1 page response + 2 pages M7A1 - Quality Management

Quality Management

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Quality challenges that the company used to face and how the company has improved quality over the years

Herman Miller is an American manufacturing company that manufactures home and office furniture and equipments. The products that the company is known for manufacturing are Aeron chair, Equa chair, Marshmallow chair and Noguchi table among others (Hermanmiller.com, 2015). In the current highly competitive market, the company was faced with a quality challenge. Other competing companies produce high quality products at a relatively cheaper cost. The companies also produced the high quality products at a faster rate. Herman’s main customers also needed other quality products and not the ones that were being produced at the time.

In the early 2000’s, the then Chief Executive Officer Michael Volkema noticed that there was a decline in white color jobs (Birchard, 2010). The other untapped market too needed quality products. The company had to maintain a high quality and at the same time reduce the time taken to manufacture a single product. It also had to reduce the cost of the high quality product . it had to do that because the company’s profitability would decline since the company had no option but to maintain or even increase the quality of its products or else lose the market share to the competitors. The company used to take more time to produce quality products that would attract the customers due to reduced price. For instance, the Aeron chair that the company produces used to be completed after 82 seconds.

Over the years, the company invested heavily on research and design and adoption of better strategies that guaranteed n improvement in the quality of the company’s products and services. The company adopted the Kaizen method and effectively increased the quality of the company’s products. For instance, an Aeron chair which previously took 82 seconds to be produced currently takes 17 seconds. The company’s quality metrics have greatly increased over the years (Hermanmiller.com, 2015).

What the company doing to convey improved quality in its marketing message

The company currently has since long ago been committed to quality production. It conveys an ever improving quality by stating that the company does quality.

Comparing and contrasting of the company’s findings for the company’s strategy

The company adopted various management innovations including shareholder value based decision making, lean production and supplier dealer integration. The company’s management sought a new market and offered high quality products. On realization that the number of people in white collar jobs would decline, the company’s management soon shifted the market and began manufacturing various kinds of illumination. Convia was thus created and more value was accorded to the clients.

In a nutshell, the company has adopted strategies that have enabled the company overcome the challenges that the market has brought forth in the recent past. The adoption of kaizen quality improvement method enabled the company improve its quality and quantity of production, both of which are crucial for the company’s performance. The company has also improved the quality of services that it offers to its clients. The strategies that the company were well utilized and guaranteed the company’s improvement. The company was also able to come out of the quality challenges that the company faced in the recent past.

Reference

Hermanmiller.com(2015).hermanmiller’s website. Retrieved on February 20, 2015 from http://www.hermanmiller.com/

Bill Birchard, (May 25, 2010).Herman millers design for growth. Business and strategy. Retrieved on February 20, 2015 from http://www.strategy-business.com/article/10206?pg=all