Appliance Design - December 2007 - (Page 5) EDIToRIAL ® www.applianceDESIGN.com publishing staff Fern Sheinman Publisher Richard J. Babyak Editor Larry Adams Managing Editor Daryl Delano Economics Editor Amy Alef Production Manager MaTT Britcher Art Director (858) 259-4585 sheinmanf@bnpmedia.com (440) 886-1210 babyakr@bnpmedia.com (773) 467-8590 adamsl@bnpmedia.com (508) 746-7986 ddelano@adelphia.net (248) 244-6409 alefa@bnpmedia.com (734) 354-1874 britcherm@bnpmedia.com circulation Christine Baloga (248) 244-8262 Corporate Audience Development Director balogac@bnpmedia.com Amy Schuler (920) 231-4932 Audience Development Manager schulera@bnpmedia.com Alison Illes (248) 244-1730 Corporate Fulfillment Manager Illesa@bnpmedia.com Catherine M. Ronan (248) 244-8259 Audience Audit Manager ronanc@bnpmedia.com Robert Liska 800-223-2194 List Manager robert.liska@edithroman.com marketing Danielle Kimble Marketing Director Paul Dykstra Trade Show Coordinator (248) 244-8257 kimbled@bnpmedia.com (248) 786-1609 dykstrap@bnpmedia.com editorial advisory board Mark Skaer, Senior Editor, The News Susan Sutton, Editor, Ceramic Industry Roy Sakelson, Editor-in-Chief, Circuitree Tom Williams, Publisher/Editor, Quality Magazine Darlene Brezinski, Ph.D., Editor, Paint and Coatings Industry Don Hegland, Editor, Assembly BNP Media Helps People Succeed in Business with Superior Information BNP Media 2401 West Big Beaver Rd., Suite 700, Troy, MI 48084, (248) 362-3700, Fax: (248) 362-0317; www.bnpmedia.com For subscription information or service, please contact Customer Service at: call (847) 763-9534 • Fax: (847) 763-9538 or email: AD@halldata.com APPLIANCE DESIGN (ISSN 1552-5937) is published 12 times annually, monthly, by BNP Media, 2401 W. Big Beaver Rd., Suite 700, Troy, MI 48084-3333. Telephone: (248) 362-3700, Fax: (248) 362-0317. No charge for subscriptions to qualified individuals. Annual rate for subscriptions to nonqualified individuals in the U.S.A.: $116.00 USD. Annual rate for subscriptions to nonqualified individuals in Canada: $145.00 USD (includes GST & postage); all other countries: $156.00 (airmail) payable in U.S. funds. Periodicals Postage Paid at Troy, MI and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: APPLIANCE DESIGN, P.O. Box 2148, Skokie, IL 60076. Printed in the U.S.A. Copyright 2007, by BNP Media. GST account: 131263923. Change of address: Send old address label along with new address to APPLIANCE DESIGN, P.O. Box 2148, Skokie, IL 60076. All rights reserved. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the consent of the publisher. The publisher is not responsible for product claims and representations. For single copies or back issues, contact Ann Kalb at (248) 244-6499 or KalbA@bnpmedia.com. Canada Post: Publications Mail Agreement #40026999. Send returns (Canada) to Bleuchip International, P.O. Box 25542, London, ON, N6C 6B2. round a half century ago, when something broke or failed to work, it was common to hear someone mutter in disgust, “made in Japan.” Back then, the phrase was shorthand for cheap, poorly made goods. In the years that followed, Japan’s pursuit of quality reversed the connotation of the term, transforming it from insult to compliment. It will be interesting to see if history repeats itself with another Asian country. The spate of recalls this past year involving products made in China has many U.S. manufacturers worried about a backlash. Those that have become dependent on China as a source of production or components fear a consumer movement toward “made in America” products. Such movements have fizzled in the past, partly due to consumer ambivalence. The same autoworkers who sported “Buy American” bumper stickers in the 70s declined to follow their own advice when buying televisions and cameras. Except when it affects them personally, consumers don’t generally care where something is made. Whether it’s cheap clothes or expensive cars, their crosshairs remain aimed at cost or quality, or that middle target called value. China has begun taking steps to address the quality problems, and in late October arrested close to 800 people involved with substandard goods. Assuming quality issues eventually improve, U.S. companies marketing products wholly or partly made in China probably need not worry about a consumer revolt. Such companies, however, should be concerned about complicity in spreading misconceptions as to where responsibility for quality lies. Take the recent massive recalls of Chinesemade toys, for example. The perception among many people is that the blame rests primarily with Chinese manufacturers for using lead-based paint. In fact, among the 21 million Mattel toys recalled last summer, only about 13 percent involved lead-paint. The other 87 percent were recalled due to a design flaw — tiny magnets that could come loose and be swallowed. That distinction dovetails with research performed by two Canadian business professors, Paul Beamish, University of Western Ontario, and Hari Bapuji, University A Made in the Boardroom of Manitoba. Examining all toy recalls by the Consumer Product Safety Commission since 1988, the two researchers attributed 76.4 percent of the recalls to design flaws. As Beamish correctly noted, a flawed design leads to a flawed product, regardless where it’s made. Some manufacturers put little tags on products that say something like “Inspected by No. 19.” Perhaps it is more important to include a tag that says “Designed by No. 19.” But the sorting of quality problems into design flaws or manufacturing defects is an insider’s game. The average consumer won’t understand it and shouldn’t have to. The average consumer does, however, understand that ultimate responsibility for quality lies with the company whose name is on the product. It is the obligation of every company to properly design a product, then to ensure that it is well-made, whether that means overseeing production on the other side of the street or on the other side of the world. Failure to exercise this responsibility runs two risks. The first, and most obvious, is the damage done to a company’s brand. Reputations are brittle. They shatter easily. After the holiday season is over, the figures on toy sales will likely deliver lessons on that topic. The second is the risk of greater government involvement. Nature abhors a vacuum. Whenever the private sector fails to deal with a problem, the government gleefully steps in. There are already a chorus of calls from consumer groups and politicians for a more aggressive and empowered CPSC. Globalization has made the pursuit of quality more complicated, but not impossible. Everyone understands that good and bad products can come from anywhere. The real issue is not where the product is made, but about where the commitment to quality is made. And that would be at the top. < Richard Babyak, Editor E-mail: babyakr@bnpmedia.com | HVAC | Majors | Water Processing | Housewares | Commercial Appliances | | Vending | Medical | Lab | Test & Measurement | Lawn & Garden | Electronics | | Computers | Communications | Business Equipment | applianceDESIGN December 2007 5 www.applianceDESIGN.com http://www.appliancedesign.com http://www.bnpmedia.com http://www.appliancedesign.com
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