IKEA CORE COMPETENCY

Ikea Core Competency

Ikea Core Competency

1: What is most likely to be IKEA's core competency? How would you test whether this is truly a core competency, and what steps would you recommend that IKEA take if it isn't?

Introduction

IKEA, the famous Swedish company, is the one of the largest furniture retailers in the world, which specializes in modern but inexpensive Scandinavian designed furniture. (Turner 2009) According to Echeat (2006), the IKEA had more than 175 stores spread over 31 countries at the end of 2002 and worldwide sales of about 12.8 billion euros in 2004. During the IKEA financial year 2001-2002, a total of 60,000 people are employed by IKEA worldwide and there are 323 million people visited IKEA stores around the world (Torekull 2008). IKEA's mission is to offer consumers good value for their money. The typical IKEA customer is young low to middle income family. IKEA's success in the retail industry can be attributed to its vast experience in the retail market, product differentiation, and cost leadership (The World Fact Book 2007). As a global organization, the company is the world's most successful retailing firms based on its unique concept that the furniture is sold in kits that are assembled by the customers at home.

Core Competencies

IKEA dose not manufacture its own products, but works through a complex network of suppliers around the world to help company maintain its low-cost position. Actually, it has 1,800 suppliers in 55 countries. By providing the manufacturers with technical and financial assistance, IKEA establishes durable partnerships with furniture producers and suppliers. To secure suppliers and help suppliers develop, IKEA also has launched partnerships as joint owners in several countries including Poland, Russia, and China. (Turner 2009)

Due to typically Swedish style, all research and development activities are centralized in Sweden where determined what materials should be used and what manufacturers would do the assembly work. In addition to using high volume runs to cut costs, IKEA always believed that costs are kept under control starting at the design level of the value-added chain. IKEA designers work closely with suppliers to build savings into the products by designing products that can be produced at a low cost. It sells most of its furniture as kits for customers to take home and assemble themselves. Those knock-down kits are packed in flat boxes, which can eliminate wasted space and transport and store goods more efficiently in the logistics process (CNN webpage 2007).

With the fierce competition increasingly, IKEA is attempting not only to globally integrate operations and centrally design products, but also to find an effective combination of low cost, technology, and quality. IKEA realized strong in-stock position in which the most popular style and design trends were correctly anticipated is crucial to keep satisfied customers (Torekull 2008). For that reason, Just-in-time concepts are applied to decision making. Apart from that, IKEA has developed its own global distribution network to make sure the firm is able to insure timely deliver of products to retail stores all over the ...