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C A S E 1 5

Steinway & Sons: Craftwork, Tradition, and Time Build Grand Pianos

Steinway & Sons remains one of the best-known producers of concert pianos in

the world. Throughout its great history, the company has shown a distinctive talent at

innovation, as evidenced by its more than 100 patents, and is known for quality

workmanship. In an age of mass production, Steinway continues to manufacture a limited

number of handmade pianos in a unique testament to individual craftsmanship. However,

some rival piano makers, such as Yamaha, have tried to challenge Steinway’s dominance

of the concert piano market. (1) Can Steinway continue its cherished ways, or will it need

to adjust to new circumstances?

A Long and Golden History

German immigrant Henry Enghelhart Steinway founded Steinway & Sons in

1853. Henry was a master cabinet maker who built his first piano in the kitchen of his

home in Seesen, Germany. Henry had built 482 pianos by the time he established

Steinway & Sons. The first piano produced by the company, number 483, was sold to a

New York family for $500. It is now displayed at New York City’s Metropolitan

Museum of Art.

Steinway’s unique quality became obvious early in the history of the firm as

proven by its winning gold medals in several American and European exhibitions in

1855. The company gained international recognition in 1867 at the Paris Exhibition when

it was awarded the prestigious “Grand Gold Medal of Honor” for excellence in

manufacturing and engineering. (2) Henry Steinway developed his pianos with emerging

technical and scientific research, including the acoustical theories of the renowned

physicist Herman von Helmhotz.

Steinway was owned in the 1970s by CBS, and many concert artists complained

that the quality of the pianos had suffered as a result of that ownership. Pianists talked of

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the “Teflon controversy,” when Steinway replaced some fabric innards with Teflon (it

now coats the Teflon with fabric). Steinway was sold by CBS in 1985, and many experts

voiced the opinion that Steinway’s legendary quality was returning. Larry Fine, a piano

expert, argued that: “a Steinway has a kind of sustained, singing tone that a Yamaha

doesn’t have. Yamaha has a more brittle tone in the treble that some jazz pianists prefer.”

(3)

The Steinway Factory

Today, the making of a Steinway piano follows the Steinway Tradition. Every
grand piano takes over a year to complete and incorporates over 1,000 details that set a

Steinway apart from its competitors. A tour of the Steinway factory is a trip back through

time, as many of the manufacturing techniques have not changed since 1853. The key

steps in the process of crafting a Steinway piano are described below. (4)

Using a method that was patented in 1878, the piano manufacturing process

begins with the creation of the inner and outer piano rims that give a grand piano its

distinctive shape  this is known as the piano case. Eighteen layers of hard-rock maple,

each 22 feet in length, are laminated together and then formed into shape on a giant

piano-shaped vise. The rim-bending team centers the wood on the vise and forces it into

place with the aid of wood clamps.

Meanwhile the soundboard is formed by hand, being “expertly tapered by a

craftsman to be slightly thinner at the edges so that it can vibrate properly once it is glued

to the piano’s inner rim.” The bridge of the soundboard must be notched for the piano

strings before the soundboard can be placed into the piano case. A highly skilled

craftsman, with years of training, performs this operation because precision is so essential

to the quality of the piano’s sound.

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The veneer for a piano is cut from a single tree to ensure a uniform appearance of

the wood finish. It is cut to size and matched for grain, to be applied subsequently to the

designated piano.

A wooden brace assembly is then crafted to fit within the piano case and to help

support the 340 pound cast iron plate that provides the rigid and stable foundation for

approximately 40,000 pounds of tension from the piano strings. This brace assembly is

secured to the rim of the piano with fine carpentry joinery and maple dowels. The cast

iron plate is then fitted to the piano case and any needed adjustments are made before

final installation of the plate.

After the soundboard and cast iron plate are properly fitted in the piano case, the

piano wires are installed, using both a machine guided stringer and appropriate hand

tools. Next, the felt hammers are formed into the proper shape, using glue and a copper

forming tool. The felt hammers are then put on the hammershanks and dampers are

installed to prevent unintentional vibration of the piano strings. A master technician

painstakingly matches the damper felts to the strings; reaching underneath the piano

while looking in mirrors, the master technician adjusts the levers that control each of the

dampers.

Next, the key board is calibrated by inserting lead weights into the body of each

key so that the pressure required to push a key down is the same for every key.

Subsequently, a master voicer will adjust the tone quality of each key. This is done by

sticking the hammer’s felt with a small row of needles to reduce stiffness of the felt,

resulting in a mellower tone, or by applying a small amount of lacquer to the felt to

achieve the opposite effect. Finally, a tone regulator adjusts string tension by turning the

tuning pins.

Steinway’s process of making a grand piano is complex, requiring numerous

processes and procedures that must be performed by highly skilled crafts people. True

crafts people produce the world’s finest quality concert pianos. However, not everyone

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wants or can afford a Steinway piano. What has Steinway & Sons done to reach other

markets while maintaining the Steinway reputation for product quality?

Expansion Beyond the Classic Steinway Pianos

In recent years, Steinway developed Boston Piano in an attempt to broaden its

market. Steinway & Sons designed Boston pianos using the latest computer technology

and then outsourced the manufacturing to Kawai, the second-largest Japanese piano

maker. By transferring its quality and knowledge of building pianos to the Boston Piano

operation, Steinway was able to open up a whole new market. The Boston Piano venture

demonstrated that Steinway’s core competence of hand craftsmanship could be applied in

a newer, high-technology manner to a lower-priced market niche. (5)

In early 2001, Steinway & Sons introduced a third line of pianos, called the

Essex, to complement its Steinway and Boston lines. The Essex line offers two grand and

two upright models ranging in price from $5,200 to $17,800. With the Essex, Steinway

now provides pianos for every level of musical ability and budget. (6)

The question remains, can Steinway continue to operate in the way that has

proved successful over the past 150 years? At the moment, the answer appears to be 

YES.

Review Questions
1. The equation specifying that Performance = Ability x Support x Effort is known

as the individual performance equation. Using this equation, explain the exceptional

performance that is required of and exhibited by the crafts people at Steinway.

2. Use the core job characteristics model to explain the implications of Steinway’s

piano manufacturing process for work motivation and behavior.

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3. How does Steinway’s piano manufacturing process exhibit the need for

teamwork? How does this relate to job enrichment?

You Do the Research

1. How does Steinway continue its emphasis on craftsmanship in this age of mass

production?

2. Can any of Steinway’s processes be transferred to other companies?

3. What other consumer products appear to be using a Steinway approach to

producing its products?

Case Endnotes

1. Cox, M. “Steinway Faces Yamaha Push in Piano Market,” Wall Street Journal,
January 19, 1988.
2. Steinway & Sons homepage, http://www.steinway.com.
3. Cox, op. cit.
4. “Factory Tour,” http://www.steinway.com/factory/tour/shtml.
5. Steinway & Sons homepage, op. cit.
6. “Steinway Unveils Essex Piano,” Business Wire, January 23, 2001.

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