Why Quality is Key to Success in Machining
Simply put: quality is key to success in machining. From both the supplier and customer perspectives, production inconsistencies and poor quality can result in various negative outcomes such as slower time to market, tainted reputation, strained supplier-OEM relationship – and worst of all, customer loss or harm. Companies that supply machined parts and products simply cannot afford to cut corners when it comes to quality, especially when serving high-reliability industries such as the aerospace or energy sectors.
OEMs need a trusted machining partner with a reliable and dependable process that yields consistent results – and unfortunately, not all machine shops produce high-quality products. Quality control and quality assurance are areas where suppliers, like ABS, stand out from the competition.
A supplier’s quality program is more than just meeting the requisite ISO requirements – it represents their proven way to ensure consistent, high-quality parts. Consistent quality is hard work and requires rigorous, on-going monitoring of every process from purchasing to manufacturing to distribution. But the effort and focus on quality is well worth the reward. Below are the main reasons why quality is key to success in machining.
- Garner customer loyalty: a machine shop that has a high level of production quality and repeatability is able to deliver consistent products to customers – becoming a trusted partner. When your products meet or exceed customer expectations, you get repeat business. Customer loyalty and a long-term partnership benefits both the supplier and the customer. The customer gains reliability within their supply chain; the supplier receives a steady influx of projects and referrals and gains a more positive brand reputation – and a lower cost of customer acquisition which directly impacts the bottom line and provides a competitive advantage.
- Reduce risks: the economic and reputational cost of product recalls or failures is often really high. Manufacturers with robust and established quality programs are less likely to have quality incidents such as recalls or part failures – reducing the level of risk for the supplier and OEM. One of the benefits of strong quality procedures is that potential errors or issues are identified in advance, enabling the team to address the problem and prevent the quality issue from occurring in the first place.
- Minimize waste generation: one of the biggest costs associated with poor quality is the volume of waste generation. Waste is very costly in a number of ways. There is, of course, the economic cost of labor and materials to repair or refabricate a defective part. Additionally, a product that does not meet specifications may cause the customer to walk away, costing the supplier future business opportunities and tainting the supplier’s reputation. A solid quality program minimizes waste generation, saving the time and money involved with salvaging defective products.
- Gain production efficiency: a robust quality control and quality assurance program improves workflow, resulting in efficiency gains along the production line as well as across the entire supply chain. Quality programs usually track a large volume of data – often real-time – to trend key metrics and enable operations personnel to make decisions based on accurate and timely information. With this data, potential quality issues along the production line are identified and resolved promptly. These adjustments and improvements result in optimized operations and consistent quality – saving significant time and expenses for the supplier that is then shared with the OEM.
ABS’ Commitment to Quality
Quality is the key driver for ABS and is an integral part of every process we undertake. As an ISO9001:2015 registered company, our quality policies are constantly upgraded to meet and exceed our customers’ expectations. Our quality team works hand in hand with our manufacturing and engineering teams and is comprised of professionals from several disciplines including:
- Professional Mechanical Engineers
- Yellow Belts (sigma)
- CMM Programmers and Inspector’s
- Professional Material Engineers
- Black Belts (sigma)
- Gauge and Tooling Specialists
Our commitment to quality and maintaining unparalleled facilities is evidenced by our renowned continuous capital reinvestment initiatives, and our use of advanced technologies. From the inception of all programs, ABS quality professionals work closely with each customer to ensure all their unique requirements are met or exceeded. It is this commitment that has positioned ABS as a strategic supplier to leading OEMs worldwide. ABS is proud to be recognized globally with decades of accolades, and continues to embrace customer quality requirements as a fundamental part of the business.
Contact us today to see how we can help with your machining project, or give us a call at 1-844-227-6224.
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