A Visit to FMIC
Lunch with Joe Carducci
Recently a friend was visiting Arizona and had asked if Joe Carducci, product manager for Gretsch guitars, would meet him for lunch. It was my privilege to join them that day and I came away very impressed with what I saw.
Upon arriving at Fender’s Scottsdale headquarters it struck me that the setting was pleasant, but nondescript. One could easily drive right by without suspecting that a major player in the musical instrument business was headquartered in this business park. I was also very impressed with how obvious it was that you were in a special place as soon as you arrived at the main building. The Fender logo on the building is just the beginning, the three giant Stratocasters decorating the reception area are even better but perhaps the most amazing thing was the attitude I observed, starting at the reception desk. I knew that there were some very cool people there from the moment that I spoke to the receptionist. The atmosphere was friendly and informal yet everyone I met was obviously very dedicated to their jobs. Every work cubicle that I saw had a guitar stand in it with a nice guitar. Spending your break quietly jamming would not be a problem in this office building.
Joe showed us around and his pride in both FMIC and the Gretsch brand was obvious. He has worked for Fender since 1973 and I expect that he will work there until he retires, preferably at the age of 110. Never have I met someone more devoted to their work. Joe believes in the Gretsch brand and would not allow anything to cheapen it. It would be hard to imagine Gretsch being in better hands.
Tip of the Iceberg
Visiting Fender’s headquarters was a dream come true, something I had wanted to do since the ‘60s. Add in the fact that Fender’s headquarters is also the headquarters for Gretsch guitars and now I’m fulfilling two dreams at one time. I have dreamed about visiting Gretsch guitars since the first time I looked at the cover of a Chet Atkins recording. When I saw how dedicated Joe Carducci was I was impressed but as I discovered, he is only one example of how Fender has built a company that is unique in the business world.
FMIC,
A Refreshing Approach to Business
As I mentioned earlier, when you visit Fender it is immediately obvious that this isn’t just another company that manufactures and markets a product. Everything about FMIC reveals their unique approach to business. One of the first things that Mr. Carducci pointed out was a simple black and white photograph in an 8” x 10” frame. This was a picture of William Schultz addressing workers on the production floor shortly after taking the helm at Fender. As Joe Carducci explained, everything changed (for the better) after that address took place. No longer were instruments rushed out to dealers with little if any regard for quality control issues. They knew that if the guitars weren’t up to snuff that the customers would not be satisfied so they focused their attention on building quality products. In spite of formidable challenges they have stepped forward to greater and greater success ever since.
I strongly believe that their ethics are a big part of this success. Fender does not bully their vendors by withholding payments or other strong-arm tactics so common in the business world today. As I write this on January 1, 2009, the world’s economy is in turmoil and a big part of this comes down to the ethical bankruptcy of many in the financial industry. It’s truly refreshing to see that there are still companies out there that believe in earning their keep and doing so in an ethical manner.
Perhaps equally important is the way they seem to treat their employees. I met a number of Fender employees on this visit and every person I met struck me as being satisfied with their job. The value of this is immeasurable. Happy employees tend to do a better job and are more likely than not to put forward the extra effort required to ensure that whatever the task is it will be done right.
One key to this is the fact that Fender’s employees have the freedom to succeed. William Schultz had spent 12 years working for Yamaha and no doubt was at least an indirect beneficiary of the work of W. Edwards Deming, the consultant that helped Japanese business to attain such incredible success as the Japanese economy emerged from the devastation of World War II. One key to this was allowing production personnel to make decisions and allowing them to do as they saw fit when it came to issues that could have a negative impact upon quality. This sort of mindset seems to permeate the corporate culture of Fender and their success even amid economic difficulties in the economy at large reflects the efficacy of this approach.
Putting the Consumer First
Another thing that I learned from my conversation with Joe Carducci is that the consumer is never far from his thoughts. Anyone that wants to sell a product needs to know their potential customers. It’s probably the most important bit of information that a manufacturer or marketer can possess. Joe showed us a presentation that day which proved to me that he knew his customers very well. He had a very good idea of what sorts of people were attracted to Gretsch guitars and how they saw themselves. I also had the strong impression that he not only liked his customers but he respected them too. He is selling to people much like himself, the genuine article. This is very good news for every Gretsch consumer.
While I can’t talk about some of the things I saw during my visit I can say this much, Gretsch fans will not be disappointed. Gretsch will continue to offer wonderful instruments in striking colors and with the level of functionality and playability that consumers demand. Historical correctness and interesting feature sets are two things we can count upon all the while keeping an eye cast to the future.
One fine example of this is the G5135-P5 Stump-O-Matic Electromatic Signature Guitar, a new take on the classic Gretsch Corvette and I couldn’t help but be impressed with it. The person that buys a Stump-O-Matic may well be back to buy a 6120, a Duo Jet or even a White Falcon in the future. Like I said, it would be hard to imagine Gretsch being in better hands than Joe Carducci’s.
