Quality Profiles : Motorola, Inc and Midwayusa

Chapter 1

Quality Profiles : Motorola, Inc and MidwayUSA

Before Apple and Samsung took over as the leading electronic communication device provider, there was Motorola. From cellular phones, 2 – way radios, pagers, cable modems, etc Motorola was the first brand that comes to mind of people during their reign. Motorola has gained recognition over the years for its emphasis on quality, for which it garnered the first annual Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award in 1988, and for its innovative employee welfare and training programs.

They have done this through this 2  key beliefs; (1) respect for people –your people (employees) are the most important assets of the company, keep them motivated and it will turn out good results for your company, and your customers, as the bloodline of your business, keep them satisfied with your products and it will surely make them to come back and will turn higher profit for you. (2) uncomprising integrity – integrity is neither asked nor given, it is gained or earned. Motorola has given a lot of work gaining their people’s trust and earning their respect for the brand. They have done this by, checking defects by multiple processes and statistical tools, making corrective actions right away if a complaint arises, etc. By this, quality is achieved and people will be more satisfied and trust your products.

On the other hand, MidwayUSA is a privately held American retailer and wholesaler of various hunting  and gun-related products and also a receiver of the prestigious Baldrige award. It’s vision of being the best run business in America for the benefit of their customer had come a long way into it’s today’s modern management practices which includes Baldrige, Lean, ISO, and Six Sigma.

Their quality strategy was first to choose the right people. How? They hire employees who shares the same passion of the business, shooting, hunting, and outdoor sports. By this way, they allowed them to use personal knowledge and experience to be shared to their customers. They also select employees for leadership development based on their support of the company’s core value of “customer driven excellence”. Their focus for their employees chain reacted onto their customers’ experience of quality and satisfaction which makes them where they are now.