Factory tours

Factory or industrial tours show consumers how a company’s PRODUCTs are manufactured. Sometimes used as part of a firm’s MARKETING STRATEGY, factory tours are a relatively new promotional tool as many companies are just beginning to realize the benefits of demonstrating to consumers how their products are made. One company, Celestial Seasonings Tea, opened their manufacturing facilities to customers in the mid-1990s. Within five years more than 500,000 people were visiting the factory annually. The company sells teas, mugs, t-shirts, and other company-logo products in the factory tour store and also includes visitors in taste tests of new products it is considering. Three business concerns when considering creating a factory tour include INSURANCE, plant organization, and MARKET INTELLIGENCE. Having nonworkers walking around a factory creates a potential insurance liability. Plant design can incorporate factory tours by including showcase windows and walkways to facilitate visitors. One company discontinued factory tours when competitors used the tours to gain access to the facility and view proprietary production technology. The book Watch It Made in the USA (1998) lists hundreds of factories around the country open to the public. York County, Pennsylvania, promotes itself as the United States’ factory-tour capital, with 14 free factory tours. HowStuffWorks.com has developed virtual tours of U.S. factories. Many factory managers offer tours when asked but consider factory tours a distraction from their primary activity; production.
See also SALES PROMOTION.