Samsung's Product Failure: The Galaxy Note 7 Debacle
Samsung is one of the largest electronics firms in the world. It has continued to retain its strategic advantage thanks to the innovative innovations that have been introduced over the years. Specifically, its increasing sales was primarily due to its division of mobile phones. This has made it a competitor to Apple Inc., as they all strive to outdo each other by unveiling futuristic smart phones.
The Dark Year of 2016
However, 2016 was one of Samsung's darkest years based on the flop of the Samsung Galaxy Note 7. This product was marred by the uproar that meant that its manufacturing was halted. It is certainly one of the most discussed technological failures of not only 2016 but of the recent times. At first, some perceived that the news of the failure of the product as Apple's efforts to try and taint the image of the galaxy note 7 brands at the expense of it gaining an edge. However, the issues with the galaxy note 7 were extensive and there was even footage showing it blowing up in people's pockets.
An Airline Ban and Property Damages
The issue became dire to the extent that many airlines such as Delta Airlines and American airlines required all passengers that had the phone to switch it off while onboard. However, in one instance there were reports that one of the Samsung note galaxy 7 began smoking whilst it was still turned off. As a result, all airlines banned all the galaxy note 7 onboard. There was news that some people got burns while others had property damage as a result of the phone blowing up. In one instance a man from Florida noted that his car caught up flames when his galaxy note 7 that he was charging in the car blew up. In total there, 55 reported property damages and 26 reported burns that arose in the US. Across the world, Samsung faced growing criticisms and the immediate reaction was the recalling of all the galaxy note 7 phones. Over 2.5 million phone were recalled from all the company's 10 major markets and over half a million replacements were issued.
The Fallout for Samsung
Samsung's shares plummeted significantly due to this product failure and its brand image began dented considerably. Some skeptics at the time noted that this product failure handed Apple the dominance in the market and many felt that Samsung will at no position be able to regain its lost glory. Some of the biggest mobile providers opted from to halt selling this product as a result of the growing cases of the phones blowing up. At the end of it all due to the magnitude of defect in its products, it was forced to completely abandon one of the phones that were termed to be the best at the time.
The Root Cause and Recommendations
The main issue with the galaxy note arose from two battery manufacturing problems. In specific the first issue was a result of the battery size and another issue was due to the incorrect welding of the batteries by its third party provider, Amperex technology Inc. The batteries were too thin which meant that the separators between the negative and positive layers of the batteries were able to touch and spark. it is evident that the designer's main aim was to create a slim phone whose performance would completely surpass any other mobile in the marketplace and failing to take considerable care in the safety of its components. Additionally, Samsung was blamed from ramping up the production of its batteries with a different manufacturer which resulted in the problem. If the company avoided this approach then it is certain that the galaxy note 7 would still be in the market.
Some of the recommendations that Samsung would need to take to ensure that such a problem doesn't recur in the future is the undertaking of extensive quality assurance of its products. Some of the flaws ought to be identified whilst the product hasn't yet been launched to ensure that proper changes are done beforehand. Additionally, the problem that arose as a result of ramping the batteries with a different producer is also to be blamed and in the future, it would be recommended that Samsung only sticks to one manufacturer to ensure consistency in the production. Additionally one of the recommendation and approach that would have been appropriate at the time is the enlightenment of the disgruntled customers that the failure of the Galaxy brand was only a once off problem which the company hadn't experienced in the past. This approach was extensively utilized by the company at the time and indeed it can be reflected based on the response of the new Samsung S8. It is evident based on the recent launch of the Samsung Galaxy S8 that the company has learned its lessons and has implemented some of the aforementioned recommendations in creating the new S8. It is clear that the reception in the market has been positive which is indicative that despite the failure of the predecessor products, the customer loyalty is still present.
