Question: Washburn Guitars: Signature Model Quality

Washburn Guitars produces a wide variety of acoustic and electric guitars, selling about 50,000 instruments a year for $40 million in total revenues. An Illinois-based company in business for over 125 years, Washburn maintains a workforce of people who love music, play music, and value the craft and design of each guitar. The production process at Washburn starts when its designers give the engineer an idea for a new product . The engineer uses CAD (computer-aided-design) software to design a computer mock-up of the new instrument so the production people can check the quality of technical details like string alignment and string angle. Once the drawing has been approved, the wood boards-of mahogany, alder, poplar, or swamp ash-are selected, cut, and reduced to the desired size and thickness. (The wood's degree of porosity is what gives a guitar its unique tone.)

The boards are then sent to CNC machines, computer-assisted manufacturing devices that cut out the various parts of the guitar to the specifications provided by the CAD software. Anything the software can draw, the machines can automatically cut. The guitar parts next go to various departments for body sanding, neck assembly, and painting. After two weeks in "the dry room," the wood is leveled and buffed. The guitar then goes to a subassembly bench where the strings are put on and tuned, and finally the finished instrument is played to make sure it meets Washburn's quality standards. If it does, the guitar gets a quality tag signed by all the department heads. The keys to quality for a guitar are form, fit, and function. You can have the best-looking guitar on the market, but if it doesn't play well and sound good, guitar enthusiasts will not be interested in purchasing it, and word will quickly travel throughout the music industry. Two major changes have improved Washburn guitar quality substantially in recent years.

First, the company hired a new production manager. Gil Vasquez had been at Baker Guitars on the West Coast, manufacturing low-volume, highend guitars for top musicians. At Washburn he undertook a relentless pursuit of quality improvements. The second change came when Washburn acquired Parker Guitar, a company founded by an aviation engineer that also caters to high-end customers. Parker's production approach injected new quality standards into Washburn's processes, and Washburn's production approach added volume efficiencies to Parker's processes. Thus, the acquisition improved both companies. A production model guitar has no variations. If twelve pieces are made in a run, all the guitars are going to be of the same wood, be the same color, and have the same features. So Washburn also has a custom shop, where it makes more expensive specialty guitars for high-profile musicians and performers who request specific colors, special woods, unique components, and the highest-grade accessories.

The custom shop's production has risen from 60 to 300 guitars in just two years, while its staff has grown from 8 people to 65. A signature model increases the appeal of a guitar among aficionados. It makes a statement about the guitar's quality, and it strengthens Washburn's relationship with rock stars such as Dan Donegan (lead guitarist for the rock band Disturbed) and his millions of fans. Such stars want an instrument unique to them that doesn't look like every other guitar in music stores around the country. In fact, Donegan helped design the Maya Pro DD75, which includes a range of features and high-end components that fit his specific needs. This signature model requires additional hand crafting and care, which can be challenging to a production facility like Washburn's. Once the design of a signature model has been finalized, the production process is similar to the one described above except that Washburn's craftspeople are especially motivated to do their best for a high-profile guitarist like Donegan. Washburn knows that to be considered a quality producer, it has to be associated with quality users of its products.15 For more information about this company, go to www.washburn.com.

1. Using the concepts of focus, magnitude of change, and number of production processes, discuss Washburn's manufacturing conversion process.

2. How would you describe Dan Donegan's role in the production process that produced his signature guitar?

3. What form of plant layout does Washburn appear to employ in the manufacture of its guitars?