DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.
DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.

On Friday September 7, 2012 Taran Hay, the Senior Director of New Product Development and Co-Manufacturing talked to us about the E & J Gallo Winery.  He discussed how the world's largest wine manufacturer gets the job done.  From logistics, to purchasing, to branding, and proper product mix, he encouraged us to think about the various strategies being employed to grow success in the wine industry.  Being the largest has its advantages and dissadvantages, and we learned about the product life cycle, the steps of new product development, and the push vs. pull relationship the winery had with their distributors.  By being vertically integrated the Gallo company was able to decrease costs in many areas and offer products in a much shorter time than the rest of it's competitors.  At the end of the class there were two main points that emphasized.  The first was thatin the wine and alcohol industry the product life cycle is so short that the mantra was to launch fast, fail fast, and move on with life.  Secondly, was that what drives sustainable changes in the Gallo company is that the they focus on people first, then processes, then systems.  Overall Taran was extremely friendly, passionate, and well educated about the wine business while encouraging students to contemplate going to work for a fascinating wine company.

DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.