Penetrating and evolving a "customer-centric" perspective in all stages of operations

Brother enhances its corporate value by evolving the Brother Value Chain Management (BVCM) system that links the process from customer opinion to product delivery using three chains. To do that, a two-way dialog with customers is taken to new depths in all stages from product planning to use and collection, and their wants are carefully reflected into manufacture and services, which is leading to greater customer satisfaction.
In building the model for achieving that, Brother is globally developing projects in FY2008 (April 1, 2008 - March 31, 2009) to quantify quality standards from the customer's perspective, improve services via IT, strengthen coordination between sales facilities and other means.

• •Product development continued to meet customer expectations and demands as we developed the world's smallest A3 color inkjet multi-function center, a high-end home embroidery machine with built-in image processing technology, and new products such as a direct-drive lockstitch industrial sewing machine of low cost and low power consumption, and launched new business such as the Brother Document Viewer.
• •Efforts were promoted to improve quality from the customer's perspective such as to quantify and apply "customer quality standards" to manufacturing.
• •Efforts were made to enhance customer satisfaction by utilizing IT solutions. Measures employed included improving support services for greater customer satisfaction and expanding video content leading to upgraded customer support.
• •Steps were taken to improve customer satisfaction via stronger ties between sales facilities, e.g., by laying the groundwork for expanding a customer support website that was launched in FY2007 to all of Europe.