Building something of quality requires very particular environmental conditions that cannot be easily created. As our options for obtaining quality further disappear with the push for mass market affordability and the expectation of significant profit margins less and less people are able to identify quality and even less expect it.
You need all of the following conditions in no particular order:
• masterful levels of skill
• to be singularly idealistic
• adequate time
• high quality resources (tools)
• support from your market
• support from your management or investor
In my humble opinion these conditions are almost never offered to the average manufacturer or service provider’s workforce or sub contractor anywhere in the world. And many in business might well suggest it foolhardy to do so.
Looking at the general consumer market today you could be forgiven for thinking most people are looking for token or trendy features only, that they will discard or upgrade a perfectly functional item within a 2 to 5 year timeframe. If that is the case there is often no sensible reason for this other than status anxiety. People don’t want to be seen using an older iPhone on the train, they don’t want to be seen driving a 6 year old car or wearing last season’s jacket. These items are what people believe themselves to be judged by public. More so than actual financial or social status. It’s an unhealthy form of externalised self-worth.
Compounding this is the average short sighted company director focusing on cost and profit margins over yearly or quarterly budget cycles. That pretty much concludes we have created an environment to produce superficial and disposable products, yet oddly, we haven’t mastered recycling and we haven’t grasped the opportunity to innovate or failed to incubate and bring to market.
The vanilla business consultant will suggest the first thing anyone desiring to produce a quality service or product might need to do is find a specific market segment, study them and carefully design the product to this ideal.
The artisan might suggest that a vocation or calling of some kind should lead you to create something of desire to create the demand by itself.
So who is right? ..is this even a juxtaposition?
You can’t ask your most skilled workers to work for the love it, let alone pull all nighters. And I don’t think anybody sensible believes a product can emerge onto the market out-of-the-blue that is high quality without significant R&D.
I at least care about quality. I might not possess the patience to always create it myself. But I have been able to identify it, prepared paid for it, and often when I was least able to afford doing so.
High tech manufacturing to the rescue?
Is 3D printing or end to end automation going to give us the opportunity to keep down costs and produce quality? I doubt it will substantially, much of this has been around for a while in and benefits profit before price point. Until molecular assemblers are out of science fiction anyhow.
Culture of quality
It takes a unique culture to produce things of quality, a market place that is educated to identify it and prepared to invest in it. To prove half of my point let’s look at products manufactured in Japan, China and Germany.
Most people would accept that; China manufactures items to acceptable to low quality but does so very cost effectively. Japan make items of medium to high quality at a reasonable price. Germany makes Items of a high price and at times high quality.
A personal note on the last point: I have some excellent quality German tools although I have also owned German cars. Independent of my opinion, German car manufacturers have not done well in customer satisfaction reviews.
And I believe its futile waiting for China or Korea to start making quality products. Quality requires a deep cultural connection to the ideals that support it. These cultures do not have the same ideals the Germans and Japanese do and they certainly don’t have the market support to start offering it.
I’d share my love of Italian invention and design. I honestly believe the world has so much to thank Italians for… But I have thrown out countless Italian machines that irreparably broke well before their purchase price delivered a fair lifespan. Coffee machines, kitchen and farming implements, cars etc. Beautiful design that can make your heart sing (up until the machine stops singing itself).
Humankind could eradicate poor quality products and services and make the world a better, fairer and cleaner place simultaneously- if only we had the moral commitment. Most of the crappy, non-recyclable, unhealthy things that make their way into our homes and business are either directly or indirectly connected to highly profitable business pursuits. You don’t need to be a hippy or a communist to have the conviction to improve the situation. There will always be someone around to try to sell you snake oil - you just need to become the aware buyer and help educate others around you. You can guarantee the snake oil salesman won’t drive a Kia or a Cherry.