Title: Profile of products enduring quality over long periods as strategic factor to increase their utilisation rate

Authors: Giancarlo Barbiroli

Addresses: Business Science Department, Area: Technology and Resource Valorization, University of Bologna, Piazza Scaravilli 2, 40126 Bologna, Italy

Abstract: The general low utilisation rate of durables and their fast replacement are a consequence of their properties/performance, of the market features and of consumers| behaviour. The consequent world demand of the original raw materials is constantly growing, the resources productivity is still very low and the environmental unbalances are increasing. To increase at least by ten times the resource productivity, the crucial point becomes a higher utilisation rate of durables, which can be achieved by implementing the new concept of |Quality over long periods|. In this work, the main factors that influence enduring quality are considered and discussed.

Keywords: product quality; long periods; durable goods; utilisation rate; resource productivity; product use.

DOI: 10.1504/IJPD.2008.020404

International Journal of Product Development, 2008 Vol.6 No.3/4, pp.450 - 467

Published online: 21 Sep 2008 *

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