Why Does It Even Matter?

Freedom of choice…

Walk into any industrial facility that is involved in coloring parts, and you will, undoubtedly, run into a group of people whose job it is to assure that the color is “right”. Oh, we can debate what the definition of “right” really is but the bottom line is there is an expectation, an evaluation and an outcome. The goal is to assure that the parts are a good match to a defined color target.

You will also notice that the facility has assigned A LOT of resources and time to get the parts approved through quality. What a headache, right? Just ask the production manager. It’s like this. The facility producing the parts are experts at producing parts. Usually, the pesky color is the thing that gets in the way of productivity. THEY ARE NOT COLOR EXPERTS. Nor should they expected to BE color experts.

But here’s the thing. Color matters. Color matters in the most profound way. Color and color matching can influence a consumer’s decision to buy.

Let’s say you walk into a grocery store and you are going to purchase a bottle of vanilla (see the image above). Now as you are looking at the packaging that contains the vanilla, you notice that one of the boxes is a different color than the others on the shelf. As a consumer, what’s the first thing you’re going the think when you notice the color variance? You would likely think that the box that is different has been on the shelf the longest. So you basically are passing judgement on the vanilla that is INSIDE the off color box. When, in reality, the vanilla inside the box is perfectly fine (and is likely the same lot of vanilla that is in the other boxes). If it’s me, I’m not buying the off color box because I don’t have to. I have the freedom of choice. Now, I’m pretty sure that the store that put the box on the shelf wants to sell the box and does not want consumers to avoid it.

Color is usually the first look at quality that the consumer will have… even before they try the product. That makes color market critical!

Let’s apply this theory to the auto industry. When a consumer walks into a showroom the first look at color is the exterior paint. But then the potential buyer climbs inside and gets to experience the interior of the vehicle for the first time. If the interior of the vehicle is a color mismatch of parts (meaning IP parts aren’t harmonized with console parts and console parts aren’t harmonized with seat parts, etc.), it’s fair for the buyer to question the general quality of the vehicle. “If the OEM can’t even make parts color match, what else are they doing wrong?”

It comes down to this. Color, color matching and color harmony matters… in a profound way. Color is the representation of quality and quality sells products. It’s that simple.

I know what your thinking. “Yeah, that all sounds great. But I still have to deal with color.” If you’re struggling with getting your parts through quality, give us a call. We can provide the training and guidance you will need to make your color management process easier and more productive.