It is the process through which information regarding other companies is collected and the most outstanding practices, methods, products or services are taken as models, regardless of their level or the sector to which they belong, all with the purpose to obtain continuous improvements, mainly oriented to the satisfaction of consumers.
The origin of the word benchmarking is derived from the words "bench" which means "bench" and mark which means " brand ", however the compound word can be translated as "quality measure". This process began to be practiced in the United States in the sixties, thanks to the impulse that the institutions of benchmarking and quality management gave it, but it was not until the eighties that its use became widespread.
Currently there are three types of benchmarking known, the internal, functional and competitive:
- Internal benchmarking: it is generally used in large organizations, which are made up of a large number of areas, where it is possible to compare the different levels reached in the divisions of the same and thus apply the methods that allow the organization to improve.
- Functional benchmarking: it is the method used to compare a company with others that do not belong to the same industrial sector, from which the necessary data can be obtained to be able to optimize processes, in addition to having the advantage of not being a competitor of these companies and therefore it is easier to get the information.
- Competitive benchmarking: it is the one that is applied when there is aggressive competition, the most outstanding characteristics of direct competitors are compared or, failing that, those who have market dominance, obtaining information of great value from them, usually this method It is the most difficult to use, this is due to the little information that can be obtained about the processes that companies apply due to the great competition that exists.
The main objectives of this practice is to increase the quality levels of the product or service offered, taking into account its price and the production costs that it entails. The increase in productivity is one of the main goals achieved by comparing the amount of production with consumption, obtaining data efficiency in the production process.
