Quality: The Buyer – Factory Meeting

01 Wednesday Jul 2015

Tags

customer experienced product quality, Quaity

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

Quality: Control the Process – Secure the business

27 Friday Feb 2015

Posted by mkastley in RVA Updates

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Tags

PRAS, procee, Process control, process flow charting, Quaity, risk analysis

To secure quality in production there needs to be a fully implemented process control scheme for the operators and their machines. Process control can best be described as per baking bread. You need the right ingredients in terms of measure and quality standard, then the correct viscosity of the dough, oven temperature and baking time. To achieve the best tasting bread, the recipe needs to be followed and the baking process needs to be monitored and maintained to within the optimal range. Its the same in any other production process – get it right with any process and like the bread, the end results will comply with requirements every time.

If you are buyer, secure that you have agreed a process control scheme with your supplier that can be verified in every batch being produced.

If you are a production manager bring the buyer into the agreement on a Process Control Scheme to secure quality and your profitability.

As per my previous articles, this is part of a Good Business Growth. A process control scheme need not only be for a factory. The principles as described by baking bread can be applied in any type of business, its all the same – control the input, control the process and the output will be secured.

Below is a flow chart I devised a few years back to describe how a Process Control Scheme can be devised for the buyer and supplier of any process, whether its a product or a service.

In the process, the control scheme can be as simple or detailed as required. Sometimes it requires only one control point to determine that a process is under control and producing the expected results. The important part and probably most difficult is as per the above flow chart – finding the control points and everybody agreeing. The method of reporting and controlling can then be a simple yes/no (poke yoke devices) or a full statistical process control implementation with machine or manual record maintenance.

With a process control quality system; the virtuous circle of quality, availability, price and ethical compliance are assured for Good Business Growth – its all connected.