Earlier this year, I was privileged to join a group of
designers from the Southeast on a trip to tour Sub-Zero and Wolf’s Goodyear,
Arizona manufacturing facility. It was a fantastic trip with some really
wonderful people. We enjoyed good food,
many laughs and a tour of the Frank Lloyd Wright Taliesin West while we were
there. I thought I would share some of the things I learned about Sub-Zero and
Wolf’s manufacturing process while I was there.
We drove out to the middle of nowhere. A very flat place
with only large distribution facilities dotted around. At the Goodyear, Arizona
plant, Sub-Zero only manufactures built in refrigeration. We all donned our safety glasses and heard a
brief history of this facility from the manager. They currently employ over 400
people and many of their employees have been with them a very long time. They
treat their employees well and many second generations work here as well. It’s
easy to work for a company that produces such a high quality product.
As we began our tour on the plant floor, we were shown
how rolls of metal were made into the exterior box of the refrigerator. Some
work is automated and some work is still done by hand. The precision required
was amazing to see in person! We continued thru the plant, seeing each stage of
production and watching a refrigerator take shape. I love seeing products being made and all that
goes into them! It really gives you an appreciation and validation for your
investment.
Then we stepped into the testing room. Boy, was that
impressive! Sub-Zero tests 100% of every product that they ship out. They say
they are the only manufacturer in the world to do that. They have zero
tolerance for flaws. And they scrap product every day. Scrap an $8000
refrigerator? You’ve got to be kidding me! That’s what I thought. But their
business philosophy is that they are building an appliance to last for 20
years. They don’t want the client to experience any issues. If they can catch
the problems in the manufacturing process thru thorough testing, it saves them
and the clients a lot of headache and cost. Sub-Zero only allows 100% correct
product to go out their door. This information was reassuring to me as a
designer and someone who specifies product for clients. It makes it easy to
recommend a product when you know the manufacturer is doing all they can to
reduce your headaches and provide the client a truly quality product.
It truly was an enlightening and informative trip. The
next time you have the chance to see a Sub-Zero or Wolf appliance, or maybe
even use one in your own home, maybe you too will look at it differently. And
see the quality, time and testing that went into such a great product. Do you
have questions about these products? Email me at jessica@webbercoleman.com. I’m
always happy to answer questions or give you further information.
