' hours to adjust for the business slowdown rather than eliminate people for the simple reason that when business does pick up they won't have to worry about hiring and training new people.

This was for the sake of quality and this manufacturer's quality has been very good. It has made a conscious decision to retain its skilled work force to ensure its customers continued to receive flooring material as defect-free as possible. You'd hope everyone operates this way but they don't.