Craftsmanship and the “Wow” Factor
By Evan Coulter
Vice President of Operations
When I think about craftsmanship and quality at UCEC, I think of how we do business. Our clients aren’t simply placing an order and handing off their custom control panel to a bunch of guys on a workshop floor.
Instead, we try to treat our customers like partners. At any point, our customers can walk into our shop and speak with the craftsman who is building or wiring their panel. We like to stay away from a heavy-handed bureaucracy model of shop management. If you want to visit your panel and make suggestions or ask questions, you are welcome here. It’s as simple as that.
Our craftmanship starts with selecting the highest quality materials for our panel manufacturing. While many businesses aim for a lowest-cost model, it’s not for UCEC. Since 1958, we have been leaders in custom panel manufacturing because we aim to build a panel that will far outlast your design for it.
We want that “wow” factor when a client first opens up the panel door. It’s a funny thing about quality–it’s hard to put your finger on it sometimes, but when it’s missing, you just know.
Our employees learn the art of craftsmanship in a hands-on apprenticeship from more experienced team members. At each turn, a high attention to detail is passed on, so that our entire shop of 15 craftsmen develops a pride in what they do–and that they do it well. Our employees cultivate a strong sense of craft and competence, whether they work on the layout and assembly side or the wiring side of our shop.
It’s almost an elusive quality–craftsmanship–and something that is receding in many businesses. We like to think that in our Arvada, Colorado panel shop, the “old” ways of craftsmanship and attention to detail are alive and well. And we take pride in that, every time.