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For quality, check the specs
October 8, 2007
First, Quality in China: Well I guess it is time for me to weigh in on the subject. Quality is the responsibility of everyone in the supply chain and engineering. If the design is faulty as in some of the toys, then it is difficult to blame the manufacturer because you approved it, and where was the UL and other approval agencies… especially the under-funded American Product Safety Commission.
Specifications need to be checked and also the certifications, though I have seen the 'Certs' here in China and Asia faked very professionally. But the paint and other raw materials fiasco can be cured, as some do, by purchasing and providing key materials to the supplier. Of course there is a risk here, but looking at cost benefit, one wonders what is the better “current” solution. Normal turn key maybe the most cost effective, but controlling quality by supplying key materials can prevent possible reputation, and reverse logistics costs.
Posted by Walter E. Buczynski, CPSM (Certified Professional in Supply Management) on October 8, 2007 | Comments (1)
In response to: For quality, check the specs
Etienne Charlier commented:
This is so true. And beyond paint and raw material, there are also the basic parts such as fasterners and bearings. A validation of the key suppliers to our supplier is sometimes necessary. We had a recent case where a good supplier of assembled mechanical subsystem got a batch of bad bearings (we believe they were not aware of the low quality of their supplier). When we started doing qualification tests on the subsystems and drilled down to the bearing element, it became clear that the bearing supplier had a different understanding than us about the hardness needed for a bearing ball. By spending a little time with our supplier to find another bearing supplier in China, we manage to keep a very good supplier and get an excellent product.