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Making People Before Making Products

While Matsushita is now known by brand names such as Panasonic, Technics, and Quasar, it is worth noting that Konosuke Matsushita started his career at age nine as an apprentice because of his family's financial problems. Though his statement quoted above may sound harsh, his intent was not to be negative. He meant that we may find ourselves in a very undesirable situation if we do not see the flaw in treating people as extensions of machinery.

On one occasion, he asked an employee, "What does Matsushita Electric make?" Answered the employee, "We make TVs, radios, and vacuum cleaners." "No, no, no!" Konosuke Matsushita pointed out, "We make people! We make people first before making prod­ucts. Matsushita Electric is the place to make people. Our company should be known as such."
As we talk about assuring quality in the product we make, we learn the principles of quality control. Yet the ultimate process con­trol may be achieved by "making people before making