Product development of chocolate with quality function deployment approach: A case study in SMEs chocolate industry in Indonesia

Abstract

Product development based on customers preference needs to be performed by the manufacturer along with the development of technology and change of consumer needs to a product or service. The aim of this study was to develop the quality of chocolate products of small medium enterprises (SMEs) to be more competitive in the domestic market. Currently, the chocolate market is dominated by imported chocolate products with better product quality and marketing network. The method used was the Quality Function Deployment (QFD) approach, where customer needs are used as the basis for product development. Through the QFD method, it can produce a product development design priority that can be implemented in response to customer need. Results of analysis and calculation using QFD method showed that the top priority for technical response was "skill & knowledge of R&D (research & development) team" with a value of 346.3. The QFD analysis also showed that "chocolate content" is also a priority in product development with a value of 212.8. The quality of chocolate products highly depend on the level of expertise and knowledge of the product development team, as well as the composition of chocolate content. The SME's chocolate managements may give priority based on the assessment of each technical response in accordance with their own capabilities and resources.