Codiak San Herrell

Solid Surface Designs

Customer service, material handling, fabrication, installation, and even the maintenance department – all have a responsibility in determining the quality of your product. And those departments perform their work with as much quality-mindedness as they think their customers deserve.  

Codiak and his helper check incoming slabs for consistency. It is not hard to implement quality inspections to test material thickness consistency (by micrometer) and a simple string test to check for bowing.

Codiak and his helper check incoming slabs for consistency. It is not hard to implement quality inspections to test material thickness consistency (by micrometer) and a simple string test to check for bowing.
A finished job, going out for installation. “Our install workers are especially mindful of quality, as they are the last line of defense to certify the stone is in perfect shape as it goes into a client’s home. They inspect the tops before installation using UV flashlights. They also use a UV Fill-A-Chip light when they do catch a small flaw or surface discrepancy. When transporting a job, they make sure that all tops are stacked face-to-face or back-to-back when being loaded onto their work trailers.”

Above: A finished job, going out for installation. “Our install workers are especially mindful of quality, as they are the last line of defense to certify the stone is in perfect shape as it goes into a client’s home. They inspect the tops before installation using UV flashlights. They also use a UV Fill-A-Chip light when they do catch a small flaw or surface discrepancy. When transporting a job, they make sure that all tops are stacked face-to-face or back-to-back when being loaded onto their work trailers.”
A Customer Satisfaction Survey is a good way to start a follow-up contact with a client, post-install. Solid Surface Designs sends out a Thank You letter, a care and maintenance form, with a guarantee to fix any chip found within the first 30 days of installation.

Above: A Customer Satisfaction Survey is a good way to start a follow-up contact with a client, post-install. Solid Surface Designs sends out a Thank You letter, a care and maintenance form, with a guarantee to fix any chip found within the first 30 days of installation.

An emphasis on quality is a focal point for Solid Surface Designs in 2019. And due to dissatisfaction in our ability to execute jobs as successfully or as often as we aspire to, we have decided to hire someone whose job focus is quality control. 

In the receiving department, the new quality inspector has already made his impact known by implementing a string test. This is a basic test where you have two people holding each end of a string across the front and back of a slab. If the string is not completely flush with the surface all the way across, then bowing in the slab is evident. He has also recommended us using calipers when inspecting slabs of stone, which gauges thickness variances. 

In the fabrication area, the quality inspector has set up processes to hold employees accountable for double-checking their work, as well as put extra focus and awareness on workers. We have a “shop traveler”, a job folder that follows the job from point A to point B. When employees work on a job, they are responsible to sign-off on whatever they worked on inside the folder, as well as checking off on dimensions detailed in the folder, proving that they double checked where necessary. 

Checking off on a job is also the responsibility of the workers putting seams together. We are getting a fabrication (gauging) wheel for our CNCs, which will be used to keep the thickness of the stone consistent, and hopefully create longer tool life. Our fabrication area is equipped with halogen lights around our tables to provide the best simulation of home lighting, and it also gives better lighting for a thorough inspection. 

In our installation department, we have recently implemented the decision for our install workers to wear SSD uniforms to increase professionalism. The install workers are also mindful of quality, and they inspect the tops before installation using UV flashlights. They also use a UV Fill-A-Chip light when they do catch a discrepancy. When transporting a job, they make sure that all tops are stacked face-to-face or back-to-back when being loaded onto their work trailers. And if we cannot transport that way, we use cardboard or plastic sheets to guard the polish on our jobs. Installers are also responsible for adding supports to customer’s walls if they deem the cabinets too weak for their countertops. It is S.O.P. to use 3 in 1, Cleaner- Polish-Protectant on customer’s tops, post install. The install team also makes sure that customers receive the post inspection sign-off. 

Solid Surface Designs also sends out an independent survey after every install, as well as a “Thank You” letter, a care and maintenance form, and a guarantee that if you find a chip in your countertop within 30 days, we will fix it for free. 

The driving force behind all these procedures is that we are not satisfied with our current quality and decided to take action. That is because we have high expectations and want to consistently deliver a high-quality product to our customers. 

According to our webpage www.solidsurfacedesigns.net, we have a 95 percent customer approval rating. But even if that number was 100 percent, we would still need to work on continually improving quality. 


Codiak San Herrell is a native of Aurora, Missouri. He is Warehouse Supervisor with Solid Surface Designs, where he serves on their safety and LEAN committee. Codiak is CPR / AED certified and currently working on other certifications.