Review of the Current Situation
It is prudent to note that the significance of the concept of quality management in reduction of waste, improvement of customer satisfaction and in the production of better quality products makes it an indispensable part of different manufacturing company. The EMC is currently facing problems relating to the production of quality plastic-Brack. This problem is there because of lack of quality department which should be responsible for ensuring that the procedures and techniques used in production is taken into consideration. EMC has not had a quality manager or quality department. However one has just been hired to develop a Quality Department in order to ensure that customers are satisfied.
Despite the fact that the available process operators are taking the issue of quality seriously by ensuring that the specific tools together with the place of work is properly set, they don’t always follow the quality techniques required in the production. There are certain fundamental things done during the production process which hinder the production of quality goods. For instance, some seem to scrap bad plastics during the process of assembling hence interfering with the quality of goods produced. It has been noticed that many 10 cu. Ft tubes do accumulate inside the plasti- Brack assembly. However, nobody is always concerned because such plasti-Brack are considered to be of very low cost and also it can be re-processed. Such scraps are then mixed by the virgin raw materials in the ratio of 1: 9.
MATERIAL HANDLING DATA:PIECES PER 10 CU. FT. TUB
Averagely, Excellent Manufacturing Company has very few customer issues. They have recorded situations where customers return back goods already sold. For instance, last year they had approximately fifty six complaints. However, they are gradually improving because this year they had 49 complaints during the first four months.
This report aims at addressing some quality problems which are currently facing EMC. The report will also provide some solution to the problem identified. This report was assigned to the author in order to determine some of the ways through which the organization can improve quality management so as to eliminate customer complaints as well as reduce the production of defective products which are always returned by the customers.
Goals and Objectives
The fundamental goals of this report are:
On the other hand, the objectives of this report are to:
Actions/Plans
Utilization of the six-sigma quality management program
The company currently is facing quality complaints from the customers. Some of the good bought are being returned. I therefore advice the manager to make use of the six-sigma program in the company. This is because it helps to improve the quality of products which in turn increases customer satisfaction. The six sigma employs the concept of lean management and also stresses on the manufacture of goods and services which fully satisfies the customer’s requirements. The six sigma is able to define, analyze, improve and control some of the key aspects. In addition, it is capable of finding out the causes and the likely effects of the problem. In case it detects a problem, the control measures are put in place which helps to correct the problem. The control measures help to monitor the various processes involved in the production of goods hence enduring that high quality products are produced so as to satisfy the customers. iSixSigma. (2009).
Quality Improvement Plan
The quality manager hired should be responsible for implementing the quality improvements plan. Implementation should also be done from top to down commitment from the corporate leaders by ensuring that what has been proposed is fully implemented to ensure quality products are produced. The manager should introduce education to the employees so as to train them how to make use of the available quality managements programs within the organization and also ensure that there is effective communication by the various departments involved in the production. The quality improvement plans within the organization will go through the following stages.
Stage 1
Define the actual process. This will be the first stage in the quality improvement plan. Definition of the actual processes provides a good ground necessary for enhancing the processes involved in manufacturing. This stage entails giving names to each process to be involved in production as well as stating the role to be played by that process. In this stage, the customers and the suppliers who are likely to be affected by the process is important to identify.
Stage 2
Identification of the areas that call for improvements. Here the personnel involved identify the various areas and products that need improvements. Some of the areas may entails: plastic Brack assembly plating finishing and sharp edges on Plasti-Brick products.
Stage 3
This state entails the identification of the possible solutions that can be used so as to solve the identified problems.
Stage 4
In this stage, I identification of a detailed solution to each problem spotted is done . For instance, the budget required in order to improve the quality, the personnel required time needed among other things.
Stage 5
At this stage, everyone involved in the production is requested to implement the action plans in order to achieve the required standards which satisfies the customer requirements.
Stage 6
At this stage, the results obtained are compared with the ones which were expected and then the manager finds out if the process was good and whether all the problems obtained have been fixed or corrected.
Stage 7
At this stage, the process is repeated right from stage one to six severally until the desired results are achieved.
Explanation/Justification
The above outlined plan is justifiable because it will help to improve the quality of the plasti-Brack products in EMC Company. This is simply because it takes into consideration most of the organization features of EMC. The plan is also justifiable because it points out the role of the process. It therefore reflects the nature, purpose and aspiration of the EMC Company. If the plan is fully implemented, then the customer complaints can drastically be reduced to zero.
The plan is also justifiable because it is flexible and therefore makes use of the existing strength in the organization. The company has able operators who are capable of producing quality products to the customers. This can easily helps in the reduction of customer complaints and satisfies the product specifications of various customers. The plan therefore fits well into the company’s structure.
Conclusion
In the current competitive and global market, quality improvement in the manufacturing sector is inevitable. Therefore, it is necessary that the company adopts the application of the total quality management TQM. This is because TQM stresses on customer satisfaction by emphasizing on the production of quality products which satisfies the requirements of various customers. It is crucial that the company put in place quality assurance department which ensures that quality products are produced as well as minimize on wastage. However, this requires Effective Corporation from the company members and also the development of a good plan for the company.
References
Coryea, L., Cordy, C, E. & Coryea, l. R. (2006) Champion's Practical Six Sigma Summary. New Orleans: Xlibris Corporation.
Christopher, W. F. and Thor, C.G. (2000). World-Class Quality & Productivity. Financial
World Publishing Canterbury, Kent: United Kingdom.
iSixSigma. (2009). New To Six Sigma? Retrieved from http://www.isixsigma.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=201&Itemid=27.
Nancy R. Tague, N.R. (2004), Excerpted from The Quality Toolbox, Second Edition, ASQ Quality Press, Retrieved from http://asq.org/learn-about-quality/data-collection-analysis-tools/overview/control-chart.html.
Quality, Part 1:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5JgaMIIEAGQQuality, Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIcV5Q3YyO8.
