F899. Doesn’t apply to everything

Today, post is short but just a smidge under hill airy ess (those that know me, that’s hilarious).

Balancing goods received to invoices is the bane of my exisitance (a favorite phrase of a dear colleague that has moved onward and upward). Recall the blogs post regarding material specifications? Um yeah. This is related to that.

F899 is typically a material specification for medical stuff. You know, knee replacements, hip replacements, joint pins- ya get me- stuff that makes our toes curl.

Steel like stainless and titanium and chrome molly stuff has to be certified to ASTM F899 or it’s a big no can do. And usually small diameter stuff- less than 3.00 inches diameter stuff.

Look at your cell phone and think smaller than that width, but a round. Yeah. Medical. Surgery. The human body.

Yeah. So I have an invoice from a vendor that had to evaluate an MTR. The material the invoice referenced is 17-4 large diameter (like over eight inches diameter) round bar.

Welp, I would argue and say there’s not a surgeon willing to use an over eight inch diameter anything for either a surgical instrument or a replacement for anything.

I could be wrong, and I would stand to be corrected, but in this particular instance I don’t need this bar to be to F899.

I’m not going to pay it until I get further clarification from those who know way more than I.

Buyers in any industry are not sales folks. I have a healthy respect for inside sales and outside sales in any industry, and especially steel. The objections that those cool cats have to overcome in a day totally get an “atta way to go” and many times over a high five from me. I could not do it.

But it has been my career to know as much as I can about my industry to know what mill to go to provide the best material and in this case, know a smidge of a material specification to keep the costs reasonable.

When I don’t know, I take advantage of my resources to find out.

Remember:

Dumbledore told Harry that “help will always be given at Hogwarts for those who ask for it” (JK Rowling, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Book 7).

Surround yourself, regardless of your career path with those more than willing to help you while you are on your journey. I have been more than fortunate to have have several mentors in my career-those people that have forgotten more than I will ever know.

Author: pegesam

I'm a mom to three boys and three rescue pups. I scored big when I married Rob, my best friend in the whole wide. We enjoy long walks thru the hood, hanging by the patio and pool with a refreshing beverage. In addition to pup hugs, I love long distance road biking, short distance mountian/trail biking and hours of Ingress and Pokemon Go. Nothing within the blog is original, however the interpretation of is that of years in the industry and / or what I have learned or researched on my own. Use at your own risk and give intell creds where and when due please. I have gone out of my way to protect the innocent and any similarities of events and circumstances are coincidental. View all posts by pegesam