Often it is easy to come up with an idea for (as to what would make) a great product so many folks will take credit for the “great idea.” But the great idea is just that, an idea and nothing more, until the team of engineers sits down and brings the product to life. Anyone who has been part of this process can attest that the devil is often in the details. Getting the details right, up front in the design, is what makes for a great product in the end when it comes time to release. Another thing product designers know is that very little of what they do is new, unique or thought of solely by them. I am not sure I have had very many, if any, original thoughts throughout my time as a designer, since ideas stem from suggestions and input and experiences from countless sources. Yes, I feel silly to put my name on a patent when I know so much came from so many.
At PRIER, we approach every new design with the goal to provide value to each of our constituents: the end-user, the installing contractor, the specifying engineer, the builder, the owner, our rep, the wholesaler and the industry. One of our mottos at PRIER is to “do the right thing for the right reasons.” Nowhere is this more important than in product design and development.
To the end-users, we must provide an innovative product that performs better than what is currently on the market. For contractors, we need to help them save time with installation and give them a product that is reliable – no call backs. Engineers want high performance and quality. Builders and owners want to maximize their profits with value, value, value! Builders typically strive for effective costs versus benefits, and owners seek to maximize their return on assets – installing PRIER products that ”last the life of the plumbing system,” can do both. Reps want happy customers. Wholesalers, like builders and owners, are business folks trying to be as profitable as possible. PRIER’s goal to be our customer’s “best supplier” was penned to keep our focus where it needs to be, on our customer. Finally, to our industry, we strive to advance the ball down the field by continually innovating and improving everything that we offer.
We do not consider a design complete until it provides innovative, reliable, value to everyone on our customer list and that is where it gets difficult. One design can reduce cost but suffers reliability while another could be innovative but is too costly or complex. In order to get something for everyone we are not just shooting for a “win-win” but a “win-win-win-win-win-win-win-win-win!”
Yeah, not so easy, but it’s what we do and we love doing it!
“PRIER… Innovative. Reliable. Value… Built for Life!”
