The importance of auditing should not be overlooked. As longtime Quality columnist Jim Smith writes, “It’s rare that managers, or even most quality auditors, discuss how closely tied the findings of manufacturing audits are to the long-term ability of their companies to compete in this highly competitive market.”
Smith goes on to write, “It’s not enough to focus on the manufacturing floor anymore. Quality auditing and the gathering of impartial data has to be the new force of change.”