Kimura K. K. Can this customer be saved? Essay

1. What seems to be Pramtexs strategy?Pramtexs strategy Pramtex is pursuing the goal of world the engine room leader in the sector. It has chosen product differentiation over cost leadership. In pursuing this goal, it seems to have fallen behind in the maintaining fitting service standards.Its strategy involves close cooperation with the lead user customers to get a presence in the developing standards of the industry. Overall, it seems to be focusing on the high-end premium discussion section of the market. This is also supported by the fact that whereas its overall share is only 3% of the market, its share of the premium segment is 8%.2. What is the Perceived quantify for a customer like Kimura?Perceived Value Perceived value is different for different customers. Out of its various elements, such(prenominal) as buyers image, trus devilrthiness, customer support etc, different customers give different weightage to different elements. Out of these, a customer like Kimura k. k. f alls under the category of price buyer. For such a customer, companies need to offer stripped down products and reduced services.3. Who are the key players at Kimura in the buy decision?The key players in the purchasing decision at Kimura areSenior R&D advisor Dr. Nomura,Chief of production Dr. Komuda,Company President Dr. Kimura,Finance Director Dr. Eiji Hashimoto.4. What are their respective(prenominal) roles and interests?Initiator Dr. Nomura. His interest is in recommending the best technology product while taking into consideration the strategy of the company.End-User Dr. Komuda. His interest was to ensure that the machine would satisfy his expert specifications. It should also meet maintenance requirements. The learning curve should non be too steep. And the downtime should be minimum.Decision-maker Dr. Kimura. His interest is in choosing the machine that offers the best value bid for the company.Influencer Dr. Eiji Hashimoto. His interest was in choosing the cheapest mach ine, which would meet the technical specifications, required by the production department. HE would also take into consideration the maintenance costs of the product.5. Why did Pramtex cheat on in Japan? What could /should it have done differently?Pramtex failed in Japan because it was making the wrong value proposition to the customers. It was intent on providing the best technology solution. The Japanese customers wanted one, which would provide them with the cheapest product meeting their requirements. They also laid a lot of emphasis on after-sales support which area was unfortunately not much stressed upon within Pramtex.Also, it did not have any significant physical presence in the country. Local competitors had the advantage of quicker response in case of breakdowns, better warehouse access.Also, the service support level maintained by the company was less than satisfactory. It seems to believe that a superior product is competent for it to maintain market leadership.What i t should have done was get some presence in the country, get some local warehouses, open one or two service centers. This would go a long way in alleviating the customers worries about after-sales support. Also, it needs drastic in its after-sales support quality.6. Can this customer be rescue? Short-term? Mid-term to long-term? Why? Why not?Short-term Possibly not.Nothing much can be done in the short-term in terms of improved customer-support in the shot-term, which is the primary concern of the Kimura.Mid-to-long-term YesThey will have to be convinced of the companys commitment to the Japanese market. This assurance should be backed by concrete actions such as getting physical presence in the country in the form of service centers and warehouses for spares inventory.Also, the company mustiness customize its product to suit the needs of the customer.