Konek, Inc.

Company: Konek, Inc.
Location: Fairview, Pennsylvania
Product: Children's ride-on vehicles for the premium specialty market
Annual Sales: $2.5 million
Number employed: 60
Years in Business: 14

Situation:

Shortly after switching its supplier of high-impact styrene, Konek experienced an abnormally high rate of return of its children's vehicles due to damage during shipping. After ruling out the shipper as the source of damage, the integrity of the vehicles' plastic became suspect.

Project:

The PTDC performed Izod strength tests on batches of plastic Konek purchased from its new supplier. The material's tested strength fell short of what had been promised by the vendor.

Result:

Konek had independent evidence to show that the material it purchased did not meet specifications, which legitimized its dispute with the vendor.

Company Comments from David Chernak, Vice President:

"The PTDC's staff is both available and accessible. There was no red tape - our project was completed in a week and a half."