Our latest video discusses a topic increasing in relevancy. Responsible Sourcing is also a topic we’ll be discussing next week at ASQ’s annual World Conference on Quality & Improvement. Visit us in Booth 607, or attend one or both of our sessions on Monday, May 1st. 3pm – 4pm M26: Managing Supplier Social Responsibility: On-Site Audits 5:30pm – 6:45pm AF04: Incorporating SR Into Daily Life
Wichita’s NPR station recently focused an OnWords piece related to quality. Consider the following: “You can usually tell that an organization has stopped caring about quality when it becomes the only thing they talk about.” As quality professionals, we revel in the fact that organizations might be talking too much about quality. In that scenario, we have won and finally impressed the message that quality is indeed everyone’s responsibility. And, is there really such a thing as too much data? Of course we know there is, but most quality engineers are going to revert to Deming: “In god we trust, …
Some of our inquiries at Pro QC come from organizations reaching out for reactive assistance that addresses current, significant quality issues. Once the immediate issue is addressed, ongoing quality efforts lose their luster until the next debacle. It can be a viscous cycle in which clients are faced with difficult decisions regarding accountability to stakeholders. Reactive solutions are also often more costly. But, quality is a journey. It’s a journey. Here are a few lessons learned as an organization offering over three decades of experience in the industry: A successful journey starts and ends with the right leadership. The organization’s leadership …
The International Journal of Information, Business and Management recently reported on the garment industry and the impact on quality in the current environment. Garment factories in Bangladesh have been the site of rights abuses and fatal accidents. The industry also faces its share of traditional business challenges, including mounting international competition and a lack of formal quality management systems, researcher Hasanuzzaman writes. Common challenges to adopting quality management systems – such as Six Sigma – include a lack of financial resources, infrastructure, and education, according to the author’s interviews with factory managers. Those who had implemented quality management, however, reported better customer …
A recent article posted to Supply Chain Digital “raises the point that all companies need to see evidence of suppliers’ own manufacturing and sourcing practices, particularly in health and safety, quality assurance and ethics.” Due to the risks involved, retailers, associations and others are increasingly refining supplier requirements. Organizations wanting to sell products to these companies must ensure their suppliers meet code of conduct or other specific standards. Walmart is certainly one of the largest companies that comes to mind here and has changed the landscape of supplier compliance in many ways. When qualifying suppliers to Walmart sourcing standards, audits …
