白领商务英语－经典案例8：Harley-Davidson

Production of Quality Goods and Service

Facing Business Challenges at Harley-Davidson

Staying on the Road to Higher Sales

When Japanese manufacturers began selling heavyweight motorcycles in the United States during the early 1970s, Barley-Davidson remained calm. The Milwaukee com­pany controlled 99.7 percent of the market and saw no reason to panic. After all, if your customers love your product so much that they tattoo² your logo on their chests, can't you count on their loyalty³?

The company was mistaken. The Harley was no longer the superb machine it once had been. It leaked oil, vibrated wildly, and broke down frequently. Harley's older customers patiently rebuilt their motorcycles, but younger riders were not so forgiving. Increasing numbers of them chose the trouble-free, smooth-riding imports, and Harley's U.S. market share eventually tumbled to 23 percent.

During the 1980s, Harley decided⁴ to open the throttle⁵ on quality production. The company changed its de­sign and manufacturing systems to stress quality and reliability⁶, and it carefully controlled the number of motorcycles produced so that their quality could be main­tained. This turnaround reestablished Harley's worldwide reputation for superior quality. Customers liked the new motorcycles, and sales began to climb.

By the early 1990s, market share had returned to 64 percent, a number that could have been higher if the com­pany hadn't presold its entire output by the middle of every year. With $1.2 billion in sales, Harley's biggest problem now was to make enough motorcycles to keep up with soaring demand in the United States and abroad. Dealers⁸ were frustrated¹⁰ because they couldn't give customers what they wanted, As dealer⁷ Debra Meyers put it: "People don't understand. Not only can't they have the color they want, they can't have the bike. Period."

The last thing Harley CEO Richard F. Teerlink wanted was to frustrate⁹ dealers and customers. Although he recognized that higher production would lead to higher sales and profits, he refused to increase output at the risk of damaging the company's new reputation for quality. Faced with a sea of clamoring customers and anxious deal­ers, how could Teerlink boost Harley's production while keeping a firm grip on the quality that had brought the company back to its dominant¹¹ position in the motorcycle industry? What could the CEO do to monitor the produc­tion process and keep it on track and on time? How could he make Harley flexible enough to handle the constant change needed to compete with rivals all over the globe?

 

 

Meeting Business Challenges at Harley-Davidson

Even though Harley-Davidson had regained¹² its reputation for building dependable motorcycles, higher demand created a new dilemma¹³ for CEO Richard Teerlink: how to increase production and boost sales without sacrificing quality. Even though mo­torcycle enthusiasts¹⁴ in Europe, Japan, and Australia were eager to buy, Harley agreed to limit international exports to 30 per­cent of all sales until production caught up with demand in North America. Now Teerlink turned his attention to produc­tion and operations, the areas that had fueled Harley's return to prominence¹⁵ in the late 1980s.

Following Honda's lead, Harley installed the HT system of inventory¹⁶ management. Among other things, HT lowered the number of parts and supplies held in waiting, so Harley could spend more on research to improve quality and to speed up the manufacturing process. Harley adapted to HT by changing everything from its purchasing practices to the layout of its fac­tories. It also forged closer relationships with a smaller group of suppliers who could deliver high-quality parts on time. Because Harley was using fewer suppliers, it was able to place larger or­ders and qualify for bulk discounts.

In addition, Harley redesigned its production machinery¹⁷ and created more standardized¹⁸ parts for multiple bike models. With this approach, the company could build individual mod­els in smaller batches¹⁹, which allowed for more frequent prod­uct upgrades. The smaller batches also cut down on the num­ber of defective²⁰ parts.

Now Teerlink decided that Harley had to do more. He appointed a vice¹ president of continuous improvement to over­see further reductions in waste, defects, and variability. He also moved Harley deeper into flexible manufacturing, and he set up a create-demand team, a production team, and a product sup­port team to tap the knowledge of people who had experience in a variety of functions.

This emphasis on quality and world-class manufacturing has kept Harley well ahead of second-place Honda. Revamping its production and operations processes has even positioned Harley to turn the tables on Japanese companies: Harley-David­son is now the best-selling imported motorcycle in Japan.

1 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

2 tattoo   

n.纹身，(皮肤上的)刺花纹；vt.刺花纹于

参考例句：

• I've decided to get my tattoo removed.我已经决定去掉我身上的纹身。
• He had a tattoo on the back of his hand.他手背上刺有花纹。

3 loyalty   

n.忠诚，忠心

参考例句：

• She told him the truth from a sense of loyalty.她告诉他真相是出于忠诚。
• His loyalty to his friends was never in doubt.他对朋友的一片忠心从来没受到怀疑。

4 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

5 throttle   

n.节流阀，节气阀，喉咙；v.扼喉咙，使窒息，压

参考例句：

• These government restrictions are going to throttle our trade.这些政府的限制将要扼杀我们的贸易。
• High tariffs throttle trade between countries.高的关税抑制了国与国之间的贸易。

6 reliability   

n.可靠性，确实性

参考例句：

• We mustn't presume too much upon the reliability of such sources.我们不应过分指望这类消息来源的可靠性。
• I can assure you of the reliability of the information.我向你保证这消息可靠。

7 dealer   

n.商人，贩子

参考例句：

• The dealer spent hours bargaining for the painting.那个商人为购买那幅画花了几个小时讨价还价。
• The dealer reduced the price for cash down.这家商店对付现金的人减价优惠。

8 dealers   

n.商人( dealer的名词复数 )；贩毒者；毒品贩子；发牌者

参考例句：

• There was fast bidding between private collectors and dealers. 私人收藏家和交易商急速竞相喊价。
• The police were corrupt and were operating in collusion with the drug dealers. 警察腐败，与那伙毒品贩子内外勾结。

9 frustrate   

v.使失望；使沮丧；使厌烦

参考例句：

• But this didn't frustrate Einstein.He was content to go as far as he could.但这并没有使爱因斯坦灰心，他对能够更深入地研究而感到满意。
• They made their preparations to frustrate the conspiracy.他们作好准备挫败这个阴谋。

10 frustrated   

adj.挫败的，失意的，泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的过去式和过去分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧

参考例句：

• It's very easy to get frustrated in this job. 这个工作很容易令人懊恼。
• The bad weather frustrated all our hopes of going out. 恶劣的天气破坏了我们出行的愿望。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 dominant   

adj.支配的，统治的；占优势的；显性的；n.主因，要素，主要的人(或物)；显性基因

参考例句：

• The British were formerly dominant in India.英国人从前统治印度。
• She was a dominant figure in the French film industry.她在法国电影界是个举足轻重的人物。

12 regained   

复得( regain的过去式和过去分词 )； 赢回； 重回； 复至某地

参考例句：

• The majority of the people in the world have regained their liberty. 世界上大多数人已重获自由。
• She hesitated briefly but quickly regained her poise. 她犹豫片刻，但很快恢复了镇静。

13 dilemma   

n.困境，进退两难的局面

参考例句：

• I am on the horns of a dilemma about the matter.这件事使我进退两难。
• He was thrown into a dilemma.他陷入困境。

14 enthusiasts   

n.热心人，热衷者( enthusiast的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• A group of enthusiasts have undertaken the reconstruction of a steam locomotive. 一群火车迷已担负起重造蒸汽机车的任务。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Now a group of enthusiasts are going to have the plane restored. 一群热心人计划修复这架飞机。 来自新概念英语第二册

15 prominence   

n.突出；显著；杰出；重要

参考例句：

• He came to prominence during the World Cup in Italy.他在意大利的世界杯赛中声名鹊起。
• This young fashion designer is rising to prominence.这位年轻的时装设计师的声望越来越高。

16 inventory   

n.详细目录，存货清单

参考例句：

• Some stores inventory their stock once a week.有些商店每周清点存货一次。
• We will need to call on our supplier to get more inventory.我们必须请供应商送来更多存货。

17 machinery   

n.(总称)机械，机器；机构

参考例句：

• Has the machinery been put up ready for the broadcast?广播器材安装完毕了吗？
• Machinery ought to be well maintained all the time.机器应该随时注意维护。

18 standardized   

adj.标准化的

参考例句：

• We use standardized tests to measure scholastic achievement. 我们用标准化考试来衡量学生的学业成绩。
• The parts of an automobile are standardized. 汽车零件是标准化了的。

19 batches   

一批( batch的名词复数 )； 一炉； （食物、药物等的）一批生产的量； 成批作业

参考例句：

• The prisoners were led out in batches and shot. 这些囚犯被分批带出去枪毙了。
• The stainless drum may be used to make larger batches. 不锈钢转数设备可用来加工批量大的料。

20 defective   

adj.有毛病的，有问题的，有瑕疵的

参考例句：

• The firm had received bad publicity over a defective product. 该公司因为一件次品而受到媒体攻击。
• If the goods prove defective, the customer has the right to compensation. 如果货品证明有缺陷， 顾客有权索赔。