Does all of the recent talk about the importance of quality control in manufacturing have you scratching your head, wondering how times have changed? After all, up until a few years ago, the quality of a product was less of a concern than it is today. Now, impeccable product quality is an essential part of maintaining a strong reputation in manufacturing.
As this InfinityQS white paper highlights, there are several reasons why you should be paying extra attention to enterprise quality management in your organization. Due to the rise of social media, consumers now have the ability to voice their opinion—and their opinion will either bolster or damage the image of your company. Prior to this ability, even something as serious as a product recall did not often have a public sphere for commentary. Now, it does.
For business leaders, the challenges associated with enterprise quality management have not changed. In fact, the challenges are more prevalent than ever due to the fact that many companies are choosing to outsource manufacturing processes. In doing so, these organizations are taking on the role of assemblers as they put together the parts that other companies construct.
“Production rarely occurs at a single-site,” said InfinityQS vice president of statistical methods, Steve Wise. “More typically, materials and supplies are acquired from all over the world. Supply chains have also become more complex.”
A car that is assembled in Chicago, for instance, could have seats from Mexico, a steering wheel from Vietnam and a windshield from China. And with an increasing amount of federal regulation, coupled with consumer demand for high satisfaction and no tolerance for product failures, there is no shortage of challenges facing manufacturers.
But business leaders should note that while the obstacles to keeping a satisfied customer base are ever increasing, the means of controlling production quality have gotten infinitely easier thanks to improved intelligence available in the cloud.
Now, data can be collected and analyzed instantaneously from any production facility across the world. Standardization is possible, therefore, because manufacturers can see production variations as they occur. This gives executive teams the power to make key manufacturing decisions when necessary. Customers, therefore, will see a company that is on top of its game versus an organization that merely reacts when something goes wrong.
For more on enterprise quality management and to download the free white paper, click here.