True, but production has the biggest impact on product quality. Quality should support production, but at the most basic level, we don't have the opportunities that a machine operator does. They see every part that is made and can catch bad parts or any number of other mistakes (ie. wrong labels, worn insert, process problem etc.) at a much higher rate than a box auditor who looks at x number of parts out of a box of y number of parts times the number of machines that are running.
I know that in the "big picture" Quality brings a lot to the table in terms of improvements and I also know that Quality is everyone's job and all that. I was trying to be a little cynical, but trying to provoke thought at the same time.
While I can appreciate the thought you were trying to provoke, personally, I feel it is the wrong approach. By saying it is in the hands of Production - and yet admitting that everyone has a role - you are opening up the possibility of finger-pointing when things go wrong.
"Not my job...Production is responsible for quality."
What about Receiving who inspects incoming parts/products?
What about Engineering who is responsible designing a defect-free product/process?
What about Shipping who is responsible for ensuring product gets to the customer on time or dealing with a carrier who do just that?
I guess I look it from my own organization's point of view, where everyone, no matter what their job function, recognizes who their customer is (internal and external) and understands what their role. Perhaps that is a benefit of having a business management system versus a quality management system. Everyone views the system as a process with integrated concepts of quality, safety, environment, finance, etc. We try to avoid the silo-approach to how we do our jobs.
I wasn't slamming your slogan, Andrew, but I just believe that when there is a visual indicator that Production is responsible for Quality, the culture will shortly embrace that attitude.