Industry Headlines

IDC Survey: Few Manufacturers Consistently Benchmark Warranty Operations

FRAMINGHAM, MA- According to a recent study published by IDC Manufacturing Insights - Methods and Practices: Warranty Capabilities Maturity Model-while most product companies recognize the criticality of effective warranty management practices, very few companies are addressing the problem effectively.

Key findings include:

  • Most product companies do not consistently benchmark their warranty organizations, with less than 20% of companies even benchmarking internally.

  • Low product quality and poor warranty coverage and repair can significantly tarnish a brand. However, only a little over half of leading companies and less than 20% of laggards use warranty management proactively to improve their brand image.

  • Nearly all (92%) of leading companies are pursuing opportunities to improve accrual management, but only 61% of laggard companies do.

  • Approximately 60% of leading companies employ proactive means to improve warranty performance through the use of fraud detection methods and early quality warning systems. Less than 20% of laggard companies do.

    "Based on our research, the manufacturing industry's ability to drive warranty improvement is minimal," says Joe Barkai, practice director for IDC Manufacturing Insights' Product Lifecycle Strategies research service. "The use of benchmarking to assess performance and implement continuous improvement is disappointedly low and the application of IT tools to manage warranty transactions, perform warranty and quality analysis, and improve financial management is very inconsistent. Until now, the industry has not had a set of best practices to rely upon."

    The significant gaps between leading and lagging companies and the dire need for a robust methodology to improve warranty operations has led to the development of the recently released Warranty Management Capability Maturing Model to help companies assess the capabilities of their warranty organization, develop a continuous improvement roadmap, and accelerate business transformation.
  • Did you enjoy this article? Click here to subscribe to Quality Magazine. 

    You must login or register in order to post a comment.

    Multimedia

    Videos

    Podcasts

    Bill Arbogast explains his perspective on quality, ISO 9001, and how to manage inevitable business changes.


    Read: The 2013 Quality Professional of the Year

     
    More Podcasts

    THE MAGAZINE

    Quality Magazine

    magazine quality cover 2013 may audits

    2013 May

    Check out the May 2013 edition of Quality Magazine for features about Measurement, Software and Test & Inspection.
    Table Of Contents Subscribe

    Plant of the Year

    Which is the most important factor in considering a Quality plant of the Year?
    View Results Poll Archive

    THE QUALITY MAGAZINE STORE

    M:\General Shared\__AEC Store Katie Z\AEC Store\Images\Quality\prac-field-guide-for-iso.gif
    A Practical Field Guide for ISO 9001:2008

    The purpose of this field guide is to assist organizations, step by step, in implementing a quality management system (QMS) in conformance with ISO 9001:2008, whether from scratch or by transitioning from ISO 9001:2000. It examines each sub-clause of Sections 4–8 of ISO 9001:2008, which contain the requirements, and gives a list of the documentation/documents required, internal audit questions, a summary of management’s responsibilities, and a flowchart of the steps that need to be undertaken to satisfy the requirements.

    More Products

    Clear Seas Research

    qcast_ClearSeas_logo.gifWith access to over one million professionals and more than 60 industry-specific publications,Clear Seas Research offers relevant insights from those who know your industry best. Let us customize a market research solution that exceeds your marketing goals.

    eNewsletters

    STAY CONNECTED

    facebook_40.png twitter_40px.png  youtube_40px.pnglinkedin_40px.png