Introduction: general overview of the company
Miele is the company which produces high-end home appliances and professional catering tools including kitchen equipment for industrial use. All tools and appliances produced under the Miele brand are associated with quality and reliability because the company’s intangible capital or, to be more exact, its reputation has been formed for decades with the help of approach that did not change for years.
In this respect, it is necessary to outline the key resources that made this company successful by now and offer certain strategies to sustain it in the current condition further.
Besides, competitive advantage and its value for Miele’s success should be enlarged on as it brings the company along compared to its competitors’ position in the global market taking into account Miele’s success within domestic market of home appliances and other goods produced under this brand.
Key resources of the company’s success
The key resources of any company include assets and capabilities. In this respect, Miele can be analysed as a brand whose customer based assets include strong company name and reputation based on high-quality products resulting in customer loyalty. In other words, the fact that the company spends more on innovation, research, development, and customer relationship management benefits its susses in the market.
Internal support and supply chain assets include machines and mechanisms, buildings, and research centres whereas alliance-based assets establish company’s relations with all branches that take part in the manufacturing process making all plants that are situated outside the main area of Miele’s activity produce goods under the same brand.
Strategic capabilities of Miele are based on the company’s traditions and implementation of new technologies in operation. Functional capabilities include Miele’s manufacturing of high-quality goods though they do not try to compete at a price level selling their goods at appropriate cost. Operational capabilities include high-end goods and plans of the company for the future.
Competition in a changing market
Competition that takes place in the changing market has little relation to what Miele is going to achieve because the company is aimed at production of high-end goods that serve for long periods of time compared to those produced by competitors.
In this respect, trying to compete for a price will make Miele’s products of lower quality discouraging loyal customers and people that wanted to buy products under this brand for their high quality from doing so. In other words, Miele can compete for a price but it also can sustain its position in the market which is unique and remain a manufacturer of high-end products, home appliances, and other equipment.
Successful resources for Miele in future
Miele is a successful brand due to the unique niche it occupies in the global market contrasted to is competitors. Though some customers are ready to buy rather expensive products as investment in the future operation period, it is necessary to introduce changes concerning the resources spent on production of expensive goods.
In other words, Miele’s target audience includes people that realise the benefits of such appliances or those who seek for prestigious tools (tools that are claimed to be prestigious to have produced under a definite brand).
So, it is possible to reduce costs on production of ‘luxurious’ tools and make the products manufactured for ordinary people, that want to invest in appliances as a good method of economizing, more available in terms of costs.
Reference List
Hooley, Graham, Piercy, Graham & Nicoulaud, Brigitte, 2008. Marketing strategy and competitive positioning. 4th ed. London: Pearson Education.