When it comes to German manufacturing, like the well-known Siemens, everyone thinks it is good whether it is industrial products or home appliances, but not everyone knows why they are good and what is good about them.
What exactly is "Made in Germany"?
The word-of-mouth made in Germany is based on a very interesting and crucial point: don't trust people. The Germans have a deep-rooted concept that people will make mistakes and errors, especially in the production process. The negative impact introduced by these people will be amplified step by step in each link of the assembly line, which will inevitably affect the quality of the product in the end.
Therefore, in the production engineering of the whole product, the more human factors there are, the greater the possibility of problems in the final product. Therefore, the idea of the Germans to improve quality is very straightforward, that is, to use all possible means in the production process to minimize the natural influence of people, and to decompose everything into machines (or people acting like machines) that can be easily executed. In other words, it is to improve the automation level of production. As long as the machine can do it and the cost is reasonable, it is determined not to let people do it.
What is the difference between Made in Germany and Made in China?
Bearings Made in China vs Made in Germany
It’s not like I don’t know, but I’m startled, it’s really shocking!
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Volkswagen's production line in 1969
Process: The picture above shows the production line of Volkswagen in 1969, which is more automated than many domestic automakers today. The core purpose of the production process is to divide the production process into very small pieces, each piece is processed in a strict order, and the pieces are connected by an automated transmission device. When each piece is so simple that no manual operation is required, was replaced by machines.
Another industry example, speaking of software companies, everyone remembers American companies such as Microsoft, but the most successful process software is Germany's SAP, which solidifies all internal processes of enterprises (even non-production organizations) to In the software, everyone in the enterprise is solidified into one function through the software, and finally the reliable and efficient operation of the enterprise is completed. The class must be particularly familiar).
Measurable: Various measuring instruments with excellent performance are also made in Germany. They hope that every link of production can accurately measure various problems of products and production lines and correct them in time. Through these measurement methods, they have introduced a large number of feedback loops in the production process to ensure that the quality fluctuations of the produced products are controlled within a small range, which is an important prerequisite for ensuring product quality. Another example of an industry that everyone is familiar with. The kitchens of Germans have more equipment than the chemical laboratories of our middle school students. All ingredients must be measured accurately. Of course, the processing time and processing temperature of key links also need to be accurately measured. of.
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Photo of the factory of the future as envisioned by the renowned Fraunhofer Institute Industrial Services in Germany
Automation: Automation is to hand over repetitive and error-prone tasks that humans are not good at doing to robots. The picture above is a photo of the future factory in the mind of the famous Fraunhofer Institute Industrial Services Department in Germany. What are the characteristics: the factory is completely produced by the machine itself, and the role of people is visualized as two: one is to make production planning and issue production instructions; the other is to lay hands on the machine to help keep the production line running efficiently and reliably.
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The size of the steam turbine in a nuclear power plant can be visually compared from the ladder next to it
Professionalism: For example, there is an old German engineer with no academic qualifications. After graduating from the German vocational education school FH, he has worked as a mechanical engineer for more than 30 years. He is responsible for the steam turbines of all nuclear power plants in Germany. Installed and debugged. Very well respected within the department. (The size of the steam turbine in the nuclear power plant in the picture above can be compared intuitively from the ladder next to it.) This accumulation of knowledge and experience is very important for reliable production and engineering quality.
Tooling: We all know the truth that workers must first sharpen their tools if they want to do their jobs well. Germans like tools. It can be said that they have special tools for almost everything, and almost all of their homes have their own tool boxes or tool rooms. They like to make things by themselves, ranging from children's toys, home furnishings, to own house.
There are so many made in Germany, to be honest, I think German made also has its problems. The biggest problem is that their manufacturing industry is not suitable for fast consumption and changing products, because the service life of a product is more than 20 years, which makes repeat customers very embarrassed.
Made in Germany status quo
Germany has entered the post-industrial era. That is to say, there is no natural person in a factory, and all processes from material feeding, production, quality inspection, finished product packaging, and goods stacking are all completed by machines. Almost only one person needs to monitor the entire workshop to complete all production. As an "operator", he is actually an engineer himself, he only needs to press buttons and debug regularly.
Made in Germany thinking
There is a story: A friend asked a German colleague for directions, and the German colleague told me very nicely, wait for an hour to find me, and I will look it up online. Think about it, just google a map and print it out. When I came back in an hour, I found that she had not only printed the map, marked the route, but even marked where it would be easier to go wrong. Finally, she wrapped it in a plastic cover and handed it to me, and finally used a piece of note paper Write down her phone number, give it to this friend, and say that if you can't find the way, you can call and ask at any time.
As long as a German colleague provides services for others, he will definitely consider from the perspective of the other party, "He asked me for this service, what does he really need?" Conversely, looking at some Chinese colleagues, most of the time they just regard providing service for others as a task. The most important requirement is met, and it is enough to deal with it before the deadline.
What will become of this kind of thinking when it comes to making products. The same is to make a car, what is the most important thing? Four wheels, can run. The general idea is that as long as it has four wheels and can run, save other materials if you can, and make money first. The idea of the Germans would be, if I were a driver, what else would I need besides having four wheels and being able to run while driving.
The Mystery of German Products
Design: Europeans advocate low-key luxury, especially in the upper class, exaggerated LOGO and design are the least pleasing. Made in Germany perfectly fits this consumer psychology. Taking German fountain pens (LAMY, Polygram) as an example, the simplest design can often win the favor of consumers. In the Red Dot Award, which represents the highest level of industrial design, practical and low-key products from Germany are always the most popular.
Quality: It is the soul of the product, and the Germans' pursuit of quality has almost reached the state of perfection. However, this pursuit does not stop at the appearance of the product. The Germans tend to pay more attention to the invisible places. Early engines from the luxury car brand are on display at the BMW Museum in Munich. I saw that on a radial engine produced in the 1920s, each bolt was connected with a wire. My father who was an engineer told me that this could keep the torque of each bolt equal. The reason for global domination.
Technology: Needless to say, it is precisely because of German technology that China got close to Germany by exchanging markets for technology after the reform and opening up. In this country of engineers and scientists, the enthusiasm for science and technology of men, women and children can be seen in various fairs every year. Even the upcoming Oktoberfest has booths showcasing the latest technology.
Service: also a treasure made in Germany. Generally speaking, after purchasing products produced by German companies, after-sales service can be guaranteed. "If you have any questions, you can contact us at any time." Although German products have a service that can be returned at any time within a certain period of time, the return rate is very low. The service attitude is the most intuitive feeling.
What are the advantages of German products?
The real source of German product quality lies in the grasp of details and excellence. Many German companies are not pursuing the accumulation of wealth, but the practicality of technology and products. Therefore, it is almost impossible to see which products in Germany have colorful advertisements, or The outer packaging is exquisite and attractive (except for well-known global products).
German products rarely compete with products in the same industry on the basis of price. First, there is industry protection. Second, everyone knows that price is not everything. It may even cause the entire industry to fall into a vicious circle. They prefer to ensure profits while Turn profits into better products and services.
German products are not updated quickly, but they pay attention to the quality and value of each product. Almost no German company can become rich overnight or become a global focus. They are often "small companies" that focus on a certain field or a certain product. , "Slow companies", but there are very few "bad companies" and "fake companies". They have a lot of small companies with a century-old history.
Let's not talk about familiar German representative products such as cars, but talk about some small German objects and services that are closely related to our lives, so as to see what are the advantages of German products.
Kitchen utensils: Many people question why a pot in Germany costs several thousand yuan, and why it is so expensive. In fact, German pots and utensils are not only because of the quality of materials and excellent production and processing, but also because many of them contain technology. For example, Helite's pots have natural antibacterial and high temperature resistance properties, while Fissler's pots have to go through 9,000 processes for production and processing, which are energy-saving and environmentally friendly, and have excellent heat transfer effects. That's why some people say that you can make a good meal with a German pot and a candle.
Germany's small home appliances: Bosch, Braun, Miele, Siemens, these brands are enough to represent the essence of high-quality German home appliances. Even their technological content is not less than their car technology. For example, Braun's negative ion technology, Miele's peripheral steam generator technology and so on. This is made in Germany, not pursuing price, but pursuing value, not pursuing appearance, but pursuing details, not pursuing advertising, but pursuing word of mouth, not pursuing speed, but pursuing quality.
