“Experience is the one thing you can’t get for nothing.” Oscar Wilde
Paragon has been a leader in orthotic manufacturing for over 45 years. A vital component of our success has been the experience and know-how of our technicians.
Without the skill and expertise of our employees, regardless of how superior our materials and manufacturing processes are, we would not be able to produce such a first rate product. Our experienced craftspeople are the most important ingredient that Paragon utilizes in the manufacturing of orthotics. It is, conversely, the only quality that cannot be purchased. Experience is the intangible element that every lab covets, but few have obtained. We as manufactures all know the difference between what an orthotic looks and feels like when it is made by minimally trained labour and those that have been crafted by skilled artisans. Likewise, many experienced practitioners can recognize the different between the two products by sight alone, even without the need to hold them for comparison.
Experience is not an easy asset to obtain. If it was, every lab would possess it. It comes from years of training and development. It comes through the development of your employees and encouraging their constant input on enhancing manufacturing processes and techniques. We feel that our employees are our company’s greatest asset and that the retention of our employees is the single most determining factor to their growth and proficiency. It’s what distinguished an employee from a technician; a labourer from a craftsperson; and ultimately, an arch support from a truly corrective biomechanical orthotic. Few labs can claim that they employ craftspeople. Paragon is very proud to have produced such highly skilled employees. This is the very foundation of Paragon’s reputation for quality.
This asset wasn’t born by chance; it was enabled through our uncompromising commitment to excellence. We don’t subscribe to the practice of hiring temporary labourers at low wages just so they can move on in a couple of years, and to keep re-hiring simply to keep our labour costs minimal. For our technicians, this isn’t just a job, it’s a career. This approach has served us well. It has helped us stay in business for over 45 years, and it’s surely going to contribute to our success and reputation for the next 45 years. It’s what distinguishes us from most of Canada’s orthotic manufacturing labs. Our reputation is the confirmation; our longevity is the evidence, and our product is the proof.