The quality of manufacturing products is a key factor involved in the success of a company. Low prices for the products offered may encourage customers to make their first purchase, but if the quality is not satisfactory, the same customer will not recommend the product and will definitely not decide to make a repeat purchase. The key to achieving a consistent and satisfactory level of product quality is to set quality standards for the type of production and control them. We explain what quality management in manufacturing is all about and how quality parameters can be improved at a production facility.
Checking and evaluating product quality
Quality control in a manufacturing plant is an essential process. Human errors, machine failures, or improper raw materials used in production can contribute to causing health, life or property damage once the products are at the end user. Then it is no longer just the opinion of one customer that is at stake, but that of the entire industry. Product quality, product safety and compliance with legal guidelines have a key impact on a brand’s image and its future in the industry. That is why quality in production, or more precisely its control, has become a permanent part of production standards in every industry.
Quality control methods
Production quality control methods should be adapted to the type of goods produced, as well as the complexity of the production process. In the control of the flow of goods on the line, automation and robotization of production processes is a significant help. Robots equipped with vision control, will block further processing of a defective item. Completely different quality control methods, on the other hand, will work well in the FMCG industry. The safety of food products must be verified by laboratory testing, which means that the production line must allow sampling for sensory or microbiological testing. For the safety of workers on the production line, sampling and analysis can also be handled by a specially programmed robotic station. At TASKO Inc. we make every effort to ensure that the design and construction of machines are fully adapted to the specifics and type of production carried out.
Production process – where to set the checkpoints?
Quality control in a manufacturing plant is aimed not only at protecting the end customer, but also at reducing production costs. If the only control point in the entire production process will be the inspection of the final product, it means that the company is spending money and human resources to fully produce those products whose defect has already appeared at the beginning of the line. The more costly and less stable the raw material, the more control points should be planned on the production line. The absolute basis is to inspect the incoming raw material, and thus assess whether the sub-supplier has delivered raw material according to the parameters specified in the order.
Benefits of implementing quality control in production
Quality control is seen by many entrepreneurs as an unnecessary, costly process that hinders the release of a product to the customer. Such an attitude, however, is not correct. Production control should be seen as an opportunity to detect non-compliance within the company before it becomes the subject of public accusations and long-term legal and image consequences. Once the checkpoints are in place, the question is bound to be asked: how to improve production quality?
The first step should be to develop standards and procedures on which to base the entire quality control guidelines. Considering that the human factor is responsible for the lion’s share of production nonconformities, the solution may be to automate quality control and the entire production line, especially in its most routine stages. Time should also be taken to develop a CAP for the nonconformities detected, a corrective plan to ensure that a similar error does not happen again.