Triumph's John Bloor

IntroductionJohn Bloor's acquisition of Triumph Motorcycles in December of 1983 with $150 million of his personal funding has led to 24 years of evolving business strategies to resurge a bike business that initially started producing Triumph motorcycles in 1902 (Triumph Motorcycles, 2007). John Bloor started with four employees in 1983 in the United Kingdom and today the company has 980 employees globally (Triumph, 2007). The interview with Alan Cathcart in 2002 reflects his total quality management strategies, his attributes, and his achievements.

Is John Bloor working towards TQMJohn Bloor's attitude from the beginning has been to develop his private and personally owned business and its products right the first time. Purchasing the business outright and building the production facilities with personal funds, the company is not under the control of a financial entity, preventing control issues such as the amount of expenditures for product development or expecting a rise in profit margin after a certain timeframe.

Triumph motorcycle logo

Triumph Speed Twin

1929 OHC Triumph Prototype motorcycle

Bloor spent several years developing new models with previous Triumph cycle names, introducing them to the public in 1988-1990.

The quality investment into his personnel is reflected in his response to the amount of personal time Bloor currently invests into Triumph Motorcycles; stating that as his people mature and grow into their jobs, he will not need to spend as much time in the business; commenting his building business had reached that stage. Additional strategies include building their own engines which indicates the option of customizing products as they choose; developing designs per market feedback; developing products based on efficiency, not profit; purchasing equipment based on determined needs, not projected sales; and setting a cap for production to ensure Triumph Motorcycles consist of a quality product; all reflecting a total quality management style in how Bloor runs...