Quality Blog

Find articles, case studies, videos and other insightful resources related to quality assurance, quality control, supply chain, and manufacturing.

To the quality gurus…

To the quality gurus…

Pro QC
At the recent ASQ conference, there was a Quality Guru Quiz available that matched up your responses to a series of questions with which guru you aligned best with.  There were several life size versions of these guys where you could capture the moment with a quick photo opportunity.  I took the quiz and aligned […]
Can jet lag be avoided?

Can jet lag be avoided?

Pro QC
Attracting the attention of Pro QC’s Managing Director, Ed Sanchez, was an article relating to avoiding jet lag.  As a frequent flyer visiting our offices in over thirty countries, it is understandable why!  Also, many of our clients are well aware of jet lag too, frequently visiting factories or operations abroad. Jet lag (AKA desynchronosis) is described as “extreme […]
Recap: ASQ’s World Conference on Quality & Improvement 2012

Recap: ASQ’s World Conference on Quality & Improvement 2012

Pro QC
As we wrap up the ASQ conference here in Anaheim, CA, I’m left with an empowering sense of passion for the quality community and their sincere commitment to spreading the word and making the world a better place.   As an ASQ Influential Voice, I was fortunate enough to help spread the word throughout the conference […]
Managing quality in long distance supply chains

Managing quality in long distance supply chains

Supply chain
Michael L. Hetzel, Pro QC’s VP/Americas, partnered with GlobalAutoIndustry earlier today to share some insight and recommendations regarding managing quality in long-distance supply chains. The seminar, which was hosted by GlobalAutoIndustry.com, touched on a wide range of quality challenges unique to those engaged in international procurement.  Michael reviews the cost issues and various considerations for selecting […]
Top 3 – Key factory audit components

Top 3 – Key factory audit components

Factory Audits
Performing factory audits to assist in supplier selection or throughout the production cycle is a primary contributor to a reduction in both sourcing risks and cost.  While specific standards often apply, such as the ISO series, factory audits do have several key components in common. 1) Management  Who is the management and what management style […]
How do we “sell” quality?

How do we “sell” quality?

Quality Control
ASQ recently introduced a topic on their blog regarding “selling” quality.  Paul Borawski, ASQ’s CEO, does a good job considering the hurdles faced when discussing quality buy-in from key decision-makers. Jennifer Stepniowski, Pro QC’s Special Project Manager, responded as an ASQ Influential Voice and raises a few successful suggestions, including walking the walk, focusing on […]
Classifying defects… Is it major, minor or critical?

Classifying defects… Is it major, minor or critical?

Quality Control
One of the most common questions we receive regarding inspections is how defects are classified. The most important component of product quality is knowing your product.  And, that requires detailed product specifications that identify exactly how the item(s) should turn out.  Product specifications should also include defect details with classifications that later link to accept/reject […]
Top 5 – Quality Resources that Educate & Inspire

Top 5 – Quality Resources that Educate & Inspire

Quality Control
We’ve given some thought to quality resources we find particularly useful and that both educate and inspire…  Here are our top five: American Society for Quality > Quality Tools ASQ offers comprehensive content relating to various quality tools, conveniently organized by function.  You’ll find everything from histograms to stratification.  Regularly browsing through the tools is […]
Celebrating our engineers…

Celebrating our engineers…

Pro QC
Ralph J. Smith once noted that “engineering is the professional art of applying science to the optimum conversion of natural resources to the benefit of man.” This week is National Engineers Week, and we wanted to take an opportunity to thank all of our engineers for their commitment and dedication to both Pro QC and […]
Learn cause and effect diagrams and more…

Learn cause and effect diagrams and more…

Quality Control
We have found an excellent resource for videos explaining various quality tools.  One of our favorites relates to cause and effect diagrams, but we found the GoogleStorming video quite interesting as well.  There are several other videos relating to quality tools on the Dr. Eugene O’Loughlin YouTube page.  It’s worth checking out! An additional resource for […]