Who ever heard of the Viennese chairs? Many have seen them and even take advantage of this furniture, but few know the story of a man named Sinks, do not stop to admire the spectacular commercial success of his enterprise. Michael Thonet was born in 1796 in Prussia … Can be a long story about the identity of this master of his invention, a designer’s talent, ahead of time. Written on this subject a lot. So do not dwell on the well-known the facts of his biography.
To do this, there are more authoritative sources. I would like to focus on the commercial component of the success of his enterprise. Try to understand the secret of unimaginable success. 1930. Michael has no longer alive. Managed by his sons.
50 million seats sold worldwide. Branches in almost all major European cities in Russia and the United States. Numerous awards of prestigious exhibitions and shows. A huge number of followers and imitators. 14 chair is almost a cult object. Is not this a success? So, what’s the secret to success? 1. Good technical solution, fixed by the patent and brought to production stage. It is well known the lion’s share of all the great ideas and inventions remain unfulfilled. Typically, this happens because the talent of the inventor and organizer of the talent can not be combined in one person. He was treated as a rare exception to this rule. He patiently and persistently promoted his product. Overcome bureaucratic barriers, enlisted the support of influential persons, and was even forced to change their country of residence. The purpose justified the means! 2. The optimum value for money. Trite principle, but it built the entire business strategy is sinking. The low price was due to the following factors: proximity, sources of raw materials. Beech wood for the production of chairs are harvested in the surrounding woods. Mass-production. Chair 14 going out of six parts. Thanks to the simplicity of the design and alignment of parts, was able to organize production in large parts amounts. -The adjusted sales. Was organized and debugged network of branches. Chairs shipped unassembled in bulk, in a compact package. High quality, appearance. Ergonomic chairs are ideal to sit on it convenient. There are no details which do not carry a functional load. -The strength and durability. The strength of this product is unique. To experiment, a chair thrown from the Eiffel Tower, and he was unharmed. The question of longevity is no longer itself. Everywhere there are chairs, aged over 100 years. It becomes clear that the secret formula is quite simple: it is talent multiplied by a lot of work. And a little luck!