A quarter of a century ago, the quality management process was to find ways to meet the requirements of product consumers. But scientific and technological progress forced manufacturers to reconsider the existing approach. They began to focus not on the desires of even the most advanced consumers, but on their own forecast of changes in these desires. Much has changed over the years, but quality management is still one of the most important tasks for every enterprise.
Many manufacturers today opt for so-called leading quality. That is what Japanese products are famous for. Unlike the Americans, who always tried to quickly respond to changes
in market conditions, the Japanese believed that the manufacturer himself knew better what could be improved in his own products. It is interesting that the Soviet defense industry, creating new models of military equipment, was guided by the principle of anticipating the requests of potential consumers. I judged the Japanese and Americans, as is usually the case, history, and today the
principles of quality
management have changed significantly. Now it is believed that the products should be designed taking into account all possible improvements that the manufacturer can make at this stage.
Nowadays, quality management is not only the identification of possible defects, but also their complete elimination even at the stage of production. Of course, defect-free production is an unattainable goal, but you still need to strive for it. Quality management is, by today's standards, first of all self-control. Workers should only hand over consignments of goods that they consider suitable. If defects are found after inspection, the entire batch will be returned to production. Using this principle of manufacturing products significantly reduces the number of marriages due to the interest of workers in the product of their own labor.
Quality management is a process that is difficult to imagine without preliminary calculations and calculations. Statistical methods allow you to figure out how often you need to make certain adjustments to the technological process of production. This allows you to significantly save money without compromising quality. Also competent quality management is an orientation not on the lowest, but on the most competitive price on the materials necessary for production. You can save money by establishing long-term partnerships with a small number of suppliers whose products fully comply with all requirements.
It should be noted that most manufacturers today believe that it is not necessary to strive for the highest possible quality from a technical point of view, but the optimal one, which will significantly reduce production costs. Therefore, you first need to analyze the conditions of activity, and then move on to reforming the entire production system.