Nokia’s success can be ascribed to a leap of faith in the early 90s. They were then known mostly as a rubber boot company, but had also many other businesses. In fact, the history of Nokia has roots deep in the Finnish forests, as the story began in 1865 with the Nokia wood-pulp mill. But back to that leap of faith.
“There were two bold visions that changed Nokia. One was about technology, and the belief that GSM would be the standard, and the other a belief that the voice would go mobile. And this was when it was almost ridiculous to say that out loud because telephony was all about wires back then,” says Kati Hagros, Vice Quality President, Nokia.
As the other businesses Nokia operated were sold, an equally bold vision was created: The Nokia brand was to go from what was essentially a rubber boot brand to one of the world’s most recognised consumer electronic brands. No points for guessing how that turned out.
Quality is integrated
Nokia is today the world’s largest manufacturer of mobile devices and the world’s sixth most valued brand. They have a total of 14 production facilities in eight countries, the most recent being a factory in India which opened in March of this year.
“Quality is an integral part of every-day management. It’s part of business, and it’s part of the way we think. We don’t have a separate quality system and management system. It’s just one system, and it’s how we run and implement the global processes of this large company,” says Kati Hagros.
With such a global system in place, having a certification partner with a global presence was a key factor in selecting DNV. The company-wide agreement makes DNV the preferred supplier of auditing and certification services within management system certification both on the quality and environmental side.
Explains Kati Hagros: “With DNV we now have in place one single audit plan for all our facilities around the world. This helps us combine and operate the audits efficiently and consistently.”
Customers decide quality
With many competitors and a constant push for innovation, the mobile phone market is very competitive. New trends and technologies must be met and mastered, and the time from development to finished product is short. What constitutes good quality is in the end up to the Nokia’s demanding customers around the world.
“We closely monitor failure trends of our products from customers. This is a key quality measure for us. Our quality definition – in everything we do – has the customer right in the centre,” asserts Kati Hagros.
Growth and renewing
Nokia’s values, with growth and renewing at the core, have been driving factors for the company.
“We build on our values of growth and renewing, which is why we have been able to lead the mobile phone market. Nokia has heavy investments in research and developments to enable new technologies. Now we are moving to 3G, third generation of mobile networks, and our products are enabling the convergence of mobile technology and the Internet. Now it’s not only voice that will go mobile but emails and media services as well,” says Kati Hagros.
Developing countries go mobile
Nokia has especially pursued growth in the emerging and fast-growth markets of China, India and various Middle East and African countries. Kati Hagros believes local presence is crucial to succeed.
“It’s really critical in the mobile phone market to be truly global. We have to be very close to the markets and the customers to understand their communications’ needs in-depth. I’m a very avid speaker for this as I have spent several years in Asia, and it opened my eyes,” says Kati Hagros.
She explains how the company is using special Nokia trucks to sell their products in rural areas so that the population there can have access to mobile phone technology. In these areas, customers will never experience old-fashioned wire-and-pole telephony.
“Their first phone will be a mobile phone. The phone represents a considerable investment, and because of this the phone must be of the very best quality. Nokia is committed to making high-quality low-cost phones for this market that can withstand the conditions. Communicating via robust networks and phones can significantly improve their quality of life,” says Kati Hagros, who is proud of Nokia’s position in these emerging markets.
“Nokia’s success is a story about what we like to call very human technology,” smiles Kati Hagros.
