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The quality department is a service department, a value-adding department, yet it is also a department in a relatively awkward position within the company. How can quality control be effective, and what tasks does the quality department need to carry out? Sharing a quality control summary by a quality director for everyone’s reference! In my humble opinion, only when all managers attach sufficient importance to quality and everyone is involved in ensuring it can products that satisfy customers be created. When product quality is not satisfactory, the quality department bears primary responsibility ； When product quality is relatively stable, it becomes like a vase that is not essential, which is why in some companies today the quality department remains an optional one. In some companies, the quality department is managed by other departments, while in others it is overseen by a single manager. Decisions regarding quality-related matters such as whether to ship products or not, whether to accept raw materials, or whether to stop production in case of defects during the manufacturing process are made simply by that manager giving an order or tapping on the table. Such a approach to quality control essentially amounts to no real control at all. So, what does effective quality control look like? The following are the main quality control measures I implemented as a Quality Manager in the company; I hope they will be helpful to everyone. 1. Upon taking on quality inspection duties, establish industry-recognized and accurate product specifications, as well as operating procedures for all measurement and testing equipment; in addition, develop inspection procedures for raw materials, manufacturing processes, semi-finished products, finished products, and products prior to shipment ； Several inspection procedures for special products. A Quality Department was established to identify the appropriate QC and QA personnel. Through on-the-job training and assessments, as well as briefings at morning meetings, these quality professionals are required to have a thorough understanding of the inspection specifications and standards so that they can make accurate judgments. Training and examinations are conducted every six months; only those who pass these can continue to hold their current positions. On-site assessments are carried out quarterly, and products that have passed QC verification are rechecked to determine the likelihood of errors in inspection or judgment. The results of these assessments are taken into account in the performance evaluation of the inspectors. The Quality Department has significant responsibilities, and it is essential to conduct job training and assessments. I require QC personnel to be able to conduct simple analysis and interpretation of quality results. Whenever a QC staff member reports defects to me, I ask them what they think caused those defects, and I engage in necessary discussions and analyses with them. 02 Enhance the awareness of process quality among all departments in the company. Conduct unannounced visits to various production stages in the workshops twice a day to observe the workflow of products currently being manufactured, with the aim of reducing errors and improving efficiency. Unreasonable workflows can lead to unstable quality, while conflicts between departments can hinder teamwork. If any unreasonable workflows are identified, it is necessary to discuss them promptly with management in order to correct those workflows. Observe the overall quality awareness of all employees, whether they assume their proper quality responsibilities, whether they work in accordance with established procedures, and what the quality of their work is. Upon identifying issues, communicate with management and department heads promptly to make improvements. Lead and assist various departments in establishing an effective performance evaluation system to enhance the quality awareness among all employees. 03 Actual application of people, machines, materials, methods, environment, and monitoring: (1) Production staff are monitored and verified by the administrative department and the workshops to ensure that they meet the skill requirements for their positions. Each employee undergoes onboarding training and must pass assessments; only after proving their competence can they start working. The Quality Department and the Technical Department have confirmed that for special processes, it is necessary to clearly specify the operations involved in such processes (such as melting, powder preparation, shaping, sintering, electroplating, etc.), as well as the professional knowledge and operational skills required of the operators and inspectors; only those who pass the relevant assessments are allowed to work with a certificate. The operators can strictly abide by the company’s regulations and follow the process documents accurately; currently, workshop supervisors and dedicated QC staff conduct inspections to ensure that employees carry out their tasks as required. Inspectors conduct inspections in accordance with the process procedures and inspection guidelines, and keep proper original inspection records. It is required that all inspection data be entered into electronic form by the end of each working day for each inspection step. (2) Equipment maintenance: There is a \"Equipment Management Method\" in place, which outlines clear regulations regarding the purchase, transfer, maintenance, upkeep, and inspection of equipment. The tracking of new device samples follows the mechanism for tracking new product samples. Once a quarter, the Quality Department takes the lead in checking whether all the provisions of the equipment management procedures are being effectively implemented. The items checked include whether equipment registers, maintenance and calibration plans, and maintenance records are in place (front-line operators are interviewed via random sampling to find out who performed maintenance or repairs on the equipment they operate and when), as well as to verify the existence of relevant records. (3) The main raw materials for production can only be supplied by approved qualified suppliers. Lead the annual audits of key raw material suppliers, including system audits and product audits of the suppliers. After consulting with the procurement department, it was decided that in addition to the standard details such as quantity, weight, unit price, and delivery date, all technical specifications (magnetic properties requirements, dimensions, appearance requirements) must also be specified in the purchase order. The procurement staff enter these technical specifications into electronic files for sharing, so that incoming materials can be verified to ensure they meet the requirements outlined in the purchase order. The subsequent process is responsible for overseeing the previous process; if no defects from the previous process are detected in this process, all defective products resulting from it will be the responsibility of this process, and they will be taken into account in the process performance evaluation. All products from each manufacturing process must be labeled with batch or serial numbers to facilitate tracking and tracing; it is necessary to regularly check whether the labels, tracking cards, etc. are filled out in accordance with the requirements. (4) For the identified critical processes, special processes, and general processes, quality control points are established separately for each type of process. Process specifications or operation manuals are posted for the main manufacturing steps; these process documents set out specific technical requirements regarding personnel, tooling, equipment, operating methods, production environment, and process parameters ； In addition to specifying the process parameters, the technical specifications for special processing procedures also provide detailed rules regarding the methods of controlling those parameters, the preparation of test samples, as well as equipment and environmental conditions. The control methods for important production process control charts help identify potential problematic factors. Currently, our company uses the x-R control chart for variable data and the defect rate P control chart for attribute data. (5) Environmental factors in the production environment, such as temperature, humidity, and light, meet the requirements specified in the production technical documents. For the special processes carried out by our company, the environmental requirements are governed by the relevant special operation procedures; products from ordinary processes do not have high requirements regarding temperature and humidity, and normal temperature and humidity levels are sufficient. The production environment is kept clean, with materials, tools, and fixtures arranged in an orderly manner; the requirements related to 5S are followed. Every week, the administrative department organizes relevant departments to conduct irregular inspections of the 5S implementation in various workshops and processes, and links the results of these inspections to the performance evaluations of the workshop and process supervisors. (6) Quality inspection and feedback: The inspection procedures established include requirements such as inspection items, item specifications, inspection methods, sampling plans, inspection frequency, and instruments. Inspections at each processing stage are carried out in accordance with the inspection procedures to verify the products and record the results. Each inspection station is required to submit daily, weekly, and monthly reports: the daily reports must be submitted by 8:30 the following day, the weekly reports by Monday morning of the following week, and the monthly reports by the 8th of the following month. Control defective products, closely monitor those that require repair or rework, and establish tracking forms for such items. Inspection site: The items to be inspected, those that pass inspection, those that require repair, and defective items are stored in boxes of different colors; color codes are used as visual indicators to ensure they are stored or separated separately. (White denotes items to be inspected, blue denotes qualified items, yellow denotes items requiring repair, and red denotes defective items.) All various quality inspection records, physicochemical analysis reports, control charts, etc., related to special processing procedures must be filed and kept organized, so as to be available for inspection at any time. Any abnormalities detected during daily operations must be reported to the Quality Department promptly, so that the cause of the defect can be identified. The relevant departments are then informed so that corrective actions can be taken immediately. In the case of minor quality issues for which the cause cannot be determined (with quality losses of less than 5,000 yuan), the relevant departments are notified by phone or email, or a meeting is held with their supervisors to identify the cause and take corrective action as soon as possible. For major quality incidents (such as batch rejections, quality losses exceeding 5,000 yuan, or systematic customer complaints related to defects), the production line is stopped, and the Quality Department organizes an emergency quality meeting. The outcomes of this meeting are recorded, and the resolutions reached are followed up on; the results are then reported to the general manager. Weekly and monthly reports classify, summarize, and analyze various quality defects. Through weekly and monthly meetings, the Quality Department discusses these major defect issues with management and department heads to determine appropriate actions; when necessary, process tests are conducted, and the results are incorporated into the standard operating procedures. 04 Standardization of the quality system: This involves overseeing the preparation and review of the company’s quality system documents. The three control measures mentioned above are integrated into the overall plan for improving the company’s quality system. Based on the established standards, investigations and analyses of process quality are carried out to identify any discrepancies between the current requirements in various processes and departments and those specified by the quality system. Improvement measures are then taken to ensure that what is written matches what is done, and that what is done is recorded accordingly. Through continuous improvement and iterative cycles, sustained enhancement of the entire quality system is achieved. Responsible for the annual third-party external audits and second-party customer audits of the system, leading internal audits and management reviews, and incorporating the non-conformities identified in these three types of audits into the continuous improvement of the quality system. 05 Customer Service is responsible for handling customer complaints and grievances, responding to customers within 24 hours, and negotiating with them regarding disputed quality issues through methods such as phone calls, email exchanges, and in-person visits, in order to reach a mutual agreement. Quality is the lifeblood of a product and the key to a company’s competitiveness; therefore, every employee responsible for quality control must understand their responsibilities and value, and certainly should not abuse the powers at their disposal. They need to fulfill their duties properly – what do you think?