After the postings about getting good quality pneumatic cloth recently
I've got to clear up the quality issue.

There have been comments that the last person in the chain, the
rebuilder should do all the testing of materials received from
suppliers; to insure that his rebuilding job is correct and that he
can then warranty his work.  Wrong!  Wrong!

First of all, it is very inefficient for us rebuilders to do all
the testing.  The 150 test setups that are designed by each of 150
rebuilders to test pneumatic cloth for quality is ridiculous.  There
should only have to be one properly designed test fixture and
procedures at the supplier to test pneumatic cloth or other such player
components so we rebuilders can get on with rebuilding, only.  This is
a much more efficient way of operating.

This test setup for the supplier could be also design with assistance
from their customers, the rebuilders.  This is the way it works in
industry.  Our Customers don't want to pay the extra expense for
testing every new part we put in our rebuilding jobs.  My customer
price tag unfortunately has been absorbing this expense.

I worked for approximately 10 hard disk drive companies in a 30-year
period and none of them operate the way it does in the piano and player
piano business.  In these companies, all components are tested in
component quality control departments or similar departments in each
company.  The suppliers know this and know that if they don't get
their act together, the defective parts will be returned to them and
eventually they will be out of business.

The hard disk drive business is fiercely competitive and these
companies know they can't afford inferior components coming in the
back door.  Also, the testing doesn't have to be done at the suppliers.
It can be done at the manufacture with test procedures provided by the
supplier.

The bottom line here is that when one entity purchases an individual
stand alone component, it is his responsibility to insure that the
component does what it is designed to do before he sells that component
to the next level of manufacture.  A lot of the time the piano
technicians and rebuilders don't demand that piano and player piano
supply houses furnish them with tested component parts and materials.

I find that the piano supply business is mostly amateur.  They don't
have a clue as to what quality control means.  The only reason that we
get fairly good parts some of the time is not because of a rigorous
quality control system set up at the supply house, but because of
personal pride of a few of the employees in that firm.

Most piano and player piano supply houses give us too many inferior
parts.  As an example, Schaff Piano Supply is generally okay, except,
as an example, the hammers butts which are manufactured in Mexico for
the old uprights that I rebuild have about 20% of them defective.
I used to have to perform quality control on these action parts to weed
out the bad ones,  and then convince Schaff to replace these parts.

After complaining to Schaff about why we can't get inspected parts,
they acted as if they didn't have control over the manufacture and
that there was nothing they could do about it!  I have now found a new
supplier for hammer butts that are made in Japan and it's obvious that
these parts are tested and inspected properly.

We rebuilders need to change our attitudes towards our suppliers and
insist that they supply us with what we want.  And at the same time,
we should seek out other suppliers who will give us properly designed
and tested parts.

I like to consider my trade as a profession and providing professional
rebuilding services.  Therefore, I only want to deal with professional
business firms and colleagues.

Let's stop this political correctness of defending a supplier because
he is a nice guy.  I don't care if he goes to church every Sunday, if
he is selling me crap, he needs straightening out or we find somebody
else.  And in most cases, I go out of my way to find someone else.

Bing Gibbs, Player Piano Forte
Cupertino, CA

 [ The adage is still true at the auto parts store: "If you want free
 [ advice you may ask the store clerk, but if you want good advice,
 [ hire the expert."  Then buy what the expert specifies.  It may not
 [ be easy, or cheap.  -- Robbie