Introduction:
q Origin of the report: this report is
development as a course of the MBA program. When I have presented my report to
my supervisor, he will authorize my report. This report is written by me under
the supervisor Md. Shahin Ahamed Chowdhury.
q Problem and Purpose: My corporate
purpose is state that to succeed the problems and pattern statement of Partex
Furniture. But the whole information about Partex Furniture as like what is
working system how is its management system and etc. are not clearly given on
its website.
q History: Partex Furniture is a leading
manufacturing furniture, brought revolutionary changes in the furniture market
in our country since its start 2000 and owned by Mr. Aziz Al Kaiser. First it
had started in a small scale, but today Partex Furniture is fully equipped with
latest technologies.
q
Scope: Partex
Furniture is a world class furniture providing company, has a big functioning
network of its business in our country and other country. It has several Gallery
and Branches. I have tried to cover about marketing strategy of Partex
Furniture.
q
Limitations: For the want
of the proper data and reliable resources I can not include the financial
information in this report.
q
Sources
and Methods of collect: I have collect the information from the Secondary data,
such as: Companies journal, brochure, articles, websites and Monipuripara
Gallery.
How to started:
A combination of
special imported laminated board, stainless steel accessories and high standard
plywood offers the best quality and cost effective substitute for natural
timber for custom-made innovative, modern and stylish furniture. PARTEX
Furniture produces a diversity of products maximizing the use of timber-substitutes
as well as products of solid timber. Within a short span of time laminated
board furniture has been able to claim a sizable portion of the market. This is
a commitment of PARTEX GROUP to use eco-friendly materials, as much as
possible. Currently, we are providing an ever-increasing range of products to
meet the greater than ever demand of furniture for households, offices and
educational institutions.
VISION
We are the
leading furniture solution provider in Bangladesh achieving our business vision
through growth in market reach, increasing operation size, international
distribution, total service and consistent branding activities by the being
most customer focused & Innovative, cost effective & efficient, environmentally
responsible & quality concerned company in the business.
MISSION
To be the most consumer-focused, competitive, efficient, innovative, and environmentally responsible and quality concerned leading market oriented furniture manufacturer, sales and distributor of Bangladesh.
Customer
focused & innovative
We believe our
success depends on our customers. Thus, our primary value is fulfillment of our
customer's needs. Our manner of achieving this success is to include value for
money, different price ranged functional products, complete solutions, free
technical consultancy services, after sales support, efficient delivery, and
above all quality products that exceeds expectations. We believe in providing
our customers new and innovative products with international standards to match
with the changing lifestyle of today.
COMPETITIVE
& EFFICIENT
We believe our
competitive nature thoroughly ensured as when we provide highest quality
products in the most perceived prices. We are committed to our value in
relationship with our stakeholders where our core product is associated with
efficient and reliable services.
ENVIRONMENTAL
STEWARDSHIP & EXCELLENCE IN QUALITY
We believe in
maintaining, operating our business in such a manner so that it is sustainable
for the future. We want to combine economic use of wood and create wood
substitute products for our furnishing needs and constantly devote our
production, research & development to remain environmentally responsible.
We are committed to find new methods and technologies to improve our services.
We believe excellence is our only standard for all our approaches.
INTEGRITY
We are committed
to conduct our business in such a way that demonstrates highest ethical
standards. We believe integrity is our imperative utility to succeed in what we
do.
Main Furniture Companies in Bangladesh:
1.
Name of the Companies:
a. OTOBI Ltd.
b. Partex Furniture
c. HATIL
d. Navana Furniture
e. Akhter Furniture
f. Brothers Furniture
g. Legacy
Source: Bangladesh Furniture Indus. Owners Association Report -2010.
Segmentation, Targeting & Positioning (STP) of Partex Furniture:
Segmentation: PARTEX Furniture Industries Ltd products international quality
furniture. A combination of special imported laminated board, stainless steel
accessories and high standard plywood offers the best quality and cost
effective substitute for natural timber foe custom made innovative, modern and
stylish furniture. PARTEX Furniture produces a diversity of products maximizing
the use timber substitutes as well as products of solid timber. Partex Furniture
segregates its product with individual care wise. Such as:
Targeting: The
Sky is not the limit for Furniture Market but expectation is within limits.
Therefore, our imagination soars beyond conventional barriers. We share or destiny
with our beloved motherland. We want to serve her in the greater quest for
national uplift. Partex Group is committed
to the prosperity of Bangladesh. Our enterprises play a positive role in
alleviating poverty and generating employment an important objective of our
country. This has been possibly through continuous customer support and loyalty
which we are proud. We endeavor to reach our products and services at the
client's doorstep through a network of sales and distribution outlets. Human
resources is our key asset, who translate the group's objectives into realistic
performance. We are committed to have the best people and train them to get the
best from them. Ours is a free market economy, where private sector plays a key
role in establishing an industrial base. We believe in new ideas and technology
which the road to the future. We shall travel this road hand in hand with our
customers and our employees to seek and find prosperity for the Group and the
country. We are the leading furniture solution provider in Bangladesh achieving
our business vision through growth in market reach, increasing operation size,
international distribution, total service and consistent branding activities by
the being most customers focused & Innovative, cost effective &
efficient, environmentally responsible & quality concerned company in the
business. To be the most consumer-focused, competitive, efficient, innovative,
and environmentally responsible and quality concerned leading market oriented
furniture manufacturer, sales and distributor of Bangladesh.
Positioning: Positioning
or Market Share: Per year:
a. OTOBI Ltd. –
500 Crore/ Year
b. Partex Furniture -
100
c. Hatil Furniture -
45
d. Navana Furniture -
40
e. Akhter Furniture -
20
f. Brothers Furniture - 15
g. Legacy - 10
It is clear that Partex Furniture is in the second position in the
Furniture market of Bangladesh.
Summary
of
Marketing strategies
Corporate-Level strategy
Partex has vertically
integrated both into the Panel-based and timber-based furniture industry
because of their strength in raw material supply.
Because of
vertical integration, Partex enjoys some competitive advantage compared to its
competitors.
< Partex
has invested Tk.100 crore in the furniture industry and this huge investment
acts as an entry barrier to its potential new entrant.
< Partex
will also be able to realize Economies of scope since they are fully integrated
in the furniture industry i.e. from producing raw materials to distributing
them.
Thus the two
SBUs in the furniture industry: one is timber based furniture and the other is
panel based furniture
Business-level Strategy:
Interestingly enough the generic
strategy for Partex is not ‘Cost Leadership and Differentiation’ rather
it is differentiation (not pure differentiation) backed up by absolute cost
advantage. The result is Premium price charged for products similar to the
competitors and obtaining lower cost than pure differentiators and higher
levels of profits than firms pursuing only one of the generic strategies.
Functional-Level Strategies
1. MARKETING
Always tries to
pursue new product development focusing on quality, design and customer needs,
providing feedback to both customers and specialized functions, in order to
expand their market.
2. RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT
Depends mainly
on customer feedback for new product development and communicates this to other
functional areas, such as production
3. PRODUCTION
Concentrating on reaping most
benefits out of panel based furniture due to low lead-time, automation and
sound vertical integration. At the same time, inefficiencies in timber-based
furniture are attempted to be countered with high design and craftsmanship
quality and doing batch processing to minimize costs.
Global-Level Strategies
It is not planning to put any
manufacturing set up in the host country. Partex will manufacture its products
exclusively in the home country. As Partex’s current targeted foreign market is
UAE it has low pressures for Cost Reductions.
Pressures for Local
Responsiveness are low as well.
Internal Analysis – Summary
Administration
Corporate Structure
Strengths
|
Weaknesses
|
q Top
level Decision Making with vast information seeking from low level managers
(take inputs)
|
q Complex
structure- difficult to understand
|
|
q Centralized
DM
|
|
q Poor
understanding of the structure by the mid level managers
|
|
q Present
structure hampers successful growth in the future
|
|
|
Corporate Culture
Strengths
|
Weaknesses
|
q Consistent
culture
|
q Family
Owned business concept very
prominent
|
q Emphasis
on quality, craftsmanship and design and integrity is maintained about this
|
q Promotion
only up to a certain position, which may be de-motivating to the employees.
Short corporate ladder
|
q Customers
are not refused, with a certain limitation of the company
|
q
|
Marketing
|
|
q Wide
range of customer base
|
|
q The
corresponding strategy is to focus on quality first and then respond to
demand
|
|
q Planning
many programs for growth
|
q Planning
many programs but not clearly stated, merely implied
|
q Programs
consistent with corporate mission
|
q Positioning
by high quality product at affordable prices. Therefore product mx needs to
be suited for each income group
|
q
|
q No
past trends to base its judgments or strategy formulation – but can be
countered with good research and forecasting
|
Business Development
Strengths
|
Weaknesses
|
q Technologically
advanced in terms of developing new products
|
q Research
is mainly observational and participatory
|
q Cost
and quality can be controlled as they are already in the supply side
|
q
|
q Consistent
with mission and values
|
q
|
Operations
Strengths
|
Weaknesses
|
q capability
to produce imported RM for panel-based furniture currently imported
|
q initial
research suggested that there is demand in this business but partex did not
plan its entry to take advantage of its full potential.
|
q BMRE
|
q Programs
and plans merely implied and not clearly stated
|
q automated
system for CKD approach
|
q current
situation is not consistent with missions, objective etc.
|
q vertical
integration gives competitive advantage
|
q
|
q Capacity
planning possible in panel based furniture
|
q
|
q own
supply channel ensures smooth flow of RM
|
q
|
q labour
and technical teams ensure quality and design
|
q
|
q forecasting
can be done in relation to the followng factors about the demand cycles
|
q demand
fluctuations have been taken as a problem factor preventing capacity planning
|
Human Resource
Strengths
|
Weaknesses
|
q consistent
with missions, as employment is generated
|
q These
policies are not stated clearly only merely implied
|
q Training
provided in a regular basis
|
q
|
q Low
employee turnover
|
q
|
External Analysis – Summary
Five factor model
Opportunities
|
Threats
|
q Intensity of Rivalry
|
|
q Due
to the size of Partex, the business can expect lower intensity of rivalry
|
q Brand
image pioneered by Hatil and Otobi – Partex not the pioneer
|
q Currently
in an oligopoly
|
q Timber
based furniture industry is in mature stage
|
q possibility
for being highly consolidated in the future due to its size, investment and
integration
|
q High
capital investement leading to high exit barriers
|
q The
brand furniture is growing
|
q
|
Demand is increasing
every year by 15%.
q
|
q
|
q The
main forces in the market are differentiated
|
q
|
q No
prominent labour union leading to low exit barriers
|
q
|
q Layoff
cost is low leading to low exit barriers
|
q
|
q The
group is not so dependent in the furniture business leading to low barriers
to entry
|
q
|
q Threat
of potential competitors
|
|
q Partex
already has a brand image
|
q Otobi
and Hatil already have brand loyalty in panel based furniture
|
q Absolute
cost advantages
|
q
|
q Advantage
over economies of scale and experience curve effects in panel based furniture
|
q Economies
of scale and experience curve effects are not present in timber based
furniture
|
q High
capital requirements for entry
|
q
|
q Chairman
being the member of the Parliament can forecast regulatory changes better
than competitors.
|
q The
market is a free market and open to any new entrants.
|
q The
current differentiation strategy of Partex strong enough to bar both new and
existing competition.
|
|
q Partex
gauges expected retaliation
|
|
q Threat
of substitutes
|
|
q Close
substitutes are not performing in the same market segment
|
|
q
|
|
Business-Level Strategy
Principal Issues
Partex’s Strategic managers plan
of action for using the company's resources and distinctive competencies to
gain a competitive advantage over its rivals in the local market is based
mostly on its cost advantage over the competitors. At the heart of the generic
business-level strategy for the company lie the choices concerning product
differentiation, market segmentation, and distinctive competency. These issues
of Business level strategy formulation according to Partex are discussed below:
The differentiation of furniture according to the need:
The study on Partex’s product
offerings connote that the company follows two different strategies for both
Panel-based (Knockdown) furniture and Timber-based furniture. These current
strategies are as below:
Current Product
Differentiation Issues:
Types of Furniture
|
Issues for product differentiation
|
Panel-based
|
This type of furniture is targeted to satisfy special category of
needs: office furnishing, kitchen and home appliance, lower middle class home
furnishing by offering low-priced products.
However, selected customization of these products is also offered
allowing minor differentiation for upper middle to higher economic classes in
the local market.
|
Timber
|
This type of furniture offers uniqueness through the product’s
appeal to the consumers’ psychological needs: such as brand image and
perception of Partex furniture being high-end product.
|
Recommended Differentiation
Issue:
The capacity and the market
forces suggest that the current strategy is sufficient for Partex to continue
in the industry.
The Segmentation of the furniture market:
Partex management grouped their
consumer in terms of the income-based classification and preferences. The
segmentation is unusually large and looks apparently unrealistic to allow
Partex to gain competitive advantage. However, due to the nature of the
business of two types of furniture, the target group is bound to be relatively
larger. The current segmentation strategy is followed for both panel and timber
based furniture market.
Current Segmentation Issue:
The current segmentation strategy
of Partex for both of its product line: Panel-based and timber-based is a broad
range – ‘Lower middle’ class to the ‘upper upper’ class of the economic
division of the Bangladeshi market.
Recommended Segmentation
Strategy:
Types of Furniture
|
Issues for segmentation
|
Panel-based
|
‘Lower middle’ to ‘Upper upper’
class as panel based furniture consumer can be targeted for:
·
Office furnishing.
·
Kitchen furnishing with customization.
·
Home furnishing for ‘lower middle’ class.
|
Timber
|
Timber based furniture with the
new conception of brand furniture is suitable for the ‘upper middle’ to the
upper end market with focus on appeal.
|
Distinctive competency for the business-level strategy:
As previously discussed Partex
current distinctive competency is focused on:
Current Distinctive Issue:
Focused on continual product quality
Partex strives to reach for better customer responsiveness through a
clear focus of the market trends and new product innovation by newer
designs. This organization of
distinctive competencies includes superior efficiency in production for
the panel-based furniture but does not entail for the timber-based furniture.
This is however not a weakness, rather a characteristics for the
timber-furniture industry.
Recommended Distinctive
Issues:
Since Costs-Leadership is
followed is Panel-based furniture the corresponding distinctive competencies
should ideally be in the field of manufacturing and material management.
Similarly, for timber-based furniture following a differentiation strategy
should ideally have R&D sales and marketing as its distinctive competency.
Partex fulfills both these criteria.
The choice of the Generic Business-level strategy
Partex enjoys a distinctive
production development within the system as the raw materials for its panel and
timber-based furniture both come from the single source. As a result the
company manages to reap gains from cost advantage as well as brand image
and appeal, leading to differentiation strategy.
Current Business-level
Strategy:
Interestingly enough the generic
strategy for Partex is not ‘Cost Leadership and Differentiation’ rather
it is differentiation (not pure differentiation) backed up by absolute cost
advantage. The result is Premium price charged for products similar to the
competitors and obtaining lower cost than pure differentiation and higher
levels of profits than firms pursuing only one of the generic strategies.
Recommended Business-level
Strategy:
Outwardly, the Generic Strategy
for Partex may seem to be a stuck in the middle as no pure strategy is
followed and as a result wrong resource allocation decision may occur leading
to a loss of control in the generic strategy. However, the cost advantage
achieved by vertical integration and the image of Partex brand helps the
company to be in a position where it can charge premium price for the product,
which has differentiation ability. Thus, the recommended strategy should be:
Types of Furniture
|
Generic Strategies
|
Panel-based
|
Cost Leadership and
Differentiation as competitors (OTOBI) follows Differentiation strategy
as well.
|
Timber
|
Differentiation (not
pure differentiation) Strategy with absolute cost advantage gained from
production development and vertical integration.
|
The choice of Investment Strategy
The appropriate strategy in the
growth stage is to provide base to face the shakeout period. For Partex having
a strong competitive position in the market the investment strategy should be
to expand or growth.
Current Investment
Strategy:
Partex is investing resources to
develop new sales and marketing strategy. The new show room (Partex Gallery)
and the plan to employ architects in the sales force is an example to this
strategy implementation. Also the investment of TK 100 crore is a strategy to build
resources that the company is following now.
Recommended Investment
Strategy:
Aside from following the current
strategy Partex should also engage in R&D to maintain their lead as a
differentiator and introduce newer designs to capture more market share.
The Recommended Business-Level Strategy
Partex should follow two
different Business-Level strategies for Panel and Timber furniture market. More
narrow Segmentation should be focused with differentiation Strategy (not
pure differentiation) for Timber furniture and Cost Leadership in Panel
Furniture backed up by the cost advantage achieved from vertical integration in
both the fields. Finally, investment should be made to capture more market
share by innovation and further growth. This will increase the profit margin in
even higher extent.
Functional
Level Strategies
1. MARKETING
Marketing & efficiency
|
q Pursuing
quality, customer needs and design research
q Showroom
situated at a poor location
q TV
media not yet utilized
q Only
one outlet as of now
q Pricing
strategy inconsistent with stated objectives and actual implementation
|
Marketing & quality
|
q
Very customer focused
q
Provides customer feedback on quality
|
Marketing & innovation
|
q
Provides results of research to business
development function
q
Always pursuing new products
|
Marketing & customer
responsiveness
|
q
Customer focused (knows customer needs etc.)
q
Communicated customer feedback to appropriate
functions
|
CURRENT STRATEGY:
Always tries to pursue new product
development focusing on quality, design and customer needs, providing feedback
to both customers and specialized functions, in order to expand their market.
RECOMMENDATION:
Enhance aggressive marketing
through consistent pricing perceptions within customers, having more outlets,
and pursuing other media to promote
Demand forecast
2. RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT
R & D and efficiency
|
q Focusing
only on new products which are not necessarily easy to produce
|
R&D and quality
|
q
Product design based on what is wanted by customers
– not based on manufacturing ease
|
R&D and innovation
|
q
Develops new products but process
innovations low
q
Cooperation with other functions done
|
R&D and customer
responsiveness
|
q
Involves customers in identifying their needs
|
CURRENT STRATEGY:
Depends mainly on customer feedback
for new product development and communicates this to other functional areas,
such as production
RECOMMENDATION: include
example
Develop products that are needed by
consumers but focusing mainly on manufacturing ease and process innovation.
3. PRODUCTION
Production & efficiency
|
q Flexible
manufacturing already done for Panel-based furniture
q No
optimal capacity allocation done for timber based furniture
q Presence
of vertical integration (having own supplier and distributor) enables
efficiency
|
Production & quality
|
q
Long production runs for panel based
furniture – making it difficult to judge source of defects
|
Production & innovation
|
q
Ease of manufacturing considered – timber
based batch processing
q
Some innovation in process both for panel and
timber furniture
|
Production & customer
responsiveness
|
q
Customization done but not always with
flexible manufacturing
q
Response time good for panel based furniture
b/c lead time low
q
Response time bad for timber based
furniture b/c lead time high
|
CURRENT STRATEGY:
Concentrating on reaping most
benefits out of panel based furniture due to low lead-time, automation and
sound vertical integration. At the same time, inefficiencies in timber-based
furniture are attempted to be countered with high design and craftsmanship
quality and doing batch processing to minimize costs.
RECOMMENDATION:
While concentrating on efficiency
the company needs to create task forces to enable flexible manufacturing for
timber based furniture.
Corporate Strategy
Current Strategy
Partex has
vertically integrated into the furniture industry. Partex had the upper hand in producing the
particle board which is the raw material to produce furniture and they used to
supply this particle board to other furniture-making companies to produce
furniture. But the corporate managers
decided that they could vertically integrate into the furniture industry since
they would be producing their own raw material.
They also came up with an innovative idea of making use of the unused
part of the log which they use for making particle boards. Partex also has a widespread distribution
network which it can use for the furniture as well.
It may be added
that Partex has vertically integrated in other businesses as well apart from
the furniture industry. For example,
under Complex-II Partex had Danish Condensed Milk (BD) Ltd., Danish Food
Products, Danish Milk Mills Ltd. Then
Partex vertically integrated and
came up with Danish Distribution Network
Ltd.
Because of vertical
integration, Partex enjoys some competitive advantage compared to its
competitors.
< Partex
has invested Tk.100 crore in the furniture industry and this huge investment
acts as an entry barrier to its potential new entrant.
< Partex
will also be able to realize Economies of scope since they are fully integrated
in the furniture industry i.e. from producing raw materials to distributing
them.
SBUs
They have two
SBUs in the furniture industry: one is timber based furniture and the other is
panel based furniture
Timber Based: This SBU is considered as a Question Mark
since the relative market share is low, but there is tremendous potential for
growth in this industry. This SBU needs
a lot of cash injection which Partex has
already done and plans to do the same in future.
Panel Based: This is considered to be a Cash Cow. They have a high market share and they are
generating positive cash flow for Partex.
Drawback of the Current Strategy
Partex is
finding it very difficult to integrate all their businesses in the
industry. In addition, Partex has a very
complex structure. Thus their
bureaucratic cost is very high.
Recommended Strategy
Partex should
change its current organization structure and make it more simple so that their
bureaucratic cost can be lowered which will give them a competitive
advantage.
Strategy in Global
Environment for Partex:
Choice of
Entry Mode
|
Exporting
|
·
It is not planning to put any manufacturing
set up in the host country.
·
Partex will manufacture its products exclusively
in the home country
|
Strategic
Choice
|
International
Strategy
|
·
As Partex’s current targeted foreign market is
UAE it has low pressures for Cost Reductions.
·
Pressures for Local Responsiveness are low as
well (why???).
|
Current Situation:
- At present Partex furniture is targeting UAE as their foreign market.
- Cost of establishing manufacturing operations in foreign country is being avoided.
- Manufacturing only in home country will enable the company to realize substantial economies of scale with added global sales volume (experience- curve cost economies and location economies).
- Moreover, Bangladesh being the home country Partex has the advantage of cheap labor and cheap raw materials (in terms of scrap wood and jute stalk).
Recommendations:
- Should calculate regarding the pros and cons that will be associated with trade barriers of the foreign (host) country.
The company should also carefully
verify the transportation costs associated with exporting, and then compare it
with possible profit gains.
Buyer
Power
The buyer is the next person downstream in
the channel of distribution. Thus the buyer for the subject firm in our case
was previously the manufacturer (e.g. OTOBI) while now it is the wholesaler and
the final consumer.
The factors that increase a buyer's power are the mirror image of those that increase a supplier's power. Thus buyers have enhanced power:
< When
they are concentrated and buy in volume. These conditions give buyers power
over small, fragmented suppliers. However, in Partex’s case their Major buyer
was OTOBI at a certain level. Now, as Partex is going vertically integrated the
buyers’ power is getting reduced as no individual buyer is the prime consumer
for the subject company’s product.
< However
furniture buyers can integrate backward if suppliers cannot offer satisfactory
prices. Examples: often consumers chose designs of furniture from galleries and
produce them through individual Wood craftsmen.
(Macro) General
Environment
The general environment is composed of five sectors:
Socio-cultural: Society's traditions, values, attitudes, beliefs,
tastes, and patterns of behavior, and how they are changing effects the
operation of any business. Partex is no exception in this regard. A few
variables in General environment is provided below:
Technological Environment
|
Macroeconomic Environment
|
Biotechnology
|
Interest rates
|
Consumer electronics
|
Exchange rates
|
Superconductivity
|
Rotation rates
|
High-definition television technology
|
Savings rates
|
Process innovations (e.g., robotics and minimills)
|
Trade deficit/surplus
|
Industrial disasters
|
Budget deficit/surplus
|
|
|
Political/Legal Environment
|
Sociocultural Environment
|
Deregulation
|
Women in the work force
|
Relaxed antitrust enforcement
|
Health and fitness awareness
|
Environmental protection laws
|
Erosion of educational standards
|
Similarity in consumer tastes and preferences
|
Spread of addictive drugs
|
Powerful economic alliances
|
Concern for the environment
|
Opening of eastern bloc countries
|
Aging of the population
|
Third world debt problems
|
Ethnic composition
|
|
Maturing of the baby boom generation
|
|
Regional changes in population growth and decline
|
Political-Legal Forces: The
government of Bangladesh according to the policy it follows allowed an open
market scenario in the furniture industry where foreign companies and their
products compete side by side. There are no subsidies or cartel on local or
foreign products. As a result of this competitive market not many local firms
exist in the market. On the contrary, PARTEX being a large conglomerate could
thrive even in this market due to its strength in production.
There is also a protection law
for wood logging here in Bangladesh. In addition to this, PARTEX itself is an
environment-concerned organization that uses less wood to produce more
substitute products. As a result of this, production increment for the
furniture industry for PARTEX is not to leap-frog in any one nights stand.
Technological Forces: In Bangladesh
the use of technologically advanced wood framing equipment is not present. This
is primarily because of the nature of the business: wood crafting is highly
customized and depends on craftsmanship. Thus over the years skilled craftsman
with individualized catering towards a small group of customers have shaped the
consumer behavior as well as the nature of the business. The result is
technologically not advanced procedure of making wood furniture.
However,
the production of Particleboards is possible to make in a mass volume. As a
result, technological advancement was possible in this sector. Today, PARTEX
produces laminated board furniture in a mass volume with high standardization.
Also, the technology used in terms of machinery and equipments the company is
ahead of its competition, according to the deputy General Managers information
Problems Finding:
- Production:
Production capacity of Modanpur Factory is more than the market demand.
- Technology:
Technology used for the production is not fully automatic, some are
semi-automatic.
- Production
Personnel: They have some lack of knowledge about the use of machine.
- Marketing
Reporting: Marketing intelligence report are not systematic and well
organized.
- Sales
Analysis: The sales analysis of each product life-cycle is absent;
- Marketing
Research: Marketing research for each product has not been done.
- Dealer
Promoting: Dealer promotion only at commission level has been done;
- Dealer:
Number of dealer is not up to the mark and still so many district are
still untapped.
- Brand
Management: Complete brand management is absent for individual brand;
- Distribution:
The distribution process is not Systematic. Flow of distribution is not
clear.
- Outdoor
Marketing: There is no plan for outdoor marketing, which is very
effective for competitive market.
- Advertising
and Promotion: Advertising and Promotion plan is not well enough for find
out untapped market.
- Information
Flow: Information flow between department to department and people to
people is very slow.
- MIS:
Management information system is not up to date.
- Budget: The budget of this company is
not enough.
Recommendation:
- After Sales Service: After Sales Service should be provided at all the Show-room. It will save time and effort of the people.
- Design of some Furniture: Some product design of the company are very traditional. There are so many product similar to our design are now available to our competitor.
- Drop out slow moving product:
- More Advertising: To increase the sales advertising on Print media, Electronic media should be increase.
- Dealer increasing: Dealer should be available in all district. Then I have to find out according to the market potentiality for more than one dealer in the same market.
- Marketing Plan for Slow Moving Product: Plan for slow moving product such as; Hospital furniture.
- More Tanning for the officer Level: At present more training is needed about the salesmanship. Market research for find out the target market, dealing product knowledge, product development, marketing product etc. for the salesman and sales personnel.
- Marketing Research: Market research for each brand has to be done for getting the clear picture for product positioning against the competitor products and finding out furniture.
- Budget: The budget will be required to upgrade as its targeted future.
Conclusion:
It is impossible to have a
clear-cut idea of a big company within a short time. But according to my
observation this company is suffering from a tremendous problem in following
areas, which are the main obstacle for the company optimum growth:
Ø
There is
a clear gap between Production and Marketing.
Ø
Company sales and marketing people have a
package of their action plan.
Ø
Company do not giving its effort in marketing
research, market development, product development, product positioning,
un-trapped market, business plan, marketing plan, product planning, and an
effective advertising and promotional planning.
Ø
Company did much promotional campaign but never
try to figure out the reason for success and failure.
Ø
Individual job responsibility should be very
specific.
Company is in developing stage.
Gradually it is trying to figure out its system fall and week corner. In spite
of many problems, it is the pioneer in furniture industry in our country. Hope
it will be a systemic and standard organization.
Bibliography:
- PARTEX Gallery, Monipuripara.
- http://www.partexgroup.com
- E-mail: furniture@partex.net
The quality of your blogs and conjointly the articles and price appreciating.Furniture market share
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment @James Frank
Delete