China used to be well-known for mainly cheap, low-quality products, but those days are largely behind us. Any number of cutting-edge and high-quality products are made in China now, think Apple and Tesla products, world-class white goods, … [Read more...]
Improving Product Quality, Reliability, and Compliance with a QA Program
What would a QA program that you put in place to improve the quality, reliability, and compliance of new electro-mechanical products ideally include? Find out here! Prefer listening to reading? Listen to the audio … [Read more...]
Cost Vs Quality – How to improve yours.
We tackle the big question of cost versus quality in manufacturing. Aside from what this concept means, we look at the rather surprising (for foreigners, at least) Chinese attitude about how quality is linked to price, why lean … [Read more...]
Product Quality Strategies: 13 You Need To Use
We've outlined 13 product quality strategies you need to use to achieve consistent product quality, divided into pre and post-production categories, and provide a brief introduction to each here. Prefer listening to … [Read more...]
What Supplier Development Process Makes Sense For Your Company?
If you purchase large amounts of products from supplier companies, you can have an influence on those companies. If you can get them to improve their performance using a supplier development process, for example, improve their quality or … [Read more...]
A Few Tips To Avoid Quality Fade in China
When Paul Midler wrote ‘Quality Fade’: China’s Great Business Challenge in 2007, I remember it struck a nerve and that article was widely quoted. And, nearly 14 years later, the term 'quality fade' is rather well known among … [Read more...]
How To Improve Supplier Performance? [Podcast]
In this episode... Renaud talks you through a common query that we get on a regular basis when customers ask us: "How do I get my suppliers to improve?" A recent survey of importers found that 70% said that their biggest challenge was … [Read more...]
Two Preventive Maintenance Examples: Go for More Structure
As I wrote before, preventive maintenance helps cut costs and improves quality. That's an extremely important element of good manufacturing and it doesn't get much coverage. Simply put, it extends the lifetime of the equipment, it … [Read more...]
What Is The Minimum Viable Quality Management System For A New Manufacturer? [8 Steps]
I have often looked for best practices by looking at the automotive industry's practices when considering what the minimum viable quality management system for a new manufacturer can be. For example: ISO/TS 16949: Great Improvements … [Read more...]
Why Improving Quality Leads to Lower Manufacturing Costs
I am tired of repeating certain things over and over when I am in Chinese factories. One of them is this: If you work on improving quality, you will cut your costs at the same time if you follow the right approach. This is nothing new. As … [Read more...]