Insight | Product quality is created in production, not tested into existence

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Quality is the result that a product exhibits after it has been produced. Some people mistakenly believe that quality is determined through testing. From the perspective of process management, quality is by no means something that can be inspected out; it should be designed and produced. Understanding this helps explain why some companies have plenty of quality personnel who are constantly busy, yet the product quality shows no improvement at all. Product quality is produced, not inspected. Before Dr. W. Edwards Deming, the renowned American quality management expert, put forward the concept that quality is produced rather than inspected, early quality management was limited to quality inspection, which could only serve as a post-production check on product quality. William Deming’s famous quote on quality states that the quality of a product can be ensured only if every step in the production process is carried out strictly in accordance with the manufacturing procedures and operating instructions. If process control is ignored and only inspection is relied on, it is impossible to ensure product quality, because quality inspection can only eliminate defective and faulty products, but it cannot improve the quality of the products. In other words, the focus of quality control must not be on post-event inspection; it must be placed on the manufacturing stage, that is, the production process. Prevention creates quality; inspection cannot create quality. The system that creates quality is prevention, not inspection. Inspection involves identifying products that do not meet requirements after the production process is completed, rather than promoting improvement. Testing only reveals what has already happened too late; the defects have already been created and cannot be reversed. Prevention takes place during the design phase of a process, including communication, planning, verification, and gradually eliminating the possibility of non-conformities arising. Through preventive production quality, it is required that resource allocation ensures tasks are completed correctly, rather than wasting resources on identifying and rectifying problems. In the past, ordinary enterprises always tried to cut costs related to defect prevention as much as possible. As a result, this led to considerable waste, such as in materials, labor hours, inspection costs, and rework expenses. It should be recognized that post-event verification is negative, passive, and often too late. The costs associated with having to remake parts due to various errors are often dozens of times higher than the costs of prevention. Therefore, more effort should be put into defect prevention; it may cost more at first, but the costs will be recouped soon. Prevention involves eliminating the causes of errors before they occur, rather than conducting checks and correcting errors afterward. Prevention involves thinking, planning, and analysis processes to predict where errors might occur, and then taking action to prevent them from happening. Quality management expert Crosby believed that “training, discipline, example, and leadership can lead to prevention.” Management must be determined to consistently work toward creating a prevention-oriented working environment. Qualified products are not achieved through inspection, but through production. Quality is developed at each stage of the production process; only by paying close attention to quality during production can the level of product quality be effectively ensured. In the lean production process, to achieve zero defects in product quality, it is essential to adhere to the \"three no’s\" principle, namely \"do not produce defective products, do not allow defective products to leave the process, and do not accept defective products.\" This is the basic principle for dealing with defective products, and it is also the principle that must be ensured first and foremost. It serves as the foundation for practically guaranteeing “zero defects” in quality. Not producing defective products—this is what every production worker on the shop floor must ensure first and foremost. Only by not producing any defects can we prevent them from being shipped out or accepted. Prevent defective products from escaping – As an operator, once a defective product is detected, it is necessary to stop the machine immediately, prevent such defects from proceeding further in the production process, and establish measures to deal with them and prevent their recurrence within that same process. Defective products are not accepted — once personnel in the subsequent process detect defective products, they must immediately stop the operation in their own process and inform the previous process. Personnel in the previous process must immediately stop production, investigate the cause, take corrective actions, and control the flow of defective products. However, many companies, once quality issues arise, shift the responsibility to the quality department, believing that it is the duty of that department. Many companies hold this mistaken view: allowing a small number of defects is acceptable, as occasional flaws are inevitable; quality is the responsibility of the quality control department; only product inspection matters, and it is the inspectors’ task to deal with defective items. Whenever problems occur, everyone thinks it is the quality department’s issue. Many people working in quality control have more or less experienced this: when writing reports, the quality department does all the work, while other departments basically don’t get involved at all ； The boss thinks that quality isn’t that important; research and development are crucial, while making money is the most important thing. So, the quality department doesn’t hold much influence in the company; often, after saying a few truths, those in charge leave the job. Why do quality issues occur? If issues are not addressed properly before product development, the yield rate in mass production becomes very low; in such cases, efforts are made to salvage the situation by focusing on quality, by increasing the frequency of inspections in order to reduce the number of defective or substandard products ； Rework costs are included, as well as defective materials; however, no testing is conducted in advance, and there is no accurate understanding of the variations in product quality ； The customers were pressing for delivery, and there was pressure from above; so the manager relied on his so-called practical experience and granted special approval for products that did not meet the standards, which led to product issues ； The industry has raised the quality standards for products, but the company still produces according to the original standards ； Quality issues that arise during the production process that are not caused by human error, but fall outside the scope of the inspection frequency, etc. How to achieve comprehensive control over product quality: The product is essentially finalized at the design stage, and its quality thereafter depends on procurement, processing, manufacturing, packaging, and transportation. By controlling these aspects properly, quality can be ensured. Therefore, product quality is achieved during the design and production processes, and quality is ensured through process management. How to control product quality: First, foster the awareness that quality is the lifeblood of a company. Everyone must understand that if the quality of products is poor, those products will have no market; without a market, the company loses its source of income, and over time it will go bankrupt, leading to job losses for its employees. Of course, for a company, even when the product market is doing well, it still needs to be prepared for potential challenges, strive to improve product quality, and build a better reputation as a company. As the saying goes: If you bloom, the breeze will come on its own. Second, foster a quality-oriented customer mindset. Put the customer first at all times, see yourself as a customer, as the person who carries out the next step in the process, and as a consumer of the product. In this way, people will consciously do their work well; only when everyone does their job properly can the quality of the products be guaranteed. If one cuts corners at work, it will harm their own interests. Third, foster a preventive mindset regarding quality. Product quality is achieved through production and design; it cannot be ensured merely through inspection ； Getting things done right from the very beginning isn’t just a slogan; it aptly reflects the preventive nature of product quality. If quality control doesn’t start at the source, it becomes extremely difficult to maintain product quality. Even if a large amount of manpower is allocated to inspections during production to ensure quality, a large number of defective or even unusable products are generated due to a lack of control at the source, resulting in a significant increase in the cost of the products. Moreover, certain quality issues with products might not be detected or rectified in subsequent processes. This makes it even more essential for us to get things right from the very beginning, thereby preventing any quality problems from occurring. Fourth, foster a sense of procedural discipline regarding quality. Quality management involves the entire process and the whole company; therefore, the work within each process and among all departments must be orderly and efficient. All quality management personnel and operators are required to strictly follow procedures. Failure to do so increases the likelihood of errors, thereby compromising product quality. Fifth, foster a sense of responsibility for quality. 80% of quality issues stem from management, while only 20% arise from employees; in other words, defects that can be controlled by managers account for about 80%, whereas those that can be controlled by operators are generally less than 20%. While managers improve their management skills, it is also essential to ensure that operators understand the following four points: A. Operators know how to do their tasks and why they need to do them ； B. The operator knows whether the products he produces meet the specification requirements ； C. The operator knows what consequences will arise if the products he produces do not meet the specifications ； D. The operator has the ability to handle abnormal situations properly. If all the above four conditions are met, and the necessary material conditions such as equipment and tool inspections during production are in place, yet a fault still occurs, it is considered a defect that can be controlled by the operator ； If any of the above four points cannot be met, or if failures occur due to insufficient conditions such as equipment and tool inspections as well as materials in production, it is the responsibility of the management. Only by understanding the responsibilities for quality issues can we take targeted actions to improve them and enhance quality. Sixth, foster a mindset of continuous quality improvement – there is no best quality, only better quality ； Quality improvement is a continuous process of refinement that follows the PDCA cycle. The PDCA cycle can be summarized as follows: P – Plan: Develop an improvement plan based on the requirements of the product ； D Implementation: Implement the plan ； C inspection: Inspect the process and products in accordance with product requirements ； A Disposal: Take measures to continuously improve product quality. Only in this way can our product quality continue to improve, and it is only by constantly enhancing quality and innovating that we can remain competitive in the market. Seventh, foster a cost awareness of quality (that is, an awareness of quality standards). Ensuring quality and pursuing profits are the eternal goals of enterprises. For a company to develop, it must pay attention to production costs. However, costs are closely related to quality; by ensuring high quality, it is possible to reduce the cost of products. If the quality of the products is poor and customers frequently return them or file complaints, then the costs will remain high, potentially pushing the company into a difficult situation. Many companies fail not because they lack customers or orders, but due to poor internal management and an inability to reduce costs, which prevents them from competing in the market; companies should take this as a lesson. However, stricter quality standards are not necessarily beneficial for companies. On the contrary, excessively raising product quality will lead to an excess of quality, which in turn increases production costs as well. Therefore, during production, we require that all processes and stages be carried out strictly in accordance with the customer’s standards, so as to minimize costs and enhance our competitive advantage in the market. Eighth, foster an education-oriented mindset toward quality. As times evolve, concepts of quality management are also constantly being updated. The successful enterprises of the 21st century will be those that are capable of continuous learning and growth; by strengthening internal training and enhancing the innovative capabilities of all employees, companies can thrive and keep advancing. Therefore, quality begins with education and ends with education. It has turned out that those successful companies are those that produce their products strictly in accordance with the principle that products must be manufactured properly. They pay close attention to every stage of the production process, ensuring that the quality at each stage is flawless; by linking each stage together in this manner, the products produced are of high quality and capable of standing up to the tests of the market. Details determine success or failure; attitude decides everything. Only by fostering a strong awareness of quality, striving for excellence in quality, and persistently pursuing perfection can we achieve high-quality results and elevate quality to a whole new level.