Kittens for Free

By John Walsh, WSTDA President

JoAnn and I spent the last two weeks of August at our cottage on Salmon Trout Lake. Interesting name – the lake has plenty of fish, there are Bass and Pickerel (Walleye) galore but no Salmon or Trout! The weather cooperated and as our cottage faces west, the sunsets over the lake were both stimulating and relaxing.

Anyone who has cottage experience knows that a regular part of the routine is the trip to town for needed supplies and of course a newspaper. Now included is a visit to the Internet Café to check on work email messages. There were many, but none that could not be easily handled.

One day driving back from town, we saw a homemade sign beside the road in front of a small home. The sign read, “Kittens for Free.” This brought back memories of our son then probably six or seven rushing home to tell his mother about available kittens “and Mom they are free.”

How do you explain to a six year old about hidden costs: food, veterinary costs, they do need shots, a litter box and cat litter? Thinking of this it crossed my mind that in our business lives we constantly face the temptation of “Free Kittens.”

WSTDA member companies rank among the finest in the world in our areas of business. Even so there are dilemmas. We purchase raw materials, services including the labor of employees, sometimes finished goods and a myriad of other things to keep our business operating. In this case, the “Free Kittens” are low cost (low quality) goods, made here or abroad, or the services we need. But at what true cost? We face the constant struggle to be competitive and it is easy to succumb to the cheapest price. But at what true cost?

One failure in the field with supplier fault can cause irreparable damage. Products that wear out prematurely damage the trust relationship between seller and buyer. Uninformed, delayed or impolite response from employees to customers can be the death knell of a business. All this happens when those “Free Kittens” seduce us.

Your WSTDA is working hard to help member companies, and our entire industry, by providing standards and independent test results they can use to decide what is the right course of action. There are two important activities, conducted with Board approval, under way. Our Legal Resource Committee has spearheaded the independent professional evaluation of our Warning Labels and Warning Sheets. This is currently being done by Dr. Jane T. Welch and Associates with her findings and recommendations due this fall. Our Roundsling Technical Committee determined the need for and our Testing Committee is carrying out an extensive Edge Cut Test Program on Roundslings in a variety of sizes.

Results from these studies will help us make informed decisions. What level of service, security and quality do we want to build into our products? We must strive for the highest level of both, consistent with the demands of our marketplace and the vital need to protect our businesses and industry.

Beware of “Free Kittens.”

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Web Sling & Tie Down Association

2105 Laurel Bush Rd. • Suite 200 • Bel Air, MD 21015 • phone: 443-640-1070 • fax: 443-640-1031 • wstda@ksgroup.org • www.wstda.com