Manufacturers, Screeners, Users, and Scientists: Producing and Circulating Information and Knowledge about Equipment

Monique Lortie¹, Angel Alberto Toyos Alvarez¹, Steve Vezeau¹, Maud Gonella^2
(1. Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, Qc, Canada;
2. Institut de Recherche en Santé et Sécurité du Travail, Montréal, Qc, Canada)

Abstract: This paper addresses two equipment-related issues: on the one hand, the choice of appropriate equipment, and on the other hand, the development of equipment that meets end-user needs. These issues were explored in two rather distinct cases and contexts: expensive equipment (forklifts) in medium-sized businesses, and inexpensive equipment (kneepads) in micro-businesses. The study investigates these issues through catalogues and brochures, seen here as relay tools between manufacturers and users. They provide good insight into what is understood about user needs and what is incorporated from the scientific literature. Two types of users were considered: equipment screener and equipment user. The study sheds light on the gap between the information provided by manufacturers and what screeners look for, and the gap between what is described in the catalogues and what end-users look for. It also shows the gap between the screener (as relay agent) and the end-user. The crucial role that relay tools and relay agents may play in the capture, organisation, and circulation of information is discussed.

Keywords: Forklift truck; kneepads; purchasing; catalogues; tacit knowledge; relay tool; relay agent

JEL codes: Z