Steinway & Sons

Steinway & Company is world-renowned for the quality of its instruments. It’s expensive to make pianos in New York City, but Steinway continues to do it because moving their factory to Asia or some other less costly but far-flung locale would mean losing the many decades of expertise that their current employees possess.

Steinway & Sons produces 1,000 pianos a year at its location in Long Island City, and all the work is done by hand. Machines can’t replace humans in manufacturing great pianos, they say, because wood is has variable properties that humans are better at assessing.

It takes a decade of planning to promote someone into the role of tuner because that skill requires a great deal of training. Likewise, creating the belly of a piano requires long-honed skills in woodworking. Some Steinway artisans have been with the company for as many as 50 years. Because these longtime workers are among the most highly skilled, the company has many policies and practices designed to retain them.

The benefits are robust, with medical, dental, vision and life insurance. Other perks include letting employees buy one piano at cost for themselves or a family member. The staff also enjoys concerts by prominent musicians in a series called, “Live from the Factory Floor.

Safety is a priority. Consultants were hired to improve safety, and as a result, the factory floor is more organized and focused on lean manufacturing, with fewer items in the space and everything in its place.

A “near misses” program gets departments to document the discovery of potential hazards, for instance, a shredded extension cord or a piece of equipment left out, and these averted accidents are discussed at safety meetings. Departments that find the near misses can take part in a raffle for pizza. Continuous Improvement Workshops also engage employees in coming up with ideas for ways to better the workflow.