Manufacturing costs

[Delwin D Fandrich]

----- Original Message -----
From: <FIXPIANOS@AOL.COM>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Thursday, September 30, 1999 5:56 AM
Subject: Re: Manufacturing costs


> In a message dated 09/30/1999 8:27:17 AM Eastern Daylight Time,
> nossaman@SOUTHWIND.NET writes:
>
> << There are,
>  regrettably, no prizes. Sorry. <G> >>
>
> How about getting back to my ORIGINAL question and providing some
information?
>
> Thanks...........dy
>
--------------------------------------------

There are few real "secrets" in the piano manufacturing business.  Let's
face it, once the piano is built and out there for all the world to see, the
world sees it.  There are some subtleties that may be difficult to grasp,
but no piano is going to be all that difficult to reverse engineer.

The real competition (among the major manufacturers, at least) is not in
building better sounding pianos as much as it is in the art and science of
building them.  It is not what you do, but how you do it that counts.

You are not likely to get any manufacturer to share this information with
you.  It really is considered proprietary information.  If the Majestic
Piano Company learns that the Bauble Creek Piano Company is spending less on
a particular part or process, they can put that information to good use.
They can track down a new vendor.  Purchase a new machine.  Develop a new
process.  Whatever it takes to reduce manufacturing costs and increase
profits.

I'm afraid that your search is going to be a fruitless one.  No manufacturer
is going to share the information.  And no piano technician or rebuilder is
going to have access to that kind of information.

Good luck anyway.

Regards,

Del