Sounds like they're cutting corners. Man, that would drive me nuts! When you rely on a material to act a certain way, and it doesn't, it ruins everything. Like, if your tempering is off, parts could break when they get used. I've heard of batches changing and making whole projects useless. It's not just about lost time, it's about safety and your name too. Once you can't trust the label, every order becomes a guess.

Are old ways really that important if we can just print new stuff?

See @ninafisher's fight? Life's rust needs heat and cool patience.