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If you’re about to buy equipment, you probably have more than
one source of supply. If you’re like most of us, you wonder who to deal with and
why and where you can get the most for your money—all very valid concerns. For
certain things, such as slab rollers, extruders, throwing bats and, now, the
tile press, glaze mixing tables, worktables, etc. we think North Star Equipment
is worthy of your consideration, and we’d like to tell you a little of why that
is.
First, we don’t try to sell everything to everybody. We don’t have an 800-page
catalog. We’re a small manufacturing company. We make only a very few products
and we make only those things we know we can make better than anybody else.
Furthermore, we make them in our own facility, on our own machinery and they are
ours, not copied. Our products are not made offshore, they’re not subbed out,
and quality is not sacrificed for profit. This isn’t accidental—it’s a natural
outgrowth of an old-fashioned business philosophy that underlies everything we
do.
Second, we stand squarely behind what we make - there are no 30-day guarantees
at North Star. Our products and methods are good enough to allow that. For
instance, Standard series slab rollers, the lighter machines, are guaranteed for
life if not used commercially or in a school. Super slab rollers are guaranteed
for life, period. We even guarantee the shipping on everything. It arrives at
your door in perfect condition or we replace it immediately. You aren’t forced
to waste time making a claim with UPS or a freight line. Also, we’ve been around
long enough that our guarantees mean something. We’ve been making slab rollers
for more than thirty five years and, in all that time, we have charged only two
people for repairs or replacement parts (even counting schools using Standard
Slab Rollers). Both charges were caused because it was obvious the machine had
been used for something other than rolling clay.
We’d also like you to know this: We inventory what we make. More than 75% of all
orders are shipped within one working day and more than 97% are shipped in two
working days. The last time we bought a competitor’s slab roller (something we
do regularly) it took one hundred forty six days to arrive and it was damaged.
When we called about the damage—we didn’t identify ourselves—we were told,
“That’s just cosmetic. You can live with it.” That’s a direct quote.
Finally, we’d like you to know of just a couple more manifestations of our
approach to business. We stock repair and replacement parts for every North Star
product ever made. That’s something few manufacturers in any field do. Also, we
have a high-tech computerized telephone answering system, but if you call during
business hours (7 to 5 Pacific time, Monday through Thursday), you’ll never hear
it. Your call will be answered by a human being and you’ll get the information
you need right then and there. If you like to get lost in automated telephone
menus you’ll just have to call someone else.
No matter what we say, however, it's
just us talking. Ask your dealer, talk to other potters or search the
'net before you buy.
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