Putting Quality in place before shipping product

1

1winnyAK

#1
I am an intern and recently I just been assign to a new project of making sure the products are good before it is ship out to customer.
The issue I am coming to is that there's no data of what quality problems we have cause no one kept track, Also the workers who are assembling it doesn't have any training manual of how things are assemble besides from someone that been there for quite some time and train a new employee.

I'm not sure if this a correct route I'm taking. I was thinking of collecting data of how many defects we have and what are they and from there determine what types of quality issues we have and break it down into managable pieces. Also, learning the process of the assemble workers by documenting how they are assembling it and see where my opportunities are to possibly prevent the error before it happens.

The product I'm talking about are these controller that we build, all the wiring and assembling is by hand and we have one inspector that's inspects all. One assemblier builds all of it and then it moves to the inspector.

I'm I going the right direction on this approach and if someone can give me any advice?
 
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Qara123

Involved In Discussions
#2
Re: HELP! Putting Quality into place.

Welcome to the club!

The route you are taking looks fine. It's logical and should provide sufficient information to begin your project. Note that collecting data can be a time consuming activity and may extend beyond your internship.

Alternatively, you can also look at customer complaints to figure out where the problems lie and focus on the specific issues. This may save a little time and jump start your project.

Good luck at your project and feel free to put up any question you have, there's lots of helpful gurus around the cove.

Q
 

Jen Kirley

Quality and Auditing Expert
Staff member
Admin
#3
Re: HELP! Putting Quality into place.

I have a question: who, besides you is "making sure the products are good before it is ship out to customer"? Your approach sounds spot-on, but it seems as though you are the first person to think of them at this organization.

Whatever the case, I applaud you because your plan sounds good. I am only concerned that your internship will not last long enough to noticeably accomplish this goal. How long will you be there?
 
1

1winnyAK

#4
Re: HELP! Putting Quality into place.

Thanks Jennifer! I'am the first person in that company to try this, the moral of the employee's that I have gotten is that they know projects start off but never finish and problems tend to push on the side because its sales driven and never focus on the back in.. They tried implementing lean and was never able to sustain it.

So, it been a really big challenge for me to drive this improvement the only problem I have is experience, I only know what i was learn in school but never hands on...

I am going to be there till end of the year, I hope I can show them that I can do this and hopefully be there as a permant employee.

I will be having more questions along the way once I get started! lol...


I have a question: who, besides you is "making sure the products are good before it is ship out to customer"? Your approach sounds spot-on, but it seems as though you are the first person to think of them at this organization.

Whatever the case, I applaud you because your plan sounds good. I am only concerned that your internship will not last long enough to noticeably accomplish this goal. How long will you be there?
 
1

1winnyAK

#5
Re: HELP! Putting Quality into place.

Also, If there's no record of customer complaint..because they do not keep track of them, where do I start off without taking so long?
 

Jen Kirley

Quality and Auditing Expert
Staff member
Admin
#6
Re: HELP! Putting Quality into place.

Also, If there's no record of customer complaint..because they do not keep track of them, where do I start off without taking so long?
You can survey them. Do you know who they are? Ask for specifics regarding what's important to them, like first time quality, customer responsiveness and service, delivery condition, billing cycle efficiency, does the product meet your needs, etc. Include a chance for them to say why or why not, but don't make it too long. Maybe you can talk to a couple of your bigger clients, or their representative, in person.

It's encouraging that you have till the end of the year. You may have time to collect some effectiveness data. Please stay with us with your questions and to let us know how it goes. We are here for you.
 
P

prabhatchaddha

#7
I am an intern and recently I just been assign to a new project of making sure the products are good before it is ship out to customer.
The issue I am coming to is that there's no data of what quality problems we have cause no one kept track, Also the workers who are assembling it doesn't have any training manual of how things are assemble besides from someone that been there for quite some time and train a new employee.

I'm not sure if this a correct route I'm taking. I was thinking of collecting data of how many defects we have and what are they and from there determine what types of quality issues we have and break it down into managable pieces. Also, learning the process of the assemble workers by documenting how they are assembling it and see where my opportunities are to possibly prevent the error before it happens.

The product I'm talking about are these controller that we build, all the wiring and assembling is by hand and we have one inspector that's inspects all. One assemblier builds all of it and then it moves to the inspector.

I'm I going the right direction on this approach and if someone can give me any advice?
The route you have taken is fine just like to add that you might have to validate processes before you document them as SOP.
 

SteelMaiden

Super Moderator
Super Moderator
#8
Re: HELP! Putting Quality into place.

I have a question: who, besides you is "making sure the products are good before it is ship out to customer"? Your approach sounds spot-on, but it seems as though you are the first person to think of them at this organization.

Whatever the case, I applaud you because your plan sounds good. I am only concerned that your internship will not last long enough to noticeably accomplish this goal. How long will you be there?
Yeah, what Jennifer said. I think that perhaps a bigger advantage of what you are doing, is that perhaps these folks will realize that they need to produce with quality, instead of inspect for quality. Good luck to you, please keep us updated on your internship.
 
N

nikirtehsuxlol

#9
Wow! I think you'll learn so much from this internship experience and, if you do this well, will have a crapload of stuff to put on your resume.

I think your mode of attack is great and the additional suggestions are spot on. I work in quality control. We're not ISO. These are just some ideas. Use them, dont use them.

- Find out what the complaints typically are from customers (whichever way is kosher for you to do so, internally from your current company or from the customers themselves). Depending on who you talk to, you might get things like "Oh, its the wrong color" or "the memory isnt fast enough" - Those are moreso design issues. Its nothing you can prevent from going out the door because its ALL going out like that. I find you get this from the sales guys and some of your customers.
- Something to keep in mind: its obvious on paper but sometimes in practice we forget this . . . . You cannot inspect quality into a product. If something is recurring, talk with the production managers to see if its something that is inherent in the product that you'll have to just deal with (design flaw, might have to do with one of your suppliers, who knows? Yall can tackle that if you want but I personally would stick to setting up some QC checks) ... or if its something that is inherent in the process that might can be fixed. Identify what is ready to ship, what products could be reworked (if any), and what would make a product flat out rejected. So, at our company, each batch has thousands of units. We ready to ship that sucker if there's less than 1.0% defect. We dont check every unit, we use a sampling plan. We don't check for every possible thing that could go wrong; we check for characteristics that do go wrong. We dont do a sampling plan for packaging; the packagers are pulling from the same boxes so we spot check it every now and then. Someone else verifies the artwork is correct; quality is everyone's responsibility. We check one unit every now and then to make sure the final product looks right. Everyone knows what to look for. The parameters of pass/fail are clearly defined. Use pictures. Whatever it takes. Most importantly, our process CAN put out less than 1% defects. If your process, on average, puts out 2% defects but your spec (or more importantly the customer) says no more than 1% defect ... management needs to be financially prepared for that because 2% defective material is what your process puts out. This is where you can look into control charts and whatever to re-evaluate your specifications (are they realistic?). You said you dont have past data but you need the data to do this. And, if the first step is acquiring the data ... start acquiring. But, again, only if its necessary.
- What is your current process? Ask the supervisor or the lead training guy what the process is. Then watch, observe. Are the people ACTUALLY doing it? Dont comment on if things are good/bad (ie, judge). What are they currently doing? I also ask the people on the line (if they've been there awhile) what are some of the issues they see. They are honestly there every day and have a different insight. Depending on who you ask, might be relevant/might not. But again, see what your scope is in terms of how far you can stick your nose in.
- Identify what needs to be checked, quality wise. Easier said than done. Also, quality checks dont have to be done by a QC department. I work at a tableting company and production pulls tablets off every so and so minutes to check weight, thickness to make sure things are in spec. They write it on a form. At any time we have the right to verify. But we trust they do it correctly. Do you need to write procedures? What is a pass/fail? Do you need to make forms? Who checks it? How often?
- Would you do an in-line check to prevent the issue from getting too far into the process? Or do one final check at the end? And when problems arise, does it get rejected immediately or is it fixable (ie, you can rework/repair it)? Or does it get shipped out anyways? Do you need a sampling plan or is this something like a car where every single unit needs to be checked? Do you damage product you need to inspect by opening it up or breaking seals to get inside; if possible, check it earlier (in-line).
- Safety first. Hardhats, PPE, etc.
- How do you denote something is "ready to ship"? The person checking it knows but how does the dude driving the forklift know its okay to put on a truck?
- What is management willing to provide in terms of funding and long term support for a quality system? If you set up something it might slow the process down, inspection takes time/people, rejecting materials (in the short run) is immediately seen as a loss money-wise. . . . Some new kid telling people they cant ship something out that they've shipped out previously can really irk people if it has been the status quo for a long time. You NEED support of management. I dont know what your company's culture is like!
- Are all the checks that you implemented necessary in the first place? Also, if you have suggestions to make the process "better" - sometimes new changes make new problems. But, on the flipside, sometimes people have implemented something that isnt necessary to the process and is, quite frankly, a waste of time. So asking, "What is the purpose of this? Do we need to do it?" might not be a bad idea either. Always keep that in the back of your mind.

If you do write down production's modus operandi, I personally would do something quick and dirty and then focus on the quality aspects. If you have time at the end, then go back to the production manual. We've passed quite a few audits with "on the job training" as an answer but since we dont have high rate of turnover and we're a small company ... it suffices. A general process flow chart should start the company off in the right direction. Come back to some type of production training manual after you have a strong idea of the process and figure out all the buzz words.

Sorry, I got chatty and wrote this fast. And Im learning this too so take this with a grain of salt!
 
1

1winnyAK

#10
Thanks! We just started our sampling plan and the we use is the ANSI. We do certain amount of sample's when we received parts from our vendor. What we build we do a 100% inspection but even so that with one person inspecting..as human we make human errors after awhile seeing the samethign go through...I want us to be able to not have to do a 100% inspection and alot of that I think but i don't want to get ahead of myself is to look at really our process but also what our customers want from us and hopefullly drive down non-value added.

From your previous message below that is a really good point-
"Find out what the complaints typically are from customers (whichever way is kosher for you to do so, internally from your current company or from the customers themselves). Depending on who you talk to, you might get things like "Oh, its the wrong color" or "the memory isnt fast enough" - Those are moreso design issues. Its nothing you can prevent from going out the door because its ALL going out like that. I find you get this from the sales guys and some of your customers. "

I do get that alot...where i'm coming into a problem oh were not train enough about our products and when we enter in to our sales order then they be like we don't have enough people to help out here..its just excuses after excuses.

You mention QC, What is that? is that Quality control?

Thank you for the main points of questions. I haven't thought of those yet of what I be coming across..i guess that comes with experience.

I'll def keep you updated on it, cause I'm more then sure I will have LOTS of questions!


Wow! I think you'll learn so much from this internship experience and, if you do this well, will have a crapload of stuff to put on your resume.

I think your mode of attack is great and the additional suggestions are spot on. I work in quality control. We're not ISO. These are just some ideas. Use them, dont use them.

- Find out what the complaints typically are from customers (whichever way is kosher for you to do so, internally from your current company or from the customers themselves). Depending on who you talk to, you might get things like "Oh, its the wrong color" or "the memory isnt fast enough" - Those are moreso design issues. Its nothing you can prevent from going out the door because its ALL going out like that. I find you get this from the sales guys and some of your customers.
- Something to keep in mind: its obvious on paper but sometimes in practice we forget this . . . . You cannot inspect quality into a product. If something is recurring, talk with the production managers to see if its something that is inherent in the product that you'll have to just deal with (design flaw, might have to do with one of your suppliers, who knows? Yall can tackle that if you want but I personally would stick to setting up some QC checks) ... or if its something that is inherent in the process that might can be fixed. Identify what is ready to ship, what products could be reworked (if any), and what would make a product flat out rejected. So, at our company, each batch has thousands of units. We ready to ship that sucker if there's less than 1.0% defect. We dont check every unit, we use a sampling plan. We don't check for every possible thing that could go wrong; we check for characteristics that do go wrong. We dont do a sampling plan for packaging; the packagers are pulling from the same boxes so we spot check it every now and then. Someone else verifies the artwork is correct; quality is everyone's responsibility. We check one unit every now and then to make sure the final product looks right. Everyone knows what to look for. The parameters of pass/fail are clearly defined. Use pictures. Whatever it takes. Most importantly, our process CAN put out less than 1% defects. If your process, on average, puts out 2% defects but your spec (or more importantly the customer) says no more than 1% defect ... management needs to be financially prepared for that because 2% defective material is what your process puts out. This is where you can look into control charts and whatever to re-evaluate your specifications (are they realistic?). You said you dont have past data but you need the data to do this. And, if the first step is acquiring the data ... start acquiring. But, again, only if its necessary.
- What is your current process? Ask the supervisor or the lead training guy what the process is. Then watch, observe. Are the people ACTUALLY doing it? Dont comment on if things are good/bad (ie, judge). What are they currently doing? I also ask the people on the line (if they've been there awhile) what are some of the issues they see. They are honestly there every day and have a different insight. Depending on who you ask, might be relevant/might not. But again, see what your scope is in terms of how far you can stick your nose in.
- Identify what needs to be checked, quality wise. Easier said than done. Also, quality checks dont have to be done by a QC department. I work at a tableting company and production pulls tablets off every so and so minutes to check weight, thickness to make sure things are in spec. They write it on a form. At any time we have the right to verify. But we trust they do it correctly. Do you need to write procedures? What is a pass/fail? Do you need to make forms? Who checks it? How often?
- Would you do an in-line check to prevent the issue from getting too far into the process? Or do one final check at the end? And when problems arise, does it get rejected immediately or is it fixable (ie, you can rework/repair it)? Or does it get shipped out anyways? Do you need a sampling plan or is this something like a car where every single unit needs to be checked? Do you damage product you need to inspect by opening it up or breaking seals to get inside; if possible, check it earlier (in-line).
- Safety first. Hardhats, PPE, etc.
- How do you denote something is "ready to ship"? The person checking it knows but how does the dude driving the forklift know its okay to put on a truck?
- What is management willing to provide in terms of funding and long term support for a quality system? If you set up something it might slow the process down, inspection takes time/people, rejecting materials (in the short run) is immediately seen as a loss money-wise. . . . Some new kid telling people they cant ship something out that they've shipped out previously can really irk people if it has been the status quo for a long time. You NEED support of management. I dont know what your company's culture is like!
- Are all the checks that you implemented necessary in the first place? Also, if you have suggestions to make the process "better" - sometimes new changes make new problems. But, on the flipside, sometimes people have implemented something that isnt necessary to the process and is, quite frankly, a waste of time. So asking, "What is the purpose of this? Do we need to do it?" might not be a bad idea either. Always keep that in the back of your mind.

If you do write down production's modus operandi, I personally would do something quick and dirty and then focus on the quality aspects. If you have time at the end, then go back to the production manual. We've passed quite a few audits with "on the job training" as an answer but since we dont have high rate of turnover and we're a small company ... it suffices. A general process flow chart should start the company off in the right direction. Come back to some type of production training manual after you have a strong idea of the process and figure out all the buzz words.

Sorry, I got chatty and wrote this fast. And Im learning this too so take this with a grain of salt!
 
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