by Melinda Pillsbury-Foster
The
Installation guys, Gary and Daniel found my cabin, which was no small
thing in itself, being located at nearly 6,000 feet down a twisty,
narrow road. The old refrigerators, both of which would still have
been usable if some unnamed person had not turned off my electricity.
I will
spare you the details of what the insides of those poor refrigerators
were like.
The new
refrigerator, a Frigidaire, was plugged in, set, and before you knew
it Gary and Daniel were off in a puff of dust, thanks to the drought.
But the
Frigidaire did not get frigid. Room temperature was all it could do.
Bad news for me and for Bruce Canby, who owns Ruddy's from where the
gleaming white appliance, still packed in its carton, was sent.
Bruce
called me back, apologetic, with the number for the local tech. Amy,
of Tony's Appliances, answered the phone. When she heard my
reference number I was told they were refusing to service my call,
nothing personal. This was the fourth Frigidaire from that bad lot to
blight their lives this year, Amy confided.
Huh? I
said. Amy explained the parts their tech was told to buy in each
case cost more than the refrigerator and did not work to fix the
problem. Ahhh...the penny dropped. Frigidaire has found a way to
dump its bad stock and double their money.
Need I say
that these units are made in China? I thought not.
Bruce,
informed of this illuminating conversation, told me he would be back
to me in a couple of hours with a solution which would work. He
did. He and his son delivered my new refrigerator yesterday.
Bruce is a
real American, one who knows what the right thing is. Quality work
and service are instilled in him as values. His family has been
doing business in Tulare County since they arrived to farm in 1912.
But the day
was not over. My elderly Mercury Sable needed a new radiator and I
had consigned it into the well known hands of Kevin at 360 Auto on
Olive Street. Kevin insisted on test driving it several times and
asking me questions about the symptoms which had caused me to have it
trucked down the mountain by Hula Towing, just across the street from
360 Auto. The Hula Technician Corey Thomas was courteous, fast, and
precise. He even picked up the key, something he did not have to do.
No time was wasted.
So why, I
asked Kevin, did he have to test drive it several times and ask so
many questions?
Because, he
said, No matter what brand you buy today they are all made in China
and all too often the part does not work when you lift it out of the
box to fit it in place.
What is the
cost of a part if you count the cost of unnecessary parts and those
which do not work? For Frigidaire this could be intentional but all
careless work costs money to downstream businesses and to the buyer.
America's
dominance in world markets was once founded on very different values
and personal ethics, like those exemplified by Bruce, Kevin and
Corey. It can be again.
Values and
standards deteriorate when you do not see the impact of your choices
on others. When business is local our wish to do right is less often
challenged by the temptation for extra profits, and correcting the
problem is much easier.
On a very
real level, the meltdown America has experienced is based on core
values which conflict with the corporate mission for optimizing
profits.
Today
America is becoming competitive with the countries which drew away
our own production. While wages are still higher in the US wages in
these countries are rising. Our lower costs for energy and raw
materials are opening opportunities for choices.
We need to
ask ourselves, now, how we want to proceed as Korea, China, and other
competitors begin to open factories here to employ Americans.
Remember
Jay Leno, who has the parts for his expensive antique autos 3D
Printed? It does not have to be an antique car. It can be a
Frigidaire or maybe even my Mercury's radiator.
3D Printing
is renew local commerce and lower costs of all of us. Remember an
America which understood quality and businesspeople who stood by
their work? It can be so again.
Everything
we use depends on parts made in China. But using 3DPrinting could
make the trip across the great Pacific Pond unnecessary.
As the
automobile was once a toy, so, today, do most of us view 3D Printing.
This, too, can change, as it did for the automobile.
How it
changes is up to us and our own choices. 3D Printing allows for local
jobs, which are in effect small businesses. This can take us to a
very different future.
Values
matter. How happy and satisfied we are with our lives hinges on our
connections to others, being respected and valued as a person.
Doing
excellent work, being reliable, consistent and innovative, made
Americans respected. We can do it again, beginning with 3D Printing
parts for appliances and other necessities. Now, there are limits,
but these can change as those expert in the technology of 3D Printing
provide solutions.
Are there
Americans who would be delighted to work at home making parts for
local shops? Yes. Running your own small business was once the
foundation on which our economy rested. The family business was
business school for a generation of entrepreneurs.
These same
people could also begin to repair instead of dump older appliances
and machines. Look around your home. How often have you had to dump
some small, or large, appliance because it stopped working? Better
to make it work again, better for all of us.
Imagine for
a moment getting up in the morning to see what you will be making,
your specs and what is needed, having popped up on your screen. You
get busy, emailing your customer to confirm you are on it and when
the part will be delivered. Fast, reliable parts, produced locally,
will use less energy for transport. Low energy costs are one of the
reasons jobs are returning to the US today.
So lowering
the cost of energy is also an avenue for changing the future. In
California today we have passed parity between solar and oil as
sources for energy, one of ten states to have done so.
Wipomo, a
company in San Diego, is installing solar technology which allows you
to power your car and use the car to generate more energy, which can
then be used in your home. Their only problem is keeping up with the
demand. CEO Charlie Johnson advises consumers to, “Choose
energy efficient products built to last.”
And there
are other technologies, waiting, which can change what we do here in
Tulare County which can lower our energy costs by 50%.
How long do
you think it it will be until you can buy a 3DPrinted 1957 Chevy?
How long until energy is no longer an issue? The power to change
direction is in our hands.
American
values are founded on the choices we make as individuals. We lost
sight of that, and it cost us dearly – but we can return to what
works for us as individuals, for our communities, and to build a
different future for our children.
Bruce,
Kevin, Corey and Greg, Corey's boss, live these values.
Your
refrigerator is only the beginning.
