• Home
  • About Us
    • Introduction to GOOD Business Growth
    • PDF:Introduction Brochure
    • PDF:One Page Introduction
  • CONTACT US
  • Examples and Presentations
    • Bedding supply
    • Chemical Leasing Video
    • Media coverage
    • Training Skit Video
  • For The Buyers and Suppliers
    • For the Buyers….
    • For The Suppliers
  • Site Map….
  • The Concept Tools:Good Business Growth
    • The Business Virtuous Circle
    • Customer Experienced Product Quality
    • Risk – Product(ion) Risk Assessment – PRAS
    • The QSE Business Advantage
  • The Team
    • Director – Mark K. Astley
  • What We Do?
    • Training Course Providers – Practical, activity based and fun
      • Good Business Growth – 2 Day Introduction
      • PRAS Training – Risk management
      • CEPQ Training – Customer Experienced Product Quality
      • Cost Down Programme – CDP
      • CofC: Code of Conduct management
    • Our Business Strategy – Good Business Growth
    • Our Service Offer
      • Goals for the Client
      • Good Business Growth Service Offer
      • International Development Service Offer
      • Added Value
    • Scope of Operations

Monthly Archives: July 2015

The Factory Visit – Good Conditions

23 Thursday Jul 2015

Posted by mkastley in Uncategorized

≈ 1 Comment

Supplier Visit_edited-3

At the supplier – buyer factory visit what should be the agenda for a business meeting that shall also include working conditions, social and environmental compliance? Based on my own experience, whether it was textiles, furniture or ceramic/metal etc. there are basics that provide a framework for both parties to work with when conducting factory visits:

  • The Business Report
  • Full compliance audit reports – 2nd and 3rd party
  • Social and Environmental performance
  • Child Labour
  • Sub Supplier Management

1. The Business Report: To assure maintenance and continuity in compliance at the factory there shall be a written document at every visit. A brief, points driven hardcopy produced by the buyer before they depart that follows up previous reports, business decisions, visit results and latest corrective actions with noted responsibilities for the supplier or buyer to implement.

The  Compliance Agenda points for a factory visit:

2. The Audit Reports – 2nd and 3rd Party: The results and notes from current and previous compliance audits conducted by your own or 2nd/3rd party organisations are reviewed. What were the audit results and more importantly actions taken since; for non-conformances, improvements required or suggested? How has the supplier or even the buyer addressed these issues and implemented the requirements. Make a note to follow up these issues during a visit to the factory floor or production office.

3. Social and Environmental Performance: This part of the factory visit is about touring the shop floor and walking through all or a specific work section; making sample checks, quick observations securing the factory compliance in working conditions, safety and environmental performance as per the following suggestions:

  • Are machines safe and operated in a safe manner
  • Are emergency evacuations clear and apparatus in working order
  • Is the shop floor clean and tidy
  • Is the factory operator personal protection equipment in use
  • What are the discharges levels – noise, air and water? Does it look and smell okay. Are monitoring records maintained?
  • How are chemicals stored, handled and used
  • Medical emergency equipment and materials are available e.g. first aid box.
  • Conduct sample checks of the time keeping and attendance systems – follow up one or two randomly selected operators. Are their working hours recorded and what is the level of their overtime.

4. Child labour:

  • Conduct random sample checks on employee age records – are they maintained and can these operators be identified in the factory.
  • Are age records maintained with verifiable documents eg id cards, birth certificates etc..
  • Is the factory employing Young Workers – how does this work within the law, what are their ages.
  • Can employment records be obtained immediately on any factory operator who ‘looks’ young.
  • The Factory management understand the routines when there are potential issues of child labour being identified.

5. Sub Supplier Management:

  • Secure that the supplier maintains accurate and up to date records of its vendors who supply semi-finished, components or materials that are used in  the buyers finished products.
  • Check a randomly selected vendor:
  • When was the last visit by the factory management to one of its vendors?
  • Has the supplier secured the national legal and buyer requirements at its vendor
  • Have corrective actions been identified at the supplier’s vendors, how have theses been followed up and secured by management.

From Audit Project to Business Process

The above are a suggestion to include in a supplier visit agenda. It is not a full  audit, but rather a quick follow up and push for the factory and the buying team to keep compliance as a 365 days assurance. For both parties it’s a good temperature check on performance and highlight where things may be going astray. The results of the check can then be passed to more specialist colleagues for further and more detailed examination if serious areas of concern were noted during the visit.

Adding these points to factory visit agendas every time  would initially increase  the pressure on the supply chain. Eventually it would be managed on a day to day operational level – no longer a compliance project but a factory and supply chain process.

The main things to consider:

  • Conduct sample checks – random selection of operator records, factory departments, vendor performance reports.
  • Make it an observation exercise with aim to improve not punish
  • Always start with the previous visit actions
  • Depending on the regularity of visits, selected points can be reviewed on a rolling basis rather than every time.
  • Drive the issues of good working conditions, social management and environmental performance into the DNA of the supply chain as being good for business growth.

Conclusion:

The factory visit by the buying team should be a very hands on operational activity. It is an excellent opportunity to achieve alignment if the meetings are within a structured framework of a practical agenda. The above can be one part of a factory visit agenda that is concise, practical and can be conducted through existing resources including commercial, logistics and technical personnel

For both the buyer and suppliers, the brand protection of the retailer and its customers is vital. In the supply chain this is everybody’s responsibility and everybody can play a part. When it comes to compliance I have seen too often that this is left to a company CSR colleague and very often a third party auditor to secure and maintain a supplier performance. This is not practical for 365 days or even fair and is actually a big risk for society, the environment and the business!!

Mark K. Astley

Quality: The Buyer – Factory Meeting

01 Wednesday Jul 2015

Posted by mkastley in RVA Updates

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

customer experienced product quality, Quaity

Quality 6 basics

At the supplier – buyer factory visit what  should be the agenda for a quality assurance meeting? Based on my own experience, whether it was textiles, furniture or ceramic/metal there are five basics that provide a framework for both parties to work with when at the factory:

  • The Business Report
  • The Quality Inspections
  • Safe and Durable
  • Packaging
  • Customer Experience Product Quality

1. The Business Report: To assure maintenance and continuity in the quality work there shall be a written document for every visit. A brief, points driven hardcopy produced by the buyer, that follows up  previous reports and records the latest actions with noted responsibilities for the supplier or buyer.

The agenda points for the factory visit:

2. The Quality Inspections: The results and notes from current and previous product inspections at the different manufacturing stages are sample checked during the visit. One of the key aspects to these quality inspections should be the viewpoint – is it through customer eyes or to a technical compliance in the specifications? Each viewpoint is valid. Both parties should have already agreed at what stage and to what criteria these inspections are conducted.

3. Safe and durable: This part of the factory visit  is very much about securing the product performance in terms of function and safe use by the customer.

  • Review product test requirements to secure that they are fully understood by both buyer and factory.
  • The product tests are conducted correctly and in the right conditions.
  • Approved external and in house testing facilities are used during the product tests.
  • Full documented test reports are available and valid.
  • Material Safety Data Sheets are available and valid.

4. The Packaging: Check that the packing materials, containers and their on site storage secures the specified performance requirements. Confirm that the materials are neat and clean and during specific seasons will not degrade because of the weather conditions.

5. Customer Experience Product Quality CEPQ: Both buyer and supplier review their customer focus throughout the factory operation in terms of the following.

  • Durability and Function: Confirm the performance of the material and components to secure that the product does ‘what it says on the tin’.
  • Safe to Use: Assure the correct chemical and substance content in the product. Confirm the security of small and loose parts.
  • Well Designed Product: Review design briefs and specifications. If the product is part of a range, secure its modularity e.g. correct dimensions, consistent and true colour/shades.
  • Customer Friendly: What is the after use appearance, are the buttons, switches convenient. Is the packaging sufficient and recyclable. Assembly and installation is easy for the customer.

Conclusion:

The factory visit by the buyers technical or commercial team should be a very hands on operational activity. They are excellent opportunities to achieve alignment  if the meetings are within a structured framework of a practical agenda. The above are my suggestion for that framework. Two of the above I would like to stress as a must – The Business Report to secure continuity over time and changing personnel and CEPQ to secure customer quality.

One last point: stick with sandwiches for lunch when on factory visits!!

Mark K. Astley  Robert Vernon Associates

Recent Posts

  • Quality Improvement: Customer Returns and the Change of Mind
  • A new angle on Good Business…
  • Video Presentation 1
  • Business visual communications for Good Business Growth..
  • The Retail Store Practice: Understanding the customer experience to secure improvements..

Recent Comments

factory audits on The Factory Visit – Good…

Archives

  • March 2017
  • January 2017
  • April 2016
  • January 2016
  • November 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014

Categories

  • RVA Updates
  • Uncategorized

Meta

  • Register
  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.com

Categories

  • RVA Updates
  • Uncategorized

Archives

  • March 2017
  • January 2017
  • April 2016
  • January 2016
  • November 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014

Recent Posts

  • Quality Improvement: Customer Returns and the Change of Mind
  • A new angle on Good Business…
  • Video Presentation 1
  • Business visual communications for Good Business Growth..
  • The Retail Store Practice: Understanding the customer experience to secure improvements..

Recent Comments

factory audits on The Factory Visit – Good…

Meta

  • Register
  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.com

Recent Posts

  • Quality Improvement: Customer Returns and the Change of Mind
  • A new angle on Good Business…
  • Video Presentation 1
  • Business visual communications for Good Business Growth..
  • The Retail Store Practice: Understanding the customer experience to secure improvements..

Recent Comments

factory audits on The Factory Visit – Good…

Archives

  • March 2017
  • January 2017
  • April 2016
  • January 2016
  • November 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014

Categories

  • RVA Updates
  • Uncategorized

Meta

  • Register
  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.com

Blog at WordPress.com.

  • Follow Following
    • robertvernon.org
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • robertvernon.org
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...