Supplier Excellence Awards S
and interact with customers.”
A CLOSE EYE ON QUALITY This hands-on approach continues to fuel Yamaha’s ability to innovate while maintaining its QC standards. One recent success story is the launch of the brand’s latest TransAcoustic model, a product so different it required in-store demos to truly appreciate. “We have at least one product every year where it’s super hard to explain be- cause it’s so different and advanced. This year’s was the TransAcoustic model. People said, ‘That sounds really weird,’” Sumner recalled with a laugh. “And I said, ‘You should try one.’ And it turned out to be a great seller.” That balance of innovation and reli- ability comes from Yamaha’s deep-rooted quality culture. “We definitely set a high bar for qual- ity, and we have systems built in for every product,” Sumner said. “Before we even put a product into production, there’s all these checks we’ve built up over the years to make sure it’s really ready for the market.” That philosophy extends all the way to the factory floor. “Even the folks who work the fac- tory line know that if they’re building a saxophone, there’s going to be a kid out there on a Friday night at a football game playing it,” Sumner said. “If it breaks, the kid’s going to have a really bad night. We want to make sure they have a great night and can always trust Yamaha.” Consistency also shows up in how Ya- maha communicates with its dealers. “We have a very specific group, our sales enablement team, that handles deal- er communications to make sure they’re consistent and get to the right people,” Sumner said. “We can’t just send every dealer everything, so we make sure the information is specific, accurate and well- shared internally.” SUMNER’S OUTLOOK FOR 2026 Looking ahead, Sumner said he’s optimistic for 2026. “We’re positive for 2026,” he said. “In 2025, day in and day out we were cop- ing with cost changes. Hopefully in 2026, we’ll be able to get back to focusing even more on the customer. We have so many amazing tools to reach them and get more people involved in music.” MI
How Yamaha handled a year marred by inconsistency with an unwavering approach. — By Katie Kailus Tom Sumner AN ENDURING COMMITMENT TO CONSISTENCY
I n a year filled with global challenges, Ya- maha’s approach to business remained steady: Keep the customer and dealer at the center of every decision. Dealers no- ticed this approach and, as a result, Yama- ha received the most votes of any supplier in our 2025 Excellence Awards. “Yamaha has been a consistent and valuable partner for us. We’ve been so impressed with the quality and reliabil- ity of Yamaha products that we are now planning to expand our selection to in- clude Yamaha drum sets,” said one vot- ing retailer, while another said, “Yamaha [has] the most consistent invoicing, ship- ping, tracking, ETAs and quality prod- ucts at all levels.” In a year rife with instability, Yamaha has maintained consistent with its com- munication and product quality.
“We tried to take a path of thinking about the end user and the dealer and how all this is going to work out,” said Tom Sumner, president of Yamaha Corp. of America. “Ev- erything we do impacts the dealer in some way, so we want to make sure they can con- tinue with their business.” That focus on consistency has guided Yamaha through unpredictable times, from tariffs to travel restrictions. During the pandemic, when sales representatives couldn’t visit stores, the company saw firsthand how vital personal connection is to its success. “We, as an industry, had lost a lot of ground because we didn’t have that close connection to really service the end user,” Sumner said. “So, we made decisions to make sure all of our people could travel, see dealers, be in the stores
50 I MUSIC INC. I DECEMBER 2025
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