Steinway and Sons
1. What accounts for Steinway’s reputation as a manufacturer of High Quality Piano’s?
Ans 1:
Steinway has a reputation for creating high quality products. The company’s products score very high on 5 dimensions of quality, Performance, Reliability, Durability, Aesthetics and Perceived quality.
The factors behind the high quality products of Steinway are 1) Steinway maintained a good relationship with artists, and had a list of approved artists who were eligible for Steinway Concert service under which the company provided pianos at all concerts. Their relations with acclaimed artists helped improve the image of Steinway. Also, Steinway used the talents of these artists as testing grounds for its pianos, which helped maintain the quality. Stenway also sought after gathering testimonials of famous pianists and wealthy patrons who use their products. 2) Steinway employs highly skilled labor, many of them in the business since 2 or 3 generations. The company also offers various training and internship programs to improve the skill level of the employees. Thus, quality handcraftsmanship and innovative techniques were part of the tradition. 3) Steinway works with the best raw materials for its pianos. The company hired wood technologists who would locate fine quality wood from around the world. The emphasis on quality was so high that all weathered wood was discarded, even if it was more than half of the total. 4) Continuous Improvement/Innovation: Steinway has constantly innovated and improved its production techniques and components to improve quality. It housed a R&D with a budget of about $250k to develop better methods and material.
5. Shaping operations that were manually performed in a dozen steps & often reworked to achieve the quality joints Steinway required
6. Recognition: Gold medal from the American Institute Exhibition, Grand Gold Medal of Honor for excellence in engineering and manufacturing at
Ans 1:
Steinway has a reputation for creating high quality products. The company’s products score very high on 5 dimensions of quality, Performance, Reliability, Durability, Aesthetics and Perceived quality.
The factors behind the high quality products of Steinway are 1) Steinway maintained a good relationship with artists, and had a list of approved artists who were eligible for Steinway Concert service under which the company provided pianos at all concerts. Their relations with acclaimed artists helped improve the image of Steinway. Also, Steinway used the talents of these artists as testing grounds for its pianos, which helped maintain the quality. Stenway also sought after gathering testimonials of famous pianists and wealthy patrons who use their products. 2) Steinway employs highly skilled labor, many of them in the business since 2 or 3 generations. The company also offers various training and internship programs to improve the skill level of the employees. Thus, quality handcraftsmanship and innovative techniques were part of the tradition. 3) Steinway works with the best raw materials for its pianos. The company hired wood technologists who would locate fine quality wood from around the world. The emphasis on quality was so high that all weathered wood was discarded, even if it was more than half of the total. 4) Continuous Improvement/Innovation: Steinway has constantly innovated and improved its production techniques and components to improve quality. It housed a R&D with a budget of about $250k to develop better methods and material.
5. Shaping operations that were manually performed in a dozen steps & often reworked to achieve the quality joints Steinway required
6. Recognition: Gold medal from the American Institute Exhibition, Grand Gold Medal of Honor for excellence in engineering and manufacturing at