The manufacture of different products can require dramatically different levels of skill. Take the Steinway Factory Tour. The processing steps unique to Steinway Piano production differentiate it from competitors.

a. What processes unique to the Steinway production method are described? What attributes of the piano are created by these unique processing approaches? Describe the skill required of the employees needed to accomplish the processes included in the tour. How important are these skills to the competitive success of Steinway?

b. Take factory tour for one of the instruments at Yamaha. How would you compare the strategies of Steinway and Yamaha? Describe the skills needed by the Yamaha employees that perform the processes in the tour. How do the different strategies of these two companies affect the type of employee skill required?