Raw
materials are the most important component of producing a quality product. They
are essential to be used and they have to be of high quality to ensure a
superior quality of the product. From a needle to a high tech robot, raw
material plays the most vital role in producing the product. The organisations
that lead the business arena in electronic goods ensure that whatever they are
producing, the quality of their product should remain high and their goods have
longer life. Thinking rationally, quality of the raw material highly influences
the quality and life of the product too.
In
doing so, the organisation must have a strong supply chain network. The
organisation must have alliances built with its suppliers so that they can
bargain a good price for high quality raw materials and the suppliers also know
the kind of raw material needed by their customers. The core issue of all the
organisations is the increase in costs of raw materials. With natural resources
depleting fast, the prices of raw materials are increasing. The elements that
are used for producing the products are ranging from primary resources such as
metals to finished goods such as nuts and bolts. Each of the material is a
vital component of the product and has to be procured at the minimum cost
possible and at the highest quality.
The
quality of the product depends on the material used. However, some materials
that are used in production of the electronic goods pose harm to the consumers.
These toxic materials are essential to the production processes and they have
to be used for the production of the goods. Few of the materials that can be
quoted as harmful as lead that are highly used in LCD based products. Mercury
is also used for the manufacture of LCD based products for making the glass.
These materials pose harm to the consumers as well to the environment.
Organisations today are applying the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility
(CSR) to conserve the environment and to act socially responsible in
understanding what the products are doing in the environment.
Sony
has been working towards eradication of these harmful raw materials and it has
decided to go green by implementing the technology through resources which
conserve the environment instead of depleting it. However, this has not
inflicted the quality of the products; rather, it is working to produce better
quality electronic goods through the use of raw materials that are good for the
environment. For the year 2010, Sony has decided to start its ‘Green Management
2010’.
It has been done to work on reducing global warming, using chemicals that will
not harm the environment. It is not the vision of today; Sony had been working
on producing environmental friendly products since 1990s. Along with the
conservation of the environment, Sony plans to be a high quality goods
producing company which would work to reduce green house effect and will not
use materials that would pose harm to the environment.
These awards highlight the efforts of Sony Corporation
towards maintaining high quality and yet, using raw materials that have
conserved the environment. Initially the cost of doing so must have been high,
as they must have switched from some method of production to the other, but the
efforts of being socially responsible are clearly seen and the costs are paid
off when the customers prefer to purchase the goods from environmentally
conscious organization.
Quality management is an essential factor for the survival
of the organisation in such rapidly changing technology and fierce competition.
If the quality management systems are adopted and are implemented in the
organisation, organisations will be able to be more profitable and will incur
less costs.