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.”

Quality is not simply a theoretical idea about how to cut costs and make better products and services. Quality is about anticipating the consequences of errors, carelessness, and inefficiency, and putting processes in place to ensure they don’t occur.

How do you support diverse teams across your manufacturing enterprise while still meeting overall company objectives? Your quality management software holds the key and can help you deliver a solid return on investment for stakeholders at all levels of your company.

In business it’s easy to become complacent. Manufacturers can fall prey to continually repeating the same mistakes, disrupting production and damaging profitability.

You diligently worked up the proposal. You were conservative in estimating material and labor, and you won the job. What could possibly go wrong? Twenty weeks later, a profit and loss report, dripping in red ink, lands on your desk, and your boss wants to see you in his office. Where did the profits go?