Successfully Regained Lost Market through Application of FMEA to Identify Key Issues Involved and QFD to Identify Design Characteristics to Revamp Design of Single Phase Induction Motor that Helped Kirloskar Electric to Regain the Lost Domestic and Export Markets

about 28% to 30% Domestic Market share with No. 1 position in the country in field of Induction
Motors and Alternators (AC Generators). However, one of its products Single Phase Induction Motor
got skidded in Domestic Market and Export Market as well. While the exact reasons for not being
accepted in the Market were not known except a feeble voiced complaint that Motor start Capacitor
had to be replaced and that did not lead to any particular conclusion. Hence, the Top Management
assigned the responsibility of identifying the problem and then evolving appropriate solution to
overcome the issues involved to me. I went to Market in different cities in the country to identify the
real issues. Through use of FMEA tool (not a well-known quality tool in 1960s in India) identified
issues and then I evolved long term solutions to counter the problems faced through using QFD (also
not well known quality tool in those days) tool to select New Design Characteristics to serve the
customer better.
With this, the new design evolved for the product became the basic solution to the problem that the
customer had faced in both National and International Markets. The new design concepts used
became the base for revamping the entire Series of Single Phase Induction Motor. New range of
product was welcomed by both National and International Markets and there by original Market share
was not only regained, but got enhanced by about 60%.