■ Our reporter Jia Li
At present, the old global electronics Matsushita Electric (hereinafter referred to as 'Matsushita') is seeking a transformation, but the frequent occurrence of product quality problems has become a painful word.
In the past four months, Panasonic has announced four recall plans and recalled products in three categories, reaching millions. Panasonic's continuous recall involves a wide range of recalls and is a large-scale product recall. One of the events.
The frequent occurrence of product safety problems has caused this company, which is moving towards the next century, to suffer torture and questioning.
Continuous recall of millions of products
Before and after argument
Recently, it was reported that Matsushita had recalled more than 1.16 million notebook computers due to battery problems. Since 2016, there have been 12 battery-related fire incidents, one of which has even caused the hands of one US user to be locked. burn.
It is reported that Panasonic recalled laptop models include the Let's Note series of CF-SX, CF-NX, CF-S10, CF-N10, CF-AX and Tough Book series of CF-C2. Recall products produced in 2011 Year - March of this year.
However, this is not Panasonic's first statement on the issue of laptop batteries.
In December of last year, Panasonic had been exposed to the potential of the laptop's battery, and announced that it would recall about 142,000 related batteries and replace it for free. The target of recall was the battery produced from February 2012 to July 2014. It is the CF-SX, CF-NX, CF-S10 and CF-N10 of Let's Note series. These four models are also included in this Panasonic recall.
As for the reason for the recall, Panasonic's explanation has been deviated before and after.
In the recall plan at the end of last year, Matsushita said that the reason for the product recall was that foreign matter was mixed into the battery during the production process and there was a potential safety hazard. This time, Panasonic gave another explanation for the recall of the same model: Battery Premature aging may occur.
On this issue, a reporter from the Securities Daily interviewed Panasonic's after-sales staff. The other said: 'At present in the Chinese market, Matsushita's recalled battery models are limited to CF-10 and CF-G1 models. At the same time, Panasonic will also be The four models of the CF-SX2 notebook computer provide battery diagnostic control programs to consumers to determine the condition of the battery. 'However, for the reasons why the same type of product was recalled, two different opinions are given. Not responding positively.
'Between before and after the statement that the Panasonic internal management system has serious problems. And from the recognition of 'problems in the production process' to the 'battery aging' argument, Panasonic has the suspicion of shirking responsibility, which is contrary to basic corporate Honesty spirit. ' Home appliance industry marketing expert Hong Shibin said.
In addition to laptops, Panasonic has recalled over a million products in two categories, including cooking machines and televisions, and has consistently paid for consumers’ products.
In February of this year, Panasonic announced that it had recalled more than 970,000 food machines sold in Japan. The cause of the accident was a quality problem with the parts of the food machine. Two Japanese consumers had misled the mouth of their food by mixing food with metal flakes. hurt.
On March 27, Panasonic once again announced that it recalled about 15,000 TV sets in China. This television set has a security risk, because the base is made of highly deformable resin material.
A person familiar with the situation revealed that: 'In times of difficult operation, using low-quality parts and raw materials has become one of Panasonic's ways of cutting costs.'
Historically, Panasonic recalls also occurred. As early as 8 years ago, Panasonic had recalled an additional 360,000 Panasonic refrigerators that had already been sold.
In response to a series of recent recalls, the relevant person in charge of Panasonic Home Appliances (China) Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as Panasonic Home Appliances) interviewed by a reporter from Securities Daily said: 'Panasonic has reorganized its after-sales service network in recent years to enhance product after-sales repairs. Reporting efficiency and level. At the same time, Panasonic conducts active investigations and self-tests on previously sold products.
However, Panasonic didn’t seem to satisfy all consumers. A consumer responded to a reporter and saw a recall of the news. He called Matsushita’s customer service several times and asked to replace the laptop’s battery, but the other party needed to contact He said that through the incident, we felt Panasonic’s 'ignorance' of consumers’ basic rights and lives and property safety.
According to Zhang Jianfeng, the deputy secretary-general of the China Household Electrical Appliance Business Association, 'Actively recalling problem products is a company’s responsibility for consumers. However, Panasonic recalled so frequently that the number of recalled products is so large that the reliability and stability of its product quality are There are some. Panasonic's improvement in product quality and after-sales issues in recent years is not obvious.
The scale of the recall affects millions of people worldwide. The problem covers multiple core categories, resulting in multiple safety incidents... The quality of Panasonic products has become increasingly prominent, and coverage has also expanded dramatically.
Mistakes in business strategy
Is the Chinese market going to stay?
What happened to Matsushita, which was once in great beauty?
Matsushita used to be a globally competitive household appliance giant. However, due to the failure of betting on plasma TVs, Panasonic ushered in the biggest loss in history in 2011 and was caught in an operating dilemma.
At a critical moment, Panasonic announced a change, and Jin Heichi, president of Matsushita Electric Co., Ltd., undertook a disruptive B2B transformation and reorganized several of its business units. At the same time, Panasonic wanted to get rid of the image of a pure home appliance manufacturing enterprise through home appliances. Started to expand into residential and automotive areas.
In the transformation process of Panasonic, the largest scale was the contraction and restructuring of its business system. The sale of lead storage battery business, the stripping of plasma TVs and panels and other assets, after exiting the Japanese smartphone market and the US television market, Panasonic announced again last year that The six loss-making businesses were integrated. Massively “downsizing” the business line, layoffs, and curbing the momentum of serious losses in a short period of time. However, the remaining large-scale household appliance business failed to make Panasonic suffer.
Industry analysts pointed out that in the Chinese market, tactical mistakes and poor mechanisms made Panasonic unable to extricate itself into a quagmire. In recent years, Panasonic has reduced quality on its products, has obvious signs of compression costs, and has frequent quality problems. This has led directly to Panasonic’s use of flat-panel televisions. , Air conditioning, Refrigerator three core product line full collapse.
The courage and action of the Matsushita Zhuangshi broken wrist provided a short-term respite for the player in a loss-making environment. However, the quality of Panasonic products was frequently criticized by the outside world, and it also quickly left behind in the Chinese market.
As to whether it is possible to re-adjust the business line in the Chinese market, the aforementioned person in charge of Panasonic Home Appliances said: 'China is a very important overseas market for Matsushita Electric Appliances' home appliance business. At present, the company has no plans to withdraw or contract.'
“Every recall is an injury to the brand. Consumers gradually lose trust in Panasonic and their purchasing power is weakened. It will also affect their overall performance. If Panasonic does not make timely adjustments to control quality, it will gradually be marginalized in the Chinese market and may even Exit the consumer electronics market. ' Hong Shibin thinks.
Localization and reconstruction
Strategic transformation is difficult
Looking back at the past 100 years, consumer electronics giants such as Panasonic and Sony and Toshiba represented the highest standards in traditional manufacturing industries in Japan and explained the rigor and science of Japanese manufacturing to the entire world. Its share in the Chinese market has gradually been eroded by competitors, and even overtaken by many Chinese manufacturers. In today's rapid industrial transformation environment, Panasonic also seeks change to accelerate the localization of the Chinese market.
In April of last year, Panasonic made its home appliance business independent from Matsushita Electric. Matsushita Electric, which originally produced smart toilets, carried the entire Chinese home appliance business and renamed it Matsushita Electric Appliances. Wu Liang was appointed as the general manager of the company for the first time.
According to the person in charge of Matsushita Electric Appliances, “China has become the second largest overseas market for Panasonic’s home appliance business. To achieve the annual sales target of 20 billion yuan for home appliances in 2020, Panasonic will adopt a brand, commodity, and channel strategy. A series of new measures. '
However, the above analysts believe that: 'Now, the Internet, artificial intelligence and other new technologies and consumer electronics industries are rapidly integrating. Panasonic is still slow in this area. At the same time, product quality problems are frequent, and many times the credibility crisis, Let Panasonic lack of competitiveness in this market environment, too little technological accumulation also allows Panasonic to hit a wall everywhere in the newly opened fields.
China Yikang data shows that Panasonic is already in a precarious position in the Chinese market. Its refrigerator and air-conditioner market rankings are squeezed out of the top 10. There is a big difference between the share of washing machines and first-tier brands, and small household appliances have not yet reached scale.
Guo Weide, vice president of Ovid Cloud Network, stated: 'Japanese foreign brands face great pressure in the Chinese market. From the point of view of product innovation, most of them respond slowly, and it is difficult to understand users' pain points; from the perspective of channels, their channels are relatively Slowness. In addition to washing machines, the market share of Panasonic products has declined rapidly. Grasping the fast lane on the line, speeding up brand promotion in China's new consumer environment, and seizing user traffic will likely bring new opportunities to foreign brands.
At present, for Panasonic, there are still many ways to go to reach the established sales target and achieve transformation.
■ Jia Li
A hundred years ago, Matsushita Electric Co. founder Matsushita Kosuke had set a goal for Matsushita. Through 250 years of hard work, the world was built into a paradise, every 25 years as a cycle.
Nowadays, Panasonic, we have seen, is another scene.
Matsushita, a century-old enterprise known for its ingenuity, was not accidental in just over ten years. It is not accidental that it is a prosperous society. As a well-known enterprise deeply pursuing traditional electrical appliance manufacturing and sales, the core of Matsushita’s survival is A huge user base and potential user groups brought by group word of mouth. How sophisticated the product's industrial design, how comfortable ergonomics, combined with high-end technology, will become the 'last ace' played by Panasonic to cater to consumers' pain points. However, Panasonic ignored the most basic principles of manufacturing companies: product quality and user safety.
As we all know, product recalls are mostly caused by fatal defects in products that are irreversible and may endanger the personal safety of users. In such a short period of time, Panasonic recalls so frequently, involving so many categories, and it is also true in the industry. Is rare.
Such a large-scale recall incident not only exposed Panasonic’s lack of design and R&D, but also reflected the chaos of company management and the difficulty in adapting to the Chinese market.
In fact, most of the foreign brands, including Panasonic, have formulated localization strategies aimed at the market environment in China. However, it seems that the tactical effects are not obvious and most of them are gradually marginalized. They gradually expose the issue of product quality and safety. The hidden dangers make its position in consumers' minds lower year by year, causing the market and consumers to question their integrity. The overly extensive management system of some foreign brands in China has gradually become an obstacle. In the process of product development and localization transformation, Too much emphasis on cost control also makes the competitiveness of foreign brand products.
In the critical situation, joining the flood of foreign brand transformation, Panasonic holds high the banner of 'innovation and transformation' and wants to find a way out. However, ours is that although Matsushita’s current recall is more in the household appliances and electronics sector, once its brand is affected, Loss, the negative effects will continue to spread to the new business areas it is expanding. It is a glory and a glory, and one loss is a loss. We cannot help but ask: Quality cannot be controlled. What about innovation?
Quality is the cornerstone of innovation. Quality control is only a matter of mouth, and recall must not be an indifferent means to save afterwards.
With the 'movement' of the recall, last month, Panasonic ushered in a hundred-year birthday. The day when Matsushita Kosuke’s goal was achieved has gradually approached, and the time is still less than 3/5. Today, there are a lot of product quality problems. , Panasonic suffered a crisis of credibility. What will be the next century?
Panasonic encountered a crisis of credibility for centuries
'Innovation transformation' is just playing a gun?
Reporter's notes