These five companies, as well as the 95 others on Quality magazine's Top 100 Quality Plant list are impressive companies that lead their respective industries. It is customer focused and takes measures on the basis of feedback received from customers. One home run is much better than two doubles.” – Steve Jobs, “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different outcomes.” – Einstein, “You’ve got to start with the customer experience and work back toward the technology – not the other way around.” – Steve Jobs, “Quality means doing it right when no one is looking.” – Henry Ford, “Be a yardstick of quality. This feedback can include complaints, requests for new features and appreciation. Although these two companies are in different businesses—L.L. Given the choice, most customers would rather have efficient resolution of their problem than a smiling face. A quality control flowchart is beneficial in any business plan. Results consistently showed that the influence of price was greater when judgments were made on the basis of someone else's (rather than one's own) purchase, whereas the reverse was true regarding the product's attributes. Results of a Wall Street Journal:-Gallup survey conducted in September 1981, published in the Wall Street Journal, October 12, 1981. Recall how L.L. Product-quality based characterization is common in economic research. Moving forward, we will explore a framework – the wheel of quality that can be implemented in any organization to assure delivery of quality products to a customer consistently. Do we need so much horsepower? Where you are strong, how easy is it for competitors to match or exceed your performance? We will see the differences with reference to our software development industry. If your customer buys your product and it doesn't do what they need it to do, it has already failed. Content on this website is for information only. Product quality. Quality Wholesale is the place to go for all of your party supply needs. 1. Integrations, Privacy Policy To ensure quality, most companies prefer to have all customer services performed by in-house personnel. There is a range of suppliers in China with varying capabilities. 18,725 followers. Prior to joining Quality Products, Greg worked at Fabtech Industries in Charlotte as . Quality in production is important to all types of businesses and it is often the driving force behind their success. These requirements can fall in the spectrum of general needs to explicit specifications. Conformance Manufacturers view product quality in terms of conformance to specifications. In good organizations, trainings are an essential part of their employee skill enhancement program. Wish you a very happy World Quality Day. Haz tu pedido online en qualityproducts.com.pe ¡Compra hoy! 654. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. In areas where your company is weak, can you invest to improve your performance? Companies must be sure they are offering the benefits customers seek. Quality Poultry Products (QPP) is a co-op owned, chicken producing company, located in the community of Spanish Lookout in the Cayo District of Belize. Some of the major influences are listed in Exhibit II. Stay Informed. The fear that channeling all calls through three national centers would depersonalize service and annoy customers used to dealing with a field office sales representative proved unwarranted. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Identifying such tasks and defining a procedure for them is a step towards improved quality. The up-front investment in quality minimizes the need for customer service. Explora nuestro amplio catálogo de electrodomésticos y compra el producto que necesites en tu hogar. Our Values. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'quotesguides_com-large-leaderboard-1','ezslot_4',110,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-quotesguides_com-large-leaderboard-1-0');report this adHi, this is Scott. Several recent surveys indicate how wide the quality perception gap is: Three out of five chief executives of the country’s largest 1,300 companies said in a 1981 survey that quality is improving; only 13% said it is declining.1 Yet 49% of […], A version of this article appeared in the. Quality Parameters and Quality Control Methodologies | Coconut Handbook Coconut Handbook Buy book 1.Introduction 2.Nutritional and Health Benefits 3.Composition 4.Plantation 5.Harvesting and Post-harvest Management 6.Coconut Food Production 7.The Chemistry of Coconut Water 8.The Chemistry of Coconut Milk and Cream 9.Recombined Coconut Beverages Product reviews are the fastest avenue for research and development brands have ever had — spurring them to take quick action and make better products. Ensuring quality in the production comes with many benefits, including: A decrease in cost from less defective or recalled products. As noted earlier, the documented information is immediately fed into a computer and updated daily to expedite follow-through. Three out of five chief executives of the country's largest 1,300 companies said in a 1981 survey that quality is improving; only 13 % said it is declining. It may be regarded as the overall or specific aggregate value of satisfaction of the functions and characteristics of a product. Although every project is unique, yet there can be several tasks in different projects that are repeated. You can’t subscribe to it. For evidence of this fact, see John R. Kennedy, Michael R. Pearce, and John A. Quelch, Consumer Products Warranties: Perspectives, Issues, and Options, report to the Canadian Ministry of Consumer and Corporate Affairs, 1979. The problem is much wider than that… I believe all business needs the tight, challenging pressure of a competitive market in which price is a dominant factor, so that it will again be producing for economy-minded customers. At the end of this writing you can see some quotes about good products. I love to do research on quotes and also love to let people know about quotes. Quality Edge Michigan - Manufacturing 2712 Walkent Dr. NW Walker, MI, 49544 888-784-0878 Quality customer service does not necessarily mean free service. Aluminum & Steel Building Products. These companies realize that a top-notch customer service operation can be an effective means of accomplishing the following three objectives: 1. 1 Yet 49 % of 7,000 consumers surveyed. "How do consumers judge quality? It is useful to develop a grid showing which services your company provides or could provide for each of the products in your line. To ensure delivery of advertising claims, companies must build quality into their products or services. A process uses techniques to transform customer requirements into required outputs. Customers are likely to differ widely in price sensitivity. Internal audits and reviews can be conducted to make sure that process are duly followed in the organization. Should we, or can we, direct our production and selling efforts with the over-all good of the country in mind? Product quality is important for any type of company. At the same time, you should establish what value your customers place on varying levels of customer service, what level of service quality they are prepared to pay for, and whether they prefer to pay for services separately or as part of the product purchase price. There is no standard measure though rules are in place to ensure minimum quality standards are complied with by manufacturers. Innovation. Only a few persons would quarrel with the general adoption of esthetically appealing and pleasant styling. Quality should be primarily customer-driven, not technology-driven, production-driven, or competitor-driven. And of course detecting defects early spares later embarrassment and headaches. "The initial founders were my uncle and my dad, who . In a digital environment where social proof is king and shoppers do the talking, read reviews. They show the connection between different steps. You conduct the improved practices and check the results. The word 'quality control' comprises of two words i.e. For example, they could advise consumers to think of using the product in the relatively distant future, or to consider how friends might feel about the product. So how are third-party sellers changing the product quality game on Amazon? Blog, Test Management 172 Copy quote. The second trend is the move to quality assurance and extended service programs. Who We Are. Sometimes brands don’t know who their competition is online or think they don’t have competition on Amazon at all (big mistake right there). Our fillings and icings are of the highest quality and have excellent taste and eye appeal. It has formed many specialized industrial areas, such as Intellectual Toys in Yongjia, Plush & Stuffed Toy in Yangzhou, Wooden Toys in Yunhe, etc. We produce & deliver fresh and processed fruit products to our customers, offering reliable and innovative solutions through a sustainable grove to market operation. Guaranteeing all its products to be 100% satisfactory and providing a full cash refund, if requested, on any returns. A customer service audit asks managers the following questions: Many companies have not established objectives for their customer service operations and have no concept of the role customer service should play in their business and marketing strategies. Reinforcing dealer loyalty. Asking customers to fill out a short, coded questionnaire and explain their reasons for returning the merchandise. Corporate executives and consumers have in recent years adopted divergent views of product quality. The creation of stuff is not valued.” – Eric Ries, Recommended reading – 60+ Thought-Provoking Energy Conservation Quotes, “Saks is one of the temples of good-quality products in America. Customers’ expectations set your quality standards. Download Catalog. And of course, consumers are the ones benefiting from the competition. 336 East Industrial Street. Have any problems using the site? It operates on the principle that every team member is responsible for the quality of work he is doing i.e. _ Make your work inexpensive, maintain high standards and provide good quality of products. Sweden, Visiting address Aprovecha hasta 50% de dscto en productos de las categorías: Ejercitadores, Belleza, Bienestar, Cocina y Hogar. Together, they all are responsible for delivering a quality product. 5. The success of the marketing program will depend as much on effective implementation as on sound analysis and research. Borrower agrees to maintain the quality of any and all products in connection with which the Trademarks are used, consistent with commercially reasonable business practices. And life-cycle buying entails comparing the cost of buying with the cost of owning. Reviews beget more reviews, only increasing your product’s influence. If you're planning an upcoming event and want to make sure everyone stays healthy, handing out antibacterial hand gel will always be appreciated. Exhibit II Factors influencing consumer perception of quality* *Not necessarily in order of importance. . Second, how important is high quality in customer service, and how can it be ensured after the sale? Products are raised according to the amount . In conclusion, we must stress that responsibility for quality cannot rest exclusively with the production department. It depends on who's making the purchase." Even stocking extra buttons for most of the apparel items carried years ago, just in case a customer needs one. For example, in software industry you can define coding conventions, requirements management process and quality assurance process. Karl Albrecht. Training is the foundation of quality. Successful businesses of today will use marketing techniques to plan, design, and implement quality strategies that stretch beyond the factory floor. Earn badges to share on LinkedIn and your resume. Amazon has seen a massive rise since the beginning of Covid-19. It depends on who's making the purchase. Now, it is believed that management is responsible to create a system which can produce a good quality product. Products Contact Us LMH QUALITY PRODUCTS CONTACT US. On the other hand, the contemporary approach instills the responsibility of quality into every team member. "If marketers wish to signal high quality through high price (a strategy that has long been in use), they should try to increase the psychological distance between the consumer and the product." Quality Products Our Commitment At Herbalife Nutrition, our commitment to making the best nutritional products is at the heart of everything we do. Sellers must hit a certain benchmark of excellence to stay relevant on the world’s largest retail platform. A successful business the emphasis is on experiment and development, ideas are the lifeblood of business.” – Richard Branson, if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'quotesguides_com-leader-3','ezslot_11',106,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-quotesguides_com-leader-3-0');“A disruptive innovation is a technologically simple innovation in the form of a product, service, or business model that takes root in a tier of the market that is unattractive to the established leaders in an industry.” – Clayton M. Christensen, “Have you listened to the radio lately? Whether the customer service operation is treated as a cost center or a profit center, quantitative performance standards should be set for each element of the service package. Materials provided by University of Chicago Press Journals. Complete Line of. Sustainability. Investigating root causes of defects and recommending solutions for quality issues. We help entrepreneurs of all kinds sell great products on Amazon and build profitable businesses. Skilled business analysts in your team can play an important role in deriving and documenting good requirements. Five Below is a leading high-growth value retailer offering trend-right, high-quality products loved by tweens, teens and beyond. Quality's survey reveals the top companies that improve processes, empower workers and satisfy customers. Subsequently, we discussed the wheel of quality in detail which can be implemented in any organization to deliver quality product that satisfies customer. Italian Quality Products provides their customers with one of the most efficient solution to their production needs, including . There has to be a business, and the business has to make sense, but that’s not why you do it. This can be done through feedback, factory inspections, and a 100% inspection system. 2) Attributes Characteristics of Products Quality But the point is, say the critics, once such styling has been adopted and accepted, why spend so much effort producing and selling an arbitrarily changed design? 1981 survey data from Appliance Manufacturer, April 1981. According to Jungle . Training sessions and workshops on the latest tools and technologies help them to adapt new technologies and stay competent in the field. It’s not very scientific, but it’s disastrous if you score low.”6, One of the major problems facing U.S. automobile manufacturers is the public perception that imported cars, particularly those from Japan, are of higher quality. We design, innovate, and manufacture with this in mind in the communities we are located in and for the markets we serve. Compare pay for popular roles and read about the team's work-life balance. Brain Area Necessary for Fluid Intelligence Identified, Common Food Dye Can Trigger Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, Animal Study Suggests, Study Reveals Average Age at Conception for Men Versus Women Over Past 250,000 Years, New Robot Does 'the Worm' When Temperature Changes, Human-Approved Medication Brings Back 'Lost' Memories in Mice, A Soft, Stimulating Scaffold Supports Brain Cell Development Ex Vivo, When Our Vertical Perception Gets Distorted: Body Pitch and Translational Body Motion, See No Evil: People Find Good in Villains, Researchers Develop Wireless, Ultrathin 'Skin VR' to Provide a Vivid, 'Personalized' Touch Experience in the Virtual World, Your Dog's Behavior Is a Product of Their Genes, Scarcity Reduces Consumers' Concerns About Prices, Even During a Pandemic, Research Shows, Highlighting Product Greenness May Put Consumers Off Buying, Consumers Trust Influencers Less When There Is a Variety of Choices for a Product, Retailers Can Manipulate Consumer Regret to Beat Competitors. Buying a small, energy-efficient automobile, for example, can be a sign of personal integrity. Several recent surveys indicate how wide the quality perception gap is: Mindful of this gap, many U.S. companies have turned to promotional tactics to improve their quality image. And through appropriate training programs, companies can reduce the chances of calls for highly trained service personnel to solve simple problems. What should companies do to improve their understanding of customers’ perspectives on quality? The internal marketing program should incorporate detailed procedures to guide customer-employee interactions. “But let us not be obsessed with automotive marketing practices. The concept of quality has greatly changed. Management. Marketers have been too passive in managing quality. As we suggested earlier, the quality of customer service after the sale is often as important as the quality of the product itself. Keeping in regular contact with customers so as to deliver new information to them and gather suggestions for product improvements can ensure the continued satisfaction of existing customers and improve the chances of meeting the needs of potential purchasers. The question naturally comes in ‘How do we deliver a quality product which can satisfy customer?’. Sometimes, it also includes the reduction of waste and losses. What are you celebrating? HBR Learning’s online leadership training helps you hone your skills with courses like Customer Focus. ReQtest AB Further, consumers are demanding high quality at low prices. Many customers even prefer to pay for service beyond a minimum level. As we discussed, today’s industry has become customer focused. 2. The quality standards were set by the management. A marketing program is often needed to change such negative attitudes and to convince employees not only that customers are the ultimate judge of quality but also that their criticisms should be respected and acted on immediately. As you can relate, many software development teams following waterfall approach see quality assurance team as responsible for delivering a bug free product. Better brand reputation. People will come to expect good work from you and your employees. At companies like L.L. “Quality is never an accident; it is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, intelligent direction and skillful execution; it represents the wise choice of many alternatives.” – William A. Skilled business analysts in your team can play an important role in deriving and documenting good requirements. Foster, “Quality is more important than quantity. You may opt-out by. 658 (Stanford, Calif.: 1981). Opinions expressed are those of the author. Customer surveys measuring product performance can also help spot quality control or design difficulties. Asking dealers to conduct a quality audit as soon as the products are received and to attribute defects to either assembly errors or shipping damages. Upon the occurrence of an Event of Default, Borrower agrees that Lender, or a conservator appointed by Lender, shall have the right to establish such . • Deliver a great product. The first is the greater emphasis advertisements place on the word quality and on such themes as reliability, durability, and workmanship. Exhibit II Factors influencing consumer perception of quality*, Three out of five chief executives of the country’s largest 1,300 companies said in a 1981 survey that quality is improving; only 13, Half the executives of major American appliance manufacturers said in a 1981 survey that the reliability of their products had improved in recent years. View All Inspiration. • Always be ready to iterate. Product quality refers to how well a product satisfies customer needs, serves its purpose and meets industry standards. After reviewing several customer service operations in a variety of industries, we believe that managers should concentrate on the following seven guidelines for effective program implementation: 1. Quality is your source for quality, color-coded supplies & tools for food-safe, hygienic facilities. An improved process leads to delivery of an improved product. Today, it’s not enough to have a good product to win on Amazon, it’s about having a great product with the reviews to back it up. Publicly available information of a more general nature can be obtained through pollsters, independent research organizations, government agencies, and the news media. ScienceDaily, 20 April 2011. Product A in the exhibit is a security control system, an electronics product with few moving parts. Customers provide requirements for your project or develop your product. Our frozen line consists of cakes, pies and all natural pie fillings. The emphasis is on such values as durability, reliability, craftsmanship, and longevity. You can establish standard procedures for different activities in your organization. When the Roper Organization asked the same question in 1977, only 18% said better, 30% said the same, 32% said not as good, and 20% did not know.7. Analyzing warranty and service reports submitted by dealers, as part of a product improvement program. Votes: 3. Results of a survey conducted by the American Society for Quality Control and published in the Boston Globe, January 25, 1981. Let’s share some of them one by one in this blog. Facilities. ¡Compra seguro! Meaning of Quality Control. Quality control requires . Amazon has seen a massive rise since the beginning of Covid-19. It takes time to cultivate customer confidence, and promotional tactics alone will not do the job. This lead to evolution of the quality approaches and change the viewpoints about how quality can be achieved. One of the most important things that quality management can bring to your business is a good reputation. These might include customer education, financing arrangements, order confirmation and tracing, predelivery preparation, spare-parts inventory, repair service, and claims and complaints handling. Can the AI Driving ChatGPT Help to Detect Early Signs of Alzheimer's Disease? The cycle continues — products get better or they won’t get purchased. At Quality Products, we supply the highest quality medical diagnostic products of major medical MNCs at competitive pricing, and are there for you when you need us. The researchers found that the way people assess quality based on price or attributes has to do with distance -- both temporal and psychological. What inference would you draw regarding the quality of that bag?" 10. If they had monitored the information available, managers could have identified and responded to the trends earlier. Keep the germs away with custom hand sanitizers from Quality Logo Products (R)! Eric Ries. The authors posit that thinking about price is more abstract than thinking about attributes. Customer/Sales Inquires: haley.huchon@LMHqualityproducts.com. Inspection was one of the key elements in traditional quality paradigm. Email: invoice@reqtest.com, Postal address From “Planned Obsolescence” HBR September–October 1977, p. 14. Otherwise the quality of customer service will decline as an aftermath of cost-cutting or attempts to artificially stimulate demand for customer service to use slack capacity. But when consumers buy products themselves, they are more likely to judge quality by a product's attributes. But poor customer service can quickly negate all the advantages associated with delivering a product of superior quality. Bean executes a customer-driven quality program by: Conducting regular customer satisfaction surveys and sample group interviews to track customer and noncustomer perceptions of the quality of its own and its competitors’ products and services. These changes in buying behavior reflect the pessimistic outlook of consumers and their growing emphasis on quality rather than quantity: “If we’re going to buy less, let it be better.”. PDCA , plan – do – check – act cycle is a simpler approach. There is little value in developing superior performance in areas of customer service most customers consider only marginally important. Summary: The main goal of the shipping helper is to aid in the loading and storing of products to be shipped or warehoused. These sellers identify pain points or find new use cases for a product, and then they go manufacture a better solution. It has a detrimental effect on people as well as products.” – Niklaus Wirth, “I love stirring the pot. Shoppers are fickle and selective, and they won’t stick with you if they can easily find a superior alternative. Sometimes things that are really great and make lots of money are miserable to make, and vice versa.” – Alan Cumming, “A market is never saturated with a good product, but it is very quickly saturated with a bad one.” – Henry Ford, “I am not a product of my circumstances. This includes the processes, tools and methods. Bean, Inc. and Caterpillar Tractor Company. A product can be quickly outdated; a successful brand is timeless.” – Stephen King, “Price is rarely the most important thing. Minimized waste in the production line. 2. Wide range of custom colors, cuts, and heavier gauges for commercial & government applications. Cutting, Cost, Improving. John F. Welch, “Where Is Marketing Now That We Really Need It?” a speech presented to the Conference Board’s 1981 Marketing Conference, New York City, October 28, 1981. Contamos con lo mejor en licuadoras, ollas arroceras, microondas, cafeteras, hervidoras, batidoras, extractoras, wafleras, sandwicheras, procesadores de alimentos, planchas de ropa y . The emphasis in the product-based approach is on quality as a precise and measurable variable. A variation of tastes, whether good or bad, can be a cause of alarm to customers and a potential cause of shift to another company. In addition, most companies should establish a response system to handle customer problems in which technically sophisticated people are called in on problems not solved within specific time periods by lower-level employees. Or view hourly updated newsfeeds in your RSS reader: Keep up to date with the latest news from ScienceDaily via social networks: Tell us what you think of ScienceDaily -- we welcome both positive and negative comments. With this change in circumstances, the businesses needed to pace with the customers’ requirements to survive and eventually grow. This is in accordance with the 85/15 rule which states that. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily, its staff, its contributors, or its partners. 7/27/2011. An acceptable deviation range was defined for product which means that certain degree of defects were allowed in the product. Inspirational, Motivational, Inspiring. You may probably be wondering, what does it mean by product quality? People tend to rely on more abstract thinking to form their judgments when events are psychologically removed, the authors explain, for example when it has to do with other people or with a distant future. 392. Requirements Management Through customer surveys, you can identify those areas of customer service in which your company rates higher or lower than the competition. This approach leads to a vertical or hierarchical ordering of quality. ISO 9000 is a standard for ensuring that a company's quality . Reviews are a window into all the ways a product can be changed to satisfy future customers. Taking automobiles as an example, market data compiled by SRI International suggest that consumer priorities shifted from styling in 1970 to fuel economy in 1975 and then to quality of design and performance in 1980.5 (See Exhibit I. As John F. Welch, chairman and chief executive of General Electric Company, observed, “The customer…rates us better or worse than somebody else. He was promoted to Fabrication Manager in 2003, and then took on the added responsibilities of Shipping Manager in 2018. An essential ingredient of the audit is, therefore, to understand the relative importance of various customer services to current and potential customers. Variation is a characteristic of any production process and variations may introduce defects. The second values may be quality of products and services, caring about people, excellent customer service, profitability , innovation, entrepreneurship, and others. In fact, they can backfire if the claims and promises do not hold up and customers perceive them as gimmicks. They often speak in generalities, complaining, for instance, that they bought “a lemon” or that manufacturers “don’t make ‘em like they used to.”, Consumers’ priorities and perceptions also change over time. Best wishes to you on this occasion of World Quality Day. I’ll let you in on a little secret: it’s not brands that are leveling up product quality on Amazon — it’s third-party sellers. Marketers must also be active in contributing to perceptions of quality. We'll expand your product line, minimize costs, and maximize your profits. Toward the end of the last decade, too many U.S. companies failed to observe that the optimism of the mid-1970s was increasingly giving way to a mood of pessimism and restraint because of deteriorating economic conditions. Of course, excellent customer service can rarely compensate for a weak product. And if we are to continue to have deficit-financed prosperity, we should create the disciplinary equivalent of hard competition, simplicity, and functionalism.”. Integrity purchases are those made for their perceived importance to society rather than solely for personal status. Find a Distributor. This long-lasting relationship is based on a core element: trust. "In one such study, participants were asked to imagine making a computer purchase either the next day or two months later," the authors write. 1 recommendation for Five Below from neighbors in Miami, FL. 60+ Thought-Provoking Energy Conservation Quotes, 70+ Inspiring Business Mindset Quotes That Will Motivate You, Taco Bell Sauce Sayings & Quotes About Taco Bell, 80 Best Twin Brother Quotes & Sayings About Twins. How do consumers judge quality? The unrestrained desire during the mid-1970s to buy and own more gave way to more restrained behavior, such as “integrity” buying, “investment” buying, and “life-cycle” buying. While these attempts to change customer perceptions are a step in the right direction, a company’s or a product’s quality image obviously cannot be improved overnight. ScienceDaily. In this case, they can make a dog toy with stronger materials. For example, business analysts, testers, developers and project manager can sit together and discuss a requirement from business and implementation point of view. From a production perspective, this means a companywide commitment to eliminate errors at every stage of the product development process—product design, process design, and manufacturing. Norman B. McEachron and Harold S. Javitz, “Managing Quality: A Strategic Perspective,” SRI International, Business Intelligence Program Report No. A standard response mechanism is essential for handling inquiries and complaints. Thereafter, the need for service quickly drops to only periodic replacement of mechanical parts, such as frequently used door switches. In this article, we will briefly look at the traditional and modern concepts of quality. Without minimum quality no one can last in the market for a long time. With the right strategy, it’s highly lucrative. Accelerate your career with Harvard ManageMentor®. This tool gives a clearer picture of how you can set up each piece of the puzzle to get the end product right. In today’s world, organizations have become customer focused and their expectations set the standard of quality. . 1mo. Plus, at 0.5 oz., it's the perfect size to keep in Q28378 Clear Pint Glasses As Low As $1.59 ea. "How do consumers judge quality? In software houses, we thrive to deliver a high quality software product – website, web application, mobile application; a product that could satisfy customer. We've been leaders in the promotional products industry since 2003 and take pride in making your experience fast, easy, and fun. Sweden, Try ReQtest agricultural products, including safe, high-quality Montana beef, face unscientific trade restrictions in many important markets.” – Max Baucus, “Consolidation in the skiing equipment industry cannot be allowed to lead to higher prices, lower quality or less innovative products.” – Neelie Kroes, “Time pressure gradually corrupts an engineer’s standard of quality and perfection.