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A Good Way To Analyze Data to Drive Process Improvements

January 13, 2020

measures of success mark graban

I just read the book Measures of Success by Mark Graban, and I found it does a great job of covering the basics of how managers should work with data. His whole approach is largely based on concepts from Don Wheeler's books. If you are not familiar with Don Wheeler, he is the most respected manufacturing-focused statistician of the past 30 years. Graban covers what to do in two cases managers don't like to see.   Case 1: an unstable process leading to a widely fluctuating … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Process Improvement Tagged With: books, data, process improvement, process improvement tools, process improvements, root cause analysis

Does ISO 9001 Actually Prevent Process Improvements?

December 17, 2019

Does ISO 9001 Actually Prevent Process Improvements

As I wrote before, I believe that a good implementation of ISO 9001 does help a manufacturer quite a bit, while a bad one will only create issues. And the reason is simple. ISO 9001 allows an organization to set any system it wants, as long as they make sense and they respect a set of minimum requirements. The problem is, many factories think "we would get more customers if we had that certificate", so they go out and find templates and make it all look like it is alive in their company... … [Read more...]

Filed Under: ISO 9001 Tagged With: certifications, ISO 9001, ISO 9001 implementation, process improvement tools, process improvements, QMS, setting standards

How To Keep A Clean Factory And Stop Dust On A Budget

March 22, 2019

How To Keep A Clean Factory And Stop Dust On A Budget

In many industries, one of the most common reasons for defective goods is dust contamination, and they have adopted different cleanliness standards (see the Wikipedia page on cleanrooms and factory cleanliness). If you have visited Chinese factories in certain industries, you have probably seen their efforts in that regard. During our factory audits, we always give a grade about general organization and cleanliness. What advice can I offer about maintaining a clean factory without spending … [Read more...]

Filed Under: In The Factory, Process Improvement Tagged With: clean factory, cleanroom, factory audits, factory performance, process improvements

A Key China Sourcing Criterion: Can Your Factory Improve?

December 13, 2018

A Key China Sourcing Criterion: Can Your Factory Improve?

If you are only going to place 2 or 3 orders with a supplier, the key sourcing criteria will probably be quality, price, past production of similar products, and understanding of compliance requirements. However, if you are looking for a manufacturer you'll work with for 5+ years, you need to look at how they can ensure that the operations in their factory improve. If they are stuck in old ways, they might not be able to support your evolving needs... and, more worrisome, they will probably … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Sourcing New Suppliers Tagged With: engineering capability, management systems, process improvements

How a Chinese factory can REALLY improve its quality

April 3, 2013

Increasing a factory's quality level

Auditing a factory's quality system, and helping them patch the main holes found by the auditor, is helpful. But is it enough? I used to think so. A good quality management system is supposed to stop defects before it is too late. However, I have seen too many Chinese manufacturers get very high scores on a quality audit, and then try to ship batches containing 5-20% of defective goods. Setting up control points relevant to each production step does help, but improving quality takes much … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Process Improvement Tagged With: process improvements, quality assurance, reducing defects


Weekly updates for professional importers on better understanding, controlling, and improving manufacturing & supply chain in China.

This is the official blog of Sofeast.com.

This blog is written by Renaud Anjoran, an ASQ Certified Quality Engineer who has been involved in Chinese manufacturing since 2005.

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