If you’re in manufacturing, no matter the industry, quality is top of mind. It must be, or you won’t be in business long. Yet, with all the focus, there are big misses all the time in companies large and small, which leads to an interesting question: If quality gets so much attention, why are recalls still increasing? Further, what can we do about it?
It starts with the increasing demands on today’s manufacturers. Complexity and customization to meet customer expectations has never been higher. Technology has never moved faster. People come and go. Bad product reviews can be posted on social media in seconds. If quality isn’t entrenched in every aspect of your process, the risk of failure can be great. And, with such high stakes, it isn’t enough to detect issues. Customers now expect “zero defects,” so preventing them before they happen is the goal.