I can hardly believe it. I’ve been in the EDA business since 1980 when I joined TI’s Design Automation Department after graduating from Cal Poly with my BSEE. Since 1995, much of my attention has been focused on EDA standards. I reached a moment of truth this year when I admitted, albeit reluctantly, that I could be called a standards-lifer. So, I decided it’s time to share my perspectives on what’s going on in the standards arena. Welcome to my blog - I can’t wait to hear from you! An intriguing business model
Posted by Karen Bartleson on May 8th, 2008
Over the years, I have gone through a lot of baggage. (I’m talking about luggage, not the emotional kind.) I have become a loyal customer of Briggs & Riley, and I won’t buy any other brand of travel bags. Why?  Because of their guarantee.Â
Briggs & Riley will fix any bag they make for its lifetime, even if the airlines damage it!  Their guarantee also covers normal wear and tear – really! I’ve sent my bags to them at least three times for repairs, so I can attest that they cheerfully honor their guarantee.
What I find even more remarkable than their guarantee is an underlying reason for why they offer it. Obviously, it builds customer devotion, but it also provides an opportunity for Briggs & Riley engineers to continuously improve their products.Â
When a broken bag comes in for repair, they analyze what happened and figure out how to prevent the same kind of damage from occurring in their next generation of bags. Over time, their bags have become more and more durable, saving them repair costs and saving their customers from having to replace bags as frequently.
It’s a business model that seems to work well. I wonder if there’s a way to apply it to standards.
EDA standards blog
The Standards Game
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