The Impact Of Quality In Manufacturing

This article was written by Mary Nderi, EHS/QA/Business Improvement Manager

When you think you think of quality, what is the first thing that comes to mind?

The concept of quality accommodates a range of perspectives. Over the years, various conceptual definitions of quality have reflected the evolution and trends marking the history and development of quality management. The current and widely accepted understanding of the concept of quality focuses on customer-centric notions, where meeting or preferably exceeding customer needs and expectations defines quality.

In our industry, quality is key, quality is paramount, quality is what keeps the oily wheels moving. Quality is the promise to produce the best standards and offer the best practice and service.

Quality in manufacturing is a reflection of the overall process of quality control. The pursuit of quality has to be everyone’s responsibility at each stage of the manufacturing process. Not only do quality products help maintain the integrity of the business, but there are legal and financial ramifications when defective products are released to the public. The responsibility of quality control for manufacturing is to ensure all products are free from defects, the process reduces waste, and the product meets the customer’s expectations before it leaves the manufacturing facility. This requires testing and assessment throughout the manufacturing process as well as systems of compliance.

A successful manufacturing company is usually indicative of a successful manufacturing supply chain. By identifying the quality management practices that are considered important to each level in a supply chain, one level of a supply chain can better communicate and understand another level.

Quality in manufacturing doesn’t have to mean higher costs – in fact, often means lower recall and warranty costs as a culture of quality takes hold.

More often than not in the manufacturing scene, quality is compromised as the sector continues to battle a never ending war with the entry and proliferation of sub-standard imported goods and counterfeit products in the market. The market is flooded with counterfeit products which are cheaper than the market pricing and thus bringing about unfair competition that is detrimental to the local manufacturers who uphold mandatory standards as stipulated by the government authorities.

The cost of this weighs heavy on the customer as the unscrupulous sellers are in for business and most, if not all of them never give warranty for the products. For the customer, it may seem like saving up on costs but what they don’t know in the moment is that it is costlier to deal with the ramification of the compromise.

MRM prides itself in a very strong legacy and heritage that spans over 60 years. This is evident in the growth of our basket of products, investment in state of the art production facilities, expansion of our distribution network and retention of talent in the company. Our goal remains to sustain and continue to grow our market share by providing our customers with quality products underpinned by good customer experience.

As an authority and leader in the market, it remains our sole responsibility to continually create awareness to our customers on the benefits of investing in compliant building solutions and shunning sub standards.