Mattel Inc. is the world 's largest toy company based on revenue. The products it produces include Barbie dolls, Hot Wheels and Matchbox cars, Masters of the Universe, Scrabble, Uno, American Girl dolls, board games, and, in the early 1980s, video game consoles. The company 's name is derived from Harold "Matt" Matson and Elliot Handler, who founded the company in 1945. Handler 's wife, Ruth Handler, later became president, and is credited with establishing the Barbie product line for the company in 1959. Mattel closed its last American factory, originally part of the Fisher-Price division, in 2002. By 2007, Mattel 's toys were primarily manufactured by subcontractors in Asia.
Mattel has a handful of very recognizable brands. The largest, of course, is Barbie, which put Mattel on the map at the beginning, and currently accounts for over half of the firm’s revenue. Other products include Hot Wheels and American Girls. Further, Mattel has some licensing deals with a number of other established brands, including Disney, Fisher Price, Nascar, and even Microsoft. In addition to diversifying Mattel’s product line, working with these successful and popular names will increase chances for success.
On time delivery of products to retailers has soared in recent years from 50% to 90%, thanks to improvements in information systems and warehouse facilities. High service numbers have led to happier distributors.
International sales account for over one-third of Mattel’s revenue, with plans to raise that figure to 50%. There are two main reasons for the company’s international success.
First, product availability has been improved in specific market thanks to collaborative efforts with international firms, specifically Bandai Co. of Japan.
Secondly, Mattel has been able to cater products to each market’s taste, and maintain high flexibility and low costs by simplifying packaging strategies.
Bibliography: Support: case study LEGO Internet sources: - Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MattelMattel, http://investor.shareholder.com/mattel/annuals.cfmSwot Mattel, http://www.wikiswot.com/SWOT/4_/Mattel_INC.htmlNew York Times (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/companies/mattel_inc/)