The Importance of Quality Control in Manufacturing
Updated: Nov 17
Quality Control is one of the most vital factors to maintaining a healthy business, and it is important for manufacturers to always be on their toes when it comes to producing high-quality products.
When companies depend solely on customer satisfaction surveys, they are not able to detect problems that may arise that will need immediate attention. Manufacturing with quality control allows the company to monitor production that ensures customers receive products that are fully functional and comply with regulatory standards.
What is Quality Control and Why is it Important for Manufacturers
Manufacturing Quality Control is the assurance that all manufactured components comply with all applicable regulatory standards. It also means ensuring the safety of consumers who purchase these products. This is achieved by monitoring production activities to detect any irregularities.
Quality control differs from quality assurance in that quality assurance reviews completed events after they are finished, while quality control reviews are used to set up preventive measures for this. Quality control also reviews the process of manufacturing, where quality assurance reviews the end product. The quality assurance does not affect the production process, but it will only check the end product.
Manufacturing companies need to ensure their products are of high-quality so they do not suffer any consequences. Setting up preventive action allows for problems to be detected early on, which prevents them from escalating into something that will require more attention and time.
Companies that do not implement quality control on their manufacturing processes face consequences such as customers receiving non-functional or defective products. Customers will also be dissatisfied with these products because they could fail shortly after being purchased. Without quality control, companies may also have to deal with increased costs and repairs.
Companies that implement quality control enjoy benefits such as customers receiving high-quality products because checks ensure that these products adhere to standards and regulations. Furthermore, customers will be satisfied with these products and will return to buy more of the same. By implementing quality control, companies also experience lowered costs and fewer repairs because there are few issues with production.
What is Quality Control Management?
Quality control management encompasses the entire production process from generation of raw materials to final product. It involves inspecting all processes while they are taking place and monitoring any data that may be collected throughout the manufacturing process.
There are two key factors in quality control management:
Preventive action – This is used to ensure that any problems that may arise early on will be able to be caught and resolved. It includes setting up testing procedures as well as validating new components before they can be put into use
Reactive action – This occurs when the company is not able to detect issues during the production process. When this happens, it is essential for them to have an efficient system in place that ensures any problems are resolved as quickly as possible
When companies do not set up corrective actions following reactive action, this results in loss of sales, damage to the brand name, and even lawsuits. All of these factors can create heavy costs for the company and affect them financially.
What are the Main methods of Manufacturing Quality Control?
When it comes to quality control, there are many different methods that can be used for ensuring that products are of high-quality. One such method is line monitoring. When quality control is monitoring the production lines, they ensure that components and materials are of high quality and comply with standards. If there are any issues or problems with these items, the monitoring will not allow them to move on and be placed in the product.
Another method is testing. This allows companies to check if products meet standards before they go into production. It also ensures that when inspections take place at the end of productions, there will already be data to look at so they will know the degree of problem the company needs to work on solving in order to avoid future issues.
The testing process will also help the company detect flaws early on, which means less problems will be caused. Testing is important because it allows companies to create accurate reports about the processes that are taking place. It helps them see where any problems may be stemming from, which makes it easier for them to fix these issues before they escalate.
When quality control utilizes both line monitoring and testing, this provides the company with a comprehensive way of ensuring products are high-quality. These methods allow for an efficient quality control management system that prevents issues before they happen, resulting in lower costs overall for the production process.
When companies depend solely on customer satisfaction surveys, they are not able to detect problems that may arise which will need immediate attention. Manufacturing with quality control allows the company to monitor production and ensure customers receive products that are fully functional and comply with regulatory standards.
Quality Control in the Global Supply Chain
Watching the global supply chain and production is one way of ensuring that there is quality control. This can be done through “auditing of production processes, such as auditing of raw materials, semi-finished goods, and finished goods. If there are any irregularities in the process or if an item fails to comply with regulatory standards, it will be discovered during the audit. When audits are conducted regularly, it becomes easier to identify these issues before they become an even bigger issue and affect customer satisfaction.
Quality Control becomes even more important when having global supply chains. Majority of the time, items are manufactured in one country for consumption by another country’s consumers. Therefore, there are many middle men along this path from manufacturer to consumer which makes it difficult to control each individual process while maintaining quality control standards.
Manufacturers cannot rely on customer satisfaction surveys because they do not possess knowledge of the entire manufacturing process.
This is why global supply chains need to maintain strict quality control measures throughout the entirety of their production to ensure that consumers receive items that are both safe and functional.
Although there are certain challenges with having global supply chains, it does not mean that companies cannot maintain proper Quality Control Standards along the way. Having regular audits and inspections as well as screening products before they reach their final destination is one way businesses can control their processes while ensuring customers receive products without any defects.
When it comes to Quality Control, what is most important for manufacturers? The short answer is quality control management.
In order to maintain this high-quality standard of manufacturing, there needs to be systems put into place which will provide comprehensive monitoring throughout all stages of production as well as testing before the product reaches its final destination. When companies depend solely on customer satisfaction surveys or inspections at the end of productions, there may not always be enough information available about how your business could improve upon these issues.
With ever complex global supply chains, there are many opportunities for defects to happen. By working with experienced teams and partners that have proper quality control measures at every step along the way, and the know-how to implement different strategies or techniques, manufacturers can ensure that ultimately their customers, at the end of the chain, are never disappointed.