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Planned obsolescence and other quality problems

In the first discussion, Ali (c-o Mutzbauer) has a good point about quality.

Convincing manufacturers that something should have a lifetime of 5 years is difficult. For LED lamps, that's no problem, but for the charger / power source the idea actually got laughs from our project group. Even rechargeable batteries will go bad in 5 years of above-recommended temperatures and humidity, and profits can be made by selling more units as replacements. And built-in batteries that can't be replaced are aggravating to both the customer and the environmentalist-- when a device can be easily repaired by replacing the battery, why throw the entire thing out?

Manufacturers and product designers: How can you be convinced that longevity is a virtue? Is there a general break-even point between quality and obsolescence? Is a 10 year warranty possible? Or 5 years?

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Permalink Reply by Hans Mutzbauer on May 30, 2013 at 5:13am

Hi Linza,

the decission about quality and lifetime depends on the business model of a manufacturer. If one keeps his production cost low, he can offer and sell bigger quantities at lower prices, so increase his capital and profit and may be more sucessful in purely commercial terms.

To convince customers to higher quality and consequently higher price levels is the long way .......

You are right, batteries are the limiting factor, batteries suffer from high ambient temperature and bad treatment (wrong charging, deep discharge etc.) A part of the problems can be solved with sufficiant engineering, a part of the problem remains. However, a battery lifespan of 3 to 5 years is possible, even more lifetime has been achieved.

Consequently: If a producer has done his homework and is confident about his quality, a warranty period of 2 years (including batteries) or 5 years (batteries excluded) should be possible.

On the other hand: If you use a solar lantern every day and after 5 years you have the batteries replaced for a reasonable price, expanding the lifespan of the lantern for another 3-5 years, would this really be a problem?

Important is that the lamp itself can stand the repair and another 5 years daily use.

The problem of warranty and repair services is the local availability and reliability of service and maintenance.

We at SOLUX work in a special situation. SOLUX was started before nearly 25 years a a NGO, in the meantime, the production is a social solar company. That means, we have not that much focus on profit and shareholder value, we cann afford to follow our ideas about quality.

We also can afford to make small turnovers with small organisations in the rural areas. They do not have to go the last mile, they are in the last mile and provide their services.

We are proud to deliver spare batteries for SOLUX lanterns, assembled by a partner in Tanzania 10 years ago. We asked the owners if they want to change to new lamps with LED technology, they refused and want to have the batteries replaced for a new lifespan of their lamps.

They have payd a lot of money for the lamps, but they use it since 10 years and trust in our quality.

That leads me to the main point: Finally, the customer decides about the quality.

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