Quality in Practice: Building Trust Through Quality at Gerber
The Gerber baby picture — which accompanies everything from strained carrots and
banana cookies to teething rings and diapers — has developed into one of the most
recognizable brand images in the world. According to Gerber, the company received the highest customer loyalty rating out of 3,500 U.S. corporate and product brands, topping companies such as Nike and Coca-Cola. To parents around the world, the Gerber baby means quality, and the Gerber company has long been a leader in using quality tools to uphold its reputation. While Gerber’s quality programs have gone through various stages over the years, their goal has remained the same: to make sure consumers continue to see
the Gerber baby, which has gone through periodic updating of its own, as an emblem of
excellence.
Gerber is the leader in the development, manufacturing and marketing of foods and
products for children from birth through age 3. The company dominates the U.S. retail
baby food market with a 70% share against competitors Heinz and Beechnut, and rings up about $1 billion in annual sales. Gerber employs 6,200 people altogether at its headquarters and main processing plant in Fremont, MI, and its plants in Fort Smith, AR; Costa Rica; Mexico; Venezuela; and Poland. Together these facilities produce 190 food products — which are labeled in 16 languages and distributed to more then 80 countries.
Gerber’s dedication to performance excellence continues to serve the company well.
Thinking beyond quality trends in pesticide control continues to put the company ahead of others as Gerber investigates what it calls environmental quality — examining
environmental factors not traditionally considered, such as pollutants carried into the plant by a supplier. This enabled Gerber to introduce sugar less and starch free formulations less than a year after a 1995 report criticized the baby food industry for its use of fillers. By linking quality practices throughout its processes and making statistical information available to all employees, Gerber continues to enhance its quality.
5.3 Test your Knowledge (Question):Z
1. How do the various definitions of quality discussed in Chapter 1 relate to the quality practices at Gerber?
2. How does Gerber exhibit the fundamental principles of total quality – customer and stakeholder focus, participation and teamwork, and a process focus and continuous
improvement?
3. How did quality help Gerber overcome the crisis it faced in the consumer-tampering situation? What lessons does this have for other companies?
