Manufacturing Excellence
©Apple
In recent days, two articles were written about two companies I thought very different.
Turns out, they might actually share quite a few traits.
The first, by Greg Koenig, a product designer living in Portland, Oregon. He chose the topic du jour, the Watch, in this case how it is manufactured. Analyzing what little Apple shows in public together with his expertise on making things, he provides a deeper understanding of the craftsmanship behind this product.
In his words,
“This isn’t a supply chain, it is a ritual Apple is performing to bring themselves up to the standards necessary to compete against companies with centuries of experience.”
If you thought the Watch was just another mass market product from just another mass market company, think again. And enjoy reading that article, for while it is not short, it is absolutely worth your while.
Even longer, but just as worthwhile, is Benjamin Clymer's article about Rolex, and it's four manufacturing facilities.
Known to watch aficionados worldwide, Benjamin is the founder of Hodinkee, one of the best places on the interweb for finding news and background information on watches of yesterday, today and tomorrow.
In his masterpiece, he uses Rolex' (rare) invitation to take us on a tour through the history, and present manufacturing of the Swiss watch maker.
What the article clearly shows, is how Rolex became probably the most famous watch brand of the world. And how, through engineering all aspects of the watch, and its making, they
“have come terribly close to defining the epitome of what a perfectly conceived mechanical watch movement should be.”
Many aspects of Rolex' manufacturing reminded me of the first article, especially how both companies build and invent whole machinery to build their products, and how they don't shy away from using scientific applications like metallurgy to improve them.
Of course, Rolex has been doing this for quite a while longer than Apple.
But indeed, it appears here we have two companies with very different histories, and in different areas of the market, doing everything they can to produce the most excellent products of their respective fields.