Management of production quality in international corporations

Practical training33Through this partnership with paint supplier ChemFil, paint process were developed to ensure that a “quality product that meets customer’s needs translates into financial success,” according to an insider press release obtained from the Ford Media Room. TQM was forefront in their painting design as the process of preparation (based on customer quality standards) was implemented by ChemFil with Ford management and workers informed of all steps needed to follow the application of paint to a quality outcome.Gone were the days of guessing, and TQM meant processes at all levels of production were strictly followed, constantly developed upon, and improved mostly through customer quality satisfaction surveys.In 1999, Terry Chenault joined Ford, a risk management specialist who along with Phong Vu, helped to further the TQM methodology through a Consumer Driven Six Sigma Process. Says Dan Dobbs today of TQM and Ford, “It may have been newsworthy in the 1980s but Ford Motor Company Total Quality Management practices really began with Henry Ford.”That’s true if you look at Toyota’s 5S Best Practices in the production of their vehicles, a methodology decided upon after visiting Henry Ford’s assembly lines. While TQM at the Ford assembly lines looked good to Toyota, they found too much waste and went on to develop their own quality process or 5S.According to Dan Dobbs, the Six Sigma Master Black Belt who runs Six Sigma practices at Ford, Waste and lack of quality on many levels. This is true especially when you look at the far superior Ford Warranty claim system. As of 2008, the warranty repair rate for Ford by utilizing Six Sigma decreased by 60%.Ford Chief Engineer Art Hyde takes the now implemented Six Sigma a step further saying, «The design and engineering analysis process makes it possible for problems, that previously may not have surfaced until (product) launch, to be caught and corrected ...