Total Quality Management

Providing high quality products is the essential factor contributing to success for any business in any industry. The concept of quality denotes the level of the products or services that a company produces and whether they meet the customers’ demands. Hence, quality management should focus not only on the offered goods’ endurance and materials used to create a product, but also on their excellence and ability to exceed the customers’ requirements. With the ever changing and increasing demands, the quality management of any organization becomes a crucial focus for providing satisfaction and ensuring loyalty of the customers. This paper focuses on the Abyat furniture company as it is a successful company from the Middle East owing its profitability to effective quality control measures, including strong relations with partners, regular information flow, well-developer communication, ISO certification, timely quality monitoring and respectful attitude to the customers.

Company Overview

Founded in 2005, the brand concept of Abyat was developed in Kuwait and was presented to the general public in March of 2008 (Abyat General Trading, 2013). The company’s main directions are home and outdoor furnishing. Since its inception, the company has become an exclusive distributor of the luxury collections of such brands as Carlisle, Amefa, Shizell (Abyat, 2012). It has become one of the first retail shops in the Middle East that focused on the customers’ needs and aspirations and provided all their finishings, home furniture & outdoor furnishing requirements under one roof. Today Abyat offers luxury products for hotels, homes and offices. Various accessories, wares, heaters and coolers, furniture and others products of furniture are provided in retail, wholesale and for rent (Abyat General Trading, 2013).  In almost decade of its operations Abyat has gained a good reputation on the furniture market in the Middle East and has ambitiously expanded in the Gulf region. Since 2008, the company opened 10 showrooms to provide its clients with an overview of the offered luxury goods.

Product Quality

The furniture industry is quite complex. The difficulties lie not only in actual production of the goods, but also in the importance of simultaneously satisfying the customers’ needs for resting, comfort and prestige products (Burja&Marginean, 2013). Nevertheless, with all these qualities, people also seek originality. The Abyat products are special in that they are trendy and personalized, which gives the company’s customers an unrivalled and unique shopping experience (Abyat General Trading, 2013). A highly qualified pool of multinational experts supports this strategy of Albyat (Abyat General Trading, 2013). In such a way, customer–centered approach and a focus meeting international standards are the central priorities for the company. According to Burja&Marginea (2013), furniture industry is very relevant for the economic and social life. Therefore, the company has to meet the expectations of the customers, realizing that the changing world and the economy of Middle East region makes these expectations higher than ever.

Costs of Quality

Abyat asserts that it tends to provide its clients with the best products and services (Abyat General Trading, 2013). Moreover, the company aims at establishing a high standard at reasonable prices. Of course, the prices for the high quality luxury goods simply cannot be low. However, as an official distributor Abyat, offers goods at prices that are lower in comparison to its direct competitors on the market (Abyat, 2012). Moreover, its customers usually get their products on time and without hindrances.

The costs analysis should also consider ISO 9001, which is the aim of the company. Ratnasingam et al. (2013) report that ISO-certification is beneficial not only for the increased productivity, it also but identifies cost-cutting opportunities in the furniture industry. Hence, ISO 9001 will not only provide assurance about the orderly and systematic quality products, but justifies the product costs. Moreover, it increases the competitiveness of the product considerably.

Total Quality Management

Total Quality Management is primarily influential for innovative policies and approaches that the organization relies on (Zehir et al., 2012). Quality policy of the Abyat focuses on providing high quality services to the customers and on meeting all of their expectations. However, one of the specific features of the company lies in making the products exceed the set expectations. Hence, excellent organizational management is one of the central tasks, together with continuous improvement that has to keep up with the ever changing needs of the customers. The company’s latest moves on the path of improvement included the attempts to obtain ISO 9001-2000 (Abyat General Trading, 2013). Quality Management System certification is important in the modern highly competitive business environment (Rezaei&Baalousha, 2011). In particular, many consider ISO 9001 as an effective marketing tool (Ratnasingam et al., 2013). Moreover, certification is crucial for a company that offers high quality and personalized goods. Many businesses seek to obtain the ISO quality certification. However, such certification demands considerable amounts of work with documentation, employees’ motivation and improvement of communication process in the company (Rezaei&Baalousha, 2011). Hence, Abyat’s management and strongly devoted to effective quality management demanded by ISO guidelines on all levels of cooperation with a customer (Abyat General Trading, 2013). Therefore, representatives of the company cooperate on all levels in order to ensure a flawless process of delivering the products to the customers.

Nevertheless, the quality of the goods is not enough to make the sale reports grow. According to Vanichchinchaia&Igel (2011), the international market dynamics makes the companies strengthen their SCM (Supply Chain Management) and TQM (Total Quality Management). The practices of TQM that have to be used include strategic quality management, supplier partnerships, communication, particular attention to the information flow, customer satisfaction, teamwork operational quality planning, and corporate quality culture (Talib et al., 2011). With regard to the Abyat reports and its aims, the company follows the above-mentioned practices.

Quality Tools

The customers’ expectations are constantly growing and changing, and it is crucial to remember this aspect for any business. The main strategy used by the company is to make the customers stop, look and listen (Abyat, 2012). In such a way, the customers should appreciate the superior quality, pay attention to the competitive brand and brand names, and get to experience the superior quality of the products. A comprehensive presentation from the experts is a crucial tool in such a case (Abyat, 2012).

The practices mentioned in the previous section are strongly interconnected with the attentive approach to the clients with the highest service level. Personal commitment, raising the workers’ productivity, extending the borders and providing the “round the clock service for well-being” are the tools used by Abyat (Abyat General Trading, 2013).

Conclusion

The furniture industry is an industry that has a particular focus on offering high quality goods to the clients. Only such approach can let the company remain successful and competitive in the ever changing environment. As a bright member of luxury furniture seller community in the Middle East, Abyat relies on such effective quality measures as offering exclusive luxury brands, making comprehensive presentations by the experts, gaining ISO certificates and providing personified and trendy goods. The Total Quality management and the tools used by Abyat ensure a high-level of strategic quality management, strong supplier partnerships, communication and particular attention to the information flow, customer satisfaction, teamwork operational quality planning, and corporate quality culture. The attentive attitude towards the customers, a constant strive for improvements and commitment to work on all levels are the most important tools that let the company not only remain successful, but grow and have its customers remain loyal and satisfied.

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