Lenovo’s Product Life Cycle Essay

As a global leader in the PC market, Lenovo’s success rests on its ability to deliver consumer centric innovations in products that deliver a blend of mobility, performance and price. Design is an infrastructural element that helps define every aspect of a company, including Web site, stores, customer support, packaging, and messaging as well as its products. Lenovo has a well-earned industry reputation for delivering superior quality products. Quality is a fundamental component and commitment to customer satisfaction by delivering products that are of superior quality to comparable offerings from their competitors is the key to Lenovo’s success. In recent years, Lenovo relies heavily on local manufacturing strategies to shorten ship requirements and had achieved an award-winning use of thermoplastics and other recycled packaging materials. Lenovo-a consumer product Lenovo is a business that is built on product innovation, a highly efficient global supply chain and strong strategic execution. Its products range from exceptionally engineered laptops, ultrabooks, tablets, desktops and servers. It’s ThinkPad and IdeaPad that are the most popular among all of them. Lenovo’s systems are designed with extended battery life with up to 10 hours on some systems and with extended battery options that can last as long as 30 hours with the lithium ion technology. Smart air flow system allows the laptops to run cool which takes battery little power. Enhanced Windows 7 with Intel multi-core processors, One-key data recovery, ambient light sensor which automatically dims the system when not in use and VeriFace face recognition software for password login are among the few novel functional features that are available in Lenovo products. Lenovo has powerful security protection tools that prevent malicious malware, and viruses from swarming into the computers and can even locate and control PCs that have been stolen. Lenovo’s security begins with their core technology and award-winning ThinkVantage technologies that are exclusive to Lenovo. Their secure and private cloud files access allows sharing or streaming files without the need to store them locally. The premier X1 Carbon is the latest in ThinkPad’s and its island style X1 keyboard, light design which weigh less than 3 pounds and is only 18mm thin is truly considered the best. Its quality and simple design immediately reveals trendy and fascinating ThinkPad perception. Branding and design are to a large extent inseparable as a brand is not just a logo but it’s a gut feeling people have about a particular product and I believe that Lenovo is providing that to its customers with their latest innovative products. Packaging and Support Services Customers benefit from many of the advances that have been made in packaging. Lenovo is committed to offering environment friendly packaging for its products. Over the past several years, Lenovo has had a strong focus on increasing the use of recyclable materials in packaging; reducing the size and expanding the use of bulk and reusable packaging. Recent research estimates that Lenovo has totally eliminated over 1000 tons of packaging consumption by weight through design optimization and refinement across all Lenovo product shipments. The new packaging material, made from 100 percent recycled thermoformed cushions, enables PCs to be stacked together and requires less packaging material. This new material also helps minimize shipping costs. In addition, on many Lenovo notebook product lines Lenovo has implemented the use of 100% post-consumer molded fiber (paper pulp) packaging, which can typically be readily recycled in municipal waste streams. Lenovo is currently in the process of assessing the global availability of FSC certified packaging to support manufacturing facilities in all geographic regions. Lenovo’s Asset Tagging Service that is executed in production ensures that a user PC is easily identifiable and traceable right out of the box. Lenovo provides flexible options to meet personal or variable business needs. Lenovo’s reliability and its ability to provide speedy maintenance and repair deserve further emphasis. Lenovo’s Priority Technical Support service provides anytime direct access to the right level of tech support on the first call. Its accidental damage service offers protection from operational or structural damage due to common accidents like drops, spills, electrical surges or failure of the integrated screen which saves its customer the cost of repairs or a new PC purchase. Parts, labor repair and coverage of expenses while shipping to the repair center are all paid for by Lenovo as well. Warranty extensions are available for periods of up to five years. Accidental damage insurance, online tech support, on-site or in-home service of parts and labor coverage is also provided. User guides and manuals are readily available on Lenovo’s website for the customer’s convenience. Product Life Cycle Lenovo has a Transition service that saves its customers valuable time and resources, its hardware refreshes, and purchase through deployment to aged asset recovery. According to research, Lenovo’s PC management tools help users reduce costs that capture 80% of a PCs full lifecycle beyond the hardware price. Its ThinkVantage technologies reduce machine downtime and provide data security and their PC lifecycle analysis helps reduce the running and ownership costs. Lenovo helps customers manage the complete PC lifecycle and maximize the productivity and usefulness of devices; they do this by covering each phase of the typical PC lifecycle including planning, procurement, deployment support, asset management and disposal. Given the extent of technological advances both in hardware and software, nowadays a typical life cycle of the PC is estimated to be 3-4 years. According to Lenovo’s internal research, their customers have recorded consistent savings of up to $691 per PC over its lifecycle. Product issues and Warranty, Branding, Packaging considerations Packaging is an area where managers face issues of social responsibility, including concerns about the role of packaging in pollution, global warming, and resource use. The ink to print the package graphics often has toxins that later creep into the soil and water. Although Federal Fair Packaging and Labeling Act provide guidance on many packaging issues, many areas still require marketing managers to make ethical choices as even small changes can add up to big improvements. Lenovo is committed to ensuring that their products are safe throughout their life cycle as its products comply with the laws and regulations in each country that they ship to. Lenovo products are designed, tested and approved to meet the correct worldwide standards for product safety, electromagnetic compatibility, ergonomics and other regulatory compulsory requirements when used for their intended purpose. In addition, Lenovo maintains a series of specifications and standards that capture product environmental design requirements, including restricted and reportable materials, energy requirements, labeling and recycling. Lenovo has implemented a comprehensive product recycling programs worldwide to meet their customers’and legal requirements. Branding means the use of a name, term, symbol, or design or a combination of these to identify a product. A brand is the real asset to the company and Lenovo has a well-earned industry reputation for delivering superior quality products. Recognized brands make shopping easier and the more popular a brand name is the more control of target market there can be for that product. Successful branding should include easy identified label, dependable and widespread availability, and favorable shelf locations or displaying space in stores. In general, consumers are willing to pay a premium for well known branded products and Lenovo has used this to its advantage and has established a well deserved niche with its customers. A warranty explains what the seller promises about its product and a marketing manager should decide whether to offer a specific warranty, and if so what the warranty will cover and how it should be communicated to the target market. This is an area where legal, environment as well as customer needs and competitive offerings must be considered. Lenovo’s uses warranties to improve the appeal of their products as a marketing strategy and all the products carry written warranty agreements.. Most of the Lenovo’s laptops carry standard one-year warranty to fix your laptop for optimal speed and overall performance in the comfort of your own home. Marketing research needs Promotion and distribution of the product to its target market is very essential to the marketing mix. A target market of price conscious customers can be influenced by advertising campaigns that positions the company in consumers mind as value oriented product. Lenovo is already excelling in it marketing needs and will continue to adapt its marketing mix in response to evolving competition and customer needs. Even seemingly trivial differences in buying behavior are important because success often hinges on fine-tuning the marketing mix. Lenovo streamlines their distribution with the goal of providing consumers better service. Its fast global expansion is due to committed innovativeness, entrepreneurial spirit and teamwork across various cultures. Lenovo is committed to the goals of achieving customer satisfaction by delivering superior products, solutions, and services and ensuring they meet customer requirements. Lenovo frequently acquires inputs on design and product features fro m its customers and partners. Consumers are very observant and cautious of their products and consumer trust is one thing that is very difficult to establish nowadays. Lenovo’s global Quality Management System, which has received ISO 9001 certification, ensures the continual delivery of design improvements into Lenovo’s current and future products. Focusing on quality and sustainability in everything is how Lenovo gives back to the communities. References http://www.lenovo.com/social_responsibility/us/en/GreenPaper_Packaging.pdf http://www.lenovo.com/social_responsibility/us/en/Lenovo_ISO9001 Corporate_Certificate.pdf http://www.lenovo.com/social_responsibility/us/en/FY2011_Lenovo_Sustainability_Report.pdf# page=16&view=fit http://www.fastcompany.com/1830073/9-principles-great-branding-design http://www.doyoumatter.com/ http://www.lenovo.com/services_warranty/US/en/pdf/lenovo-warranty-services.pdf Lenovo Reveals ThinkPad X1 Carbon, Shakes Up Ultrabook Market Lenovo Reveals ThinkPad X1 Carbon, Shakes Up Ultrabook Market