80% of quality issues stem from management, with only 20% originating from employees

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Product quality is created in the production process, not through inspection — Before Dr. William Deming, an American expert in quality management, put forward the concept that \"product quality is created in the production process, not through inspection,\" early quality management was limited to quality inspection, which could only ensure product quality after it had been manufactured. William Deming’s famous quote on quality states that product quality can be ensured only if every step in the production process is carried out strictly in accordance with the manufacturing procedures and work 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 checking after the fact, but rather on the manufacturing stage, that is, the production process. However, many companies, once quality problems arise, shift the responsibility to the quality department, believing that it is the duty of that department. This is because many companies hold the mistaken view that allowing a small number of defects or occasional imperfections is inevitable ； Quality is the responsibility of the quality control department ； Only focusing on product inspection; inspectors are responsible for dealing with defective items ； When something goes wrong, everyone thinks it’s the responsibility of the quality department. I think many friends who work in quality control have more or less had this feeling. Often, when writing reports, it is the Quality Department that handles the task alone, with the other departments basically not getting involved ； 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 status in the company; often, once they say a few truths, they’re forced to leave. 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, there was no prior testing or verification, and there is no accurate understanding of the variations in product quality ； The customer was 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 standard requirements, 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. Real cases of quality issues: Case 1: A certain auto parts manufacturer used ABS (750SQ) produced by a particular company. After using 3.4 tons of this material, it was found that the plastic components manufactured from it had black spots on their surfaces, resulting in defective products and significant losses. Case 2: A company produced white films for use in milk packaging, and all test results were satisfactory, so the products were released for sale. However, when the film manufacturer used these films, they found that the masterbatch had an unpleasant odor, and they subsequently filed a complaint. In the end, an order worth hundreds of tons was ruined just because of such a quality issue. Fortunately, the manufacturer did not produce those films; otherwise, the consequences would have been truly unimaginable. Case 3: The engineering masterbatches produced by a certain company suffered from poor color control, which resulted in color variations in the plastic parts manufactured using those masterbatches. As a consequence, customers stopped using the company’s plastic products. Case 4: Due to inadequate control of moisture levels in plastics, plastic manufacturers encountered various bubbles in the plastic during its use, which resulted in a large number of defective products. In the end, dozens of tons of plastic had to be returned, and the manufacturers were required to compensate for the resulting losses. Cases of plastic quality issues are common. If the quality department has to take the blame for all these situations, it’s truly unfair. The author believes that quality control is necessary at every stage of the quality management system, and it is clear that quality inspection departments or quality management teams cannot take on all of this responsibility; rather, it is people in the most appropriate positions who must carry out these controls. For example, it is easy to detect quality issues in the production process of certain products, but difficult to identify them during testing. In such cases, the production workers clearly have a better understanding of these quality issues than the quality inspectors. If the workers do not take proactive steps to control quality and rely solely on the inspectors to ensure quality, it will be hard to guarantee product quality fundamentally. How to achieve comprehensive control over product quality: The product’s quality is essentially determined at the design stage; thereafter, it depends on procurement, processing, manufacturing, packaging, and transportation to ensure good quality. By controlling these aspects properly, the product quality will naturally be maintained. Therefore, product quality is achieved during the design and production processes, and quality is ensured through process management. How to control product quality: First, it is essential to foster the awareness that quality is the lifeblood of a company. Everyone must understand that if a product’s quality is poor, it will have no market; without a market, the company loses its source of profit. Over time, this will lead to the collapse of the company, and as a result, employees will lose their jobs. Of course, for a company, even if the product market is performing well, it still needs to be prepared for potential challenges, strive to improve product quality, and build a better corporate reputation. 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, see yourself as a customer, consider yourself as the operator of the next processing step, and view yourself 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: “The quality of a product is determined by production and design, not by testing; things must be done right from the very beginning.” ”This is not just a slogan; it effectively reflects the preventive approach to product quality. If quality control does not start at the source, it will be very difficult to ensure product quality. Even if a large amount of manpower is allocated to inspections during production to ensure quality, the high number of defective or even wasted products that result from a lack of control at the source will lead to an **increase in the cost of the products**. Moreover, quality issues with some products may not be detected or corrected in later processing stages; this makes it even more important for us to get things right from the very beginning in order to prevent quality problems from occurring. Fourth, foster a procedural mindset regarding quality. Quality management involves the entire process and the whole company; the work carried out in various processes as well as among different departments within the company must be organized and efficient. All quality managers and operators are required to follow procedures strictly, as failing to do so increases the likelihood of errors, and the quality of the products cannot be guaranteed. 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 are under management’s control account for about 80%, whereas those that are under the operators’ control generally make up less than 20%. While managers improve their management skills, it is also essential to ensure that operators understand the following four points: operators need to know how to do things and why they need to do them ； The operator knows whether the products he produces meet the specified requirements ； The operator knows what the consequences will be if the products he produces do not meet the specifications ； The operator has the ability to handle abnormal situations properly. If all the above four conditions are met, and the necessary material resources such as equipment, tools, testing facilities, and materials are available in the production process, yet failures still occur, then 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 material conditions such as equipment, tools, testing facilities, and 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 pursuit of quality – there is no best quality, only better quality ； Quality improvement is a continuous and ongoing process of refinement, following 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: Execute the plan ； C—Inspection: Examine 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 keep improving, and it is only by continuously 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) to ensure quality; pursuing profits remains the eternal goal of enterprises. For a company to develop, it must pay attention to production costs. However, costs are closely related to quality; good quality allows for the reduction of product costs. 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 improving 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, fostering an education mindset focused on quality: as times evolve, concepts of quality management are also constantly being updated, and it is necessary to keep learning. The successful companies of the 21st century will be those that learn to grow as organizations; by strengthening internal training and enhancing the innovation capabilities of all employees, such companies will thrive and continue to evolve. Therefore, \"Quality begins with education and ends with education.\" ” It has turned out that those successful companies are those that strictly follow the principle that \"products are manufactured\" in their production processes. They pay close attention to every stage of product manufacturing, 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 withstanding the tests of the market. Details determine success or failure, and attitude determines everything. Only by fostering a strong sense of quality, striving for excellence in quality, and pursuing it with relentless dedication can we ensure that Tongdeli’s products maintain high standards. Only in this way can we raise the quality level to a new height, allowing Tongdeli to navigate through rough seas and move forward bravely, thus reaching greater heights and going further.