Triumph

Name: Triumph (English version)
SKU: 9B11M052

Stewart Thornhill; Cooper Langford

Product #:9B11M052

Supplier:Ivey

Discipline:General Management

Setting:United Kingdom, 2002

Details:Case (PDF) • 13 pages • 2011-08-02 (Rev: 2012-05-22)

Subjects:

Brand positioning Brand management Leadership and managing people Management

Geography:

United Kingdom Europe

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The case is set immediately following a catastrophic fire that destroyed the Triumph Motorcycle Company’s manufacturing facility in England. After having gone out of business in the 1980s, the company was resurrected by British entrepreneur John Bloor and, at the time of the fire, was in its tenth year of renewed operations. The decision facing Bloor and his team after the fire was to either rebuild and resume their strategy as before or consider whether another course of action might be worthwhile.

Students are challenged to identify and articulate Triumph’s strategy during its renaissance and evaluate whether other alternatives might be more appropriate. This mirrors the assignment given to McKinsey and Company when it was engaged to help Triumph during its post-fire recovery. The case provides information about Triumph’s history, as well as a current picture of the motorcycle industry.

Learning Objectives

It is very difficult for any organization to fundamentally change its strategy. The fire at the Triumph factory provided an opportunity (though tragic) to pause and consider whether the direction in which the company had been heading was the best for its long-term growth and prosperity. The case provides students with an opportunity to evaluate Triumph’s unique value proposition in the market, its position relative to competitors, and the likelihood that the current strategy was sustainable. Of particular importance is the relative influence of manufacturing and marketing within the organization. The case deals with issues of strategic alignment and leveraging a heritage brand, and the challenges of creating a unique position within a crowded and highly competitive market.