Only as good as your final
inspector
Let’s face it. Ask any drycleaner
and he’ll never admit he does poor work. But does he
really know?
The answer is: the work is only as good as
their final inspection system.
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Since this is a necessary practice, the
minimal cost should not be considered. Here it is.
Personnel. The
individual or the “final inspector” (in some cases
an owner or individual with personal interest) must have good
vision and be trained to observe just what management has
outlined to do. She or he must be made to follow the standard
of excellence that management has designated and must know the
least acceptable levels of quality.
Salary should be commensurate with a
marker or a bagger who would double as an assembler to this
important duty.
Here is the main point. She must be able
to follow the simple color coded system that you have outlined,
and all without talking! He or she is not designated as the new
boss or foreman, but is there simply to deliver that garment to
the department head, who makes the correction with full
priority.
Again, no instructions, no lectures. Leave
that up to the designated department head.
Inspection system
Each department is assigned a color. It
could be any designation you decide on. For example: yellow,
spotting; green, shirt-finishing; red, tailoring, etc.
Next: A log book with color-coded
designated pages.
Most stationary stores will carry several
rolls of colored stick-on tape and a dispenser to hold said
amounts of colored tapes.
When a flaw or fault in
finishing/spotting, etc., occurs, the inspector sticks on that
designated department color and delivers said garment or
garments to that individual who is acting as the receiver. Each
department is assigned a color and an individual or dispatcher
for that department. One individual for each department, who
should be chosen not as an instructor or foreman but simply to
accept that garment to that department head for correction. It
is also unimportant who makes the correction.
The inspector logs in the colored section
of the log book and records the time and date of piece to be
corrected, and that piece takes full priority to be immediately
returned to the inspector/assembler for completion of the
order.
Again, all without a word, no talking, no
chastisement, no instruction. Just correction, and as rapidly
as possibly.
To draw attention to the garment being
corrected it might be wise to reverse the hanger position so
that the garment is not overlooked or somehow gets past and
included in the production line.
The department may stick on the same tape
in the same spot to show the correction. In the case of
spotting, this may not be practical and in some case an
“alibi tag” may be added to show correction is not
possible or the customer must be notified of the condition or a
release form added. The main point here is that the stain or
condition was not overlooked, and the customer was notified.
Again no verbal communication.
Here the addition of having the
customer’s phone number on the original invoice is an
excellent personal touch and should be utilized.
Equipment
An inspection station is to be set up,
usually where the bagging assembly area is taking place. If a
“rolling table” is not now in place, it’s
time it was established. This table should contain everything
that will aid in the finished product, such as lint rollers,
needle and thread, buttons, scissors, staple remover, pig-tail
garment turn-around, log book, and, most important, a spotlight
making all garments visible.
As a demonstration of customer
satisfaction, it would be advantageous to have a colorful sign
visible from the counter: “All your garments are
carefully inspected by (inspector’s name) with the
highest standard of excellence.”
Log book
This is really the key to the success or
failure of this entire system.
Every return for touch-up, spotting,
double crease, etc., is recorded. Then, at the beginning of
each week and hopefully every two weeks, a staff meeting is
held.
This can be an informal get together, like
a pizza party, and lasts no more than a half hour. Here
management officiates while the inspector reads the total
amount of garments that were returned from each department. The
purpose here is to bring attention to someone who might require
more training, or some fault in equipment or a press that needs
new padding, or buttons being broken etc.
In some cases, for lack of information
from the counter, failure of the marker to alert the spotter
for pre-spotting, etc. The main purpose is to insure quality
control, that the numbers of returns are being reduced
continually, and lower numbers are reported at each meeting.
Now the inspector receives more training
and what to look for and the offending worker knows someone is
being paid to report a fault in their operation.
Conclusion
We all know the cost of losing a customer.
This system and program assures management of zeroing on the
offending party and, because there is no talking, no
personalities enter into the equation. The inspector is being
paid to do a job.
Should a customer, who basically is the
“Inspector’s Inspector,” complain, then
management has to retrain the inspector and to be certain that
the individual knows just what to look for and to learn the
limitations, if there are any, in obtaining perfection. What
does a perfect garment look like? This is the basis of why the
system can and must constantly keep improving.
The inspector could visit a classy dress
shop, or a stylish expensive men’s store and be sure your
firm can duplicate or improve on that workmanship. After the
first week, meet with the spotter, the master finisher, the
shirt finisher and tailor and know what the problems are to
maintain quality and still have production.
Management at this point should introduce
the inspector to the entire staff and explain exactly what the
purpose of the position is, that they were hired not to check
on a person ability or skill but solely as eyes for the entire
plant and how, as a team, the firm can only succeed by working
with full cooperation.
The team WINS when all work together!
Ray Colucci, a consultant to the fabric
care industry, has revised and made available three timely
pamphlets: “Up Front Is Where It Counts” for
counter training; “Pressed for Perfection” for
finishing techniques; the popular “Route to Success To
the Home of Office” for complete route training. The
pamphlets are $20 each or all three for $50. Immediate delivery
with all postage paid is promised. Send requests and payment to
to R. Colucci, 410 Warren Ave., Mamaroneck, NY 10543.
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