Flower losses of 20 – 30% are reported as flowers move from growers to retail outlets and to consumers. High quality, long-lasting flowers are among the highest priorities when consumers make floral purchases. Imagine the impact on your profit if you could reduce your shrink to 5% or less. Well, you can! Care and handling research in the U.S., Europe, Israel, and other countries has provided guidelines for maintaining long lasting flowers.
So, why do we still experience high flowers losses, reduced quality, and short vase life? Care and handling practices may sound simple, but how you integrate them into your business routines can make all the difference.
Some years ago, an American engineer who focused on business practices and management established ‘Total Quality Management’ (TQM)—an approach that transformed industrial processes and reduced shrink significantly in the automobile and electronics industries. If these industries can benefit from TQM, so can the flower industry. TQM is a management system that:
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