Measure twice, cut once.
Posted on | Posted in General
Measure twice, cut once is a phrase most of us have heard. It probably originated with woodworking and taken literally means; make sure you’re cutting in the right place, mistakes can be wasteful and expensive.
So what has that to with buying a pallet truck?
Is it also saying think, plan and prepare before you take action? In a busy world where Google makes it easy for us to find what we’re looking for, it can be tempting to just jump at the first option. ‘That seems to be the size I need, the price looks great and I can order online. Now where’s my credit card and then I can get on with the next job.’
It arrives, carefully packaged, shiny and new and you congratulate yourself on a job well done.
Some time later it breaks down. Never mind, it’s under warranty. Are you sure? Is labour included or will the supplier send the parts for you to fit? Would it just be easier or cheaper just to buy another one?
Maybe you call a specialist repairer but they break the bad news. ‘Sorry, it’s often not possible to replace the seals on these cheap units because the tolerances are are so poor. You’ll need to buy another I’m afraid.’ Buy the same again and the cost exceeds what you’d originally have paid for a good one and you still have a potentially unreliable unit.
Alternatively, would it have been worth doing a bit more research to eliminate the risk? That’s what we mean by measure twice, cut once!
Buy a good quality truck, service it regularly and repair it as necessary. It may cost more in the short term but you’ll save in the long term and after all, your company is here to stay. Isn’t it?
It really is that simple.