2. Definition
Quality
The
is ………….
ability to satisfy the expectations
of the consumer
Fit for the purpose it was designed for
Conformance to specification
The degree of excellence of
something
3. Factors linked to Quality
Good
function
Durability
Reliability
Image
After-sales service
Value for money
4. Advantages of producing quality
goods
Higher
prices
Reduction in waste
Less need to advertise
Reduction in customer complaints
Increased guarantee periods
Reduces returned goods
5. Techniques to Improve Quality
Quality assurance – built-in quality techniques
Quality circles
Jidoka – anyone can stop production process if a
defect is found
Kaizan - continuous improvement
Benchmarking
Standards – Investors in People (IIP),
ISO standards
Just-in-time (JIT) & Kanban
Total Quality Management (TQM)
6. Quality Circles
Regular short meetings set up to help
improve production issues
Advantages:
Increase
motivation of staff – job enrichment
Improve communication – across departments
Unlock worker potential - lots of ideas
Focus on improving quality
Disadvantages:
cost
and time of meetings and training
7. Quality control vs quality assurance
A
Quality control usually takes place
at end of production process
PRODUCTION PROCESS
B
Quality assurance focuses on prevention
where small samples of part finished
goods are checked at different times in
production process
X
INSPECTION
by an inspection
team
It’s about prevention
rather than just
detection
PRODUCTION PROCESS
Check quality
Quality is seen as
EVERYONE’S job,
not just a small team
of inspectors!
8. QUALITY ASSURANCE
ADVANTAGES:
Workers take more care as they have to check it
Increased motivation – sense of responsibility & involvement
from this extra task - thus job becomes more meaningful.
Reduced costs – no inspection team to pay
Less scrap and reworking - defects picked up as soon as they
happen, not when good is finished and may need to be
scrapped or redone.
DISADVANTAGES:
Costs - of training and changing to a quality assurance
system
Workers may not like it - if they are paid on piece rate (per
product made) they may lose wages due to the checking they
now need to do slowing down their work rate
9. KAIZEN – ‘continuous improvement’
All
workers are involved in making
regular, ongoing improvements to the
production process. The changes tend to
be small, but they occur regularly.
ADVANTAGES:
increase productivity,
reduce waste, reduce costs
DISADVANTAGES: staff may not want to
be involved, costs of setting it up.
10. BENCHMARKING
This
involves comparing yourself (e.g.
costs, quality, productivity) with other
firms in your area of business and
identifying where you can make further
improvements to the production process.
Implementing ‘best practice’ in your
industry to improve your company.
11. QUALITY STANDARDS
Investors
in People (IIP) is the national
standard set to achieve a good level of training
and development of staff.
Customer Service Excellence is awarded by
the government to those organisations with
high standards for customer satisfaction
Kitemark: awarded by BSI to show that it
conforms to British Standards
12. Total Quality Management (TQM)
Extends
the idea of quality
assurance. Basically it is
about ensuring that
everything the organisation
and its people do is
focussed on creating high
quality goods & services.
Also about getting things
right first time (zero
defects) – aim for defect
prevention rather than
detection
A cycle of Plan, Do,
Check, Action
becomes part of
every employee’s
thinking.
13. JUST-IN-TIME
Aims
to reduce all types of stock so that,
at all stages of the production process,
stock is only ordered to ensure its arrival
exactly when it is needed.
Production should only commence when
there is a specific customer order production is driven by demand not
supply.
14. Advantages of JIT
Reduced
costs of holding stock reduced
More factory space available for
productive use
Avoids overproduction of goods
Reduction in waste, obsolete (old) and
damaged stock
Improves cash flow since money is not
tied up in stock
Cost savings from all of the above
15. Problems with JIT
Rely
on suppliers to deliver when agreed but
what happens if:
Supplier goes out of business?
Bad weather?
Road congestion?
Strike by workers?
Machine break down?
Advantages of bulk buying may be lost – also extra
cost of ordering more often
16. Waste Management
Waste
is anything which creates
inefficiency in the production process:
Overproduction
– only produce what is
needed
Stocking too much raw materials and
components – use JIT
Reworking defective products – need zero
defects
Scrap – that has to be thrown out
Movement around factory – keep things close
together – optimise factory layout