At present times, the global industry undergoes a fundamental transformation in terms of altering ways of conceiving, designing, producing, and selling the products. During the preceding seven years, more than 70 percent of manufacturers experienced transformation (Ambruch, 2013). This transformation also affected the quality of produced services and goods. According to Ambruch (2013), the forces and important organizational activities that enable a firm to build quality into its products include “digitization, personalization, “smart” products, connectivity, and servitization” (para. 5). The current paper discusses the benefits of the previously mentioned drivers for change.
In the second decade of the 21st century, “smart” products became commonly used not only by people but also by numerous companies. The utilization of smart technologies allows to increase connectivity between different devices and make the final goods and services more customer-friendly. The increased extent of connectivity between various devices contributed to the appearance of servitization. The concept of servitization reflects the shift from “the single product sale transaction into a new relationship between themselves and the consumer” characterized by the fact that the customer finally acquires a smart and connected product (Ambruch, 2013, para.7). Simultaneously, digital technologies enable businesses to produce higher quality goods through the simulation and validation of products before making them. Therefore, companies at the development stage have higher chances to avoid some mistakes that would diminish the quality of products.
The quality of products is also affected by personalization since this process allows companies to understand the needs and requirements of the target audience, and, thus, create a product that would be wanted by them. Globalization is another essential factor worth mentioning since it makes it possible to reduce production costs without the expense of quality. In the epoch of globalization, goods might be produced, designed, serviced, and sold in different parts of the world. However, globalization comes along with the imposition of higher regulatory standards. From the manufacturer’s point of view, this might be a problem and the cause of additional expenses. However, the regulation positively affects the quality of the produced goods since the regulatory standards strictly control their safety.
Reference
Ambruch, B. (2013). The forces that are transforming how products are made. Forbes. Web.