Quality assurance is the process of testing or measuring products/services to verify that they meet the expected quality standards. These procedures enable manufacturers to identify and correct any defects or issues.
Engineering Specialties, Inc. (ESI) optimizes our manufacturing and quality assurance processes to maximize output, speed, and quality. We continually improve our products, services, and quality management system to meet or exceed all our clients’ requirements. Learn more about the key features of quality assurance processes, how they differ by industry, and why they are important.
Key Components of Quality Assurance
Essential elements in any quality assurance process include the following:
- Planning: Prior to manufacturing a component ESI utilizes cross-functional team planning to discuss all the dimensional features of the part. Tooling is designed to meet dimensional requirements while minimizing maintenance and maximizing production up time.
- Testing: This involves measuring and evaluating a product or service for functionality, performance, or other characteristics.
- Inspection: This is the process of assessing the characteristics of a product or service and comparing them with the standard requirements. ESI utilizes functional gages to be able to ensure key characteristics are maintained at the machine and any deviations from nominal are detected immediately.
- Corrective action: If any issue is detected, corrective action must be taken to determine the cause and find a solution to prevent future occurrences.
- Documentation and records: Maintaining documentation and records helps manufacturers with accountability and traceability.
- Statistical Process Control (SPC): SPC uses statistical techniques to monitor a production method or process and control its output so that quality stays within predetermined limits.
- Continuous improvement: This process involves analyzing data and making incremental improvements to processes, systems, products, and services.
- Training and education: Proper training gives employees the required skills to improve their job performance and meet quality standards.
Why Is Quality Assurance Important?
Different industries have different quality assurance processes to verify that products and services meet predetermined standards. These processes benefit businesses in the following ways:
- Customer satisfaction: Manufacturers can provide products and services that meet customer expectations. High-quality products increase customer loyalty and boost customer satisfaction.
- Risk reduction: Quality assurance processes such as planning, regular tests and inspections help production processes run smoothly and efficiently. Manufacturers can identify potential risks and address them early to prevent critical failures.
- Enhanced efficiency: Quality assurance helps optimize production processes and identify areas that need improvement. Thus, manufacturers can streamline their operations and increase production output.
- Continuous improvement: With quality assurance in place, manufacturers continually improve their products and services to even higher quality standards, which gives them a competitive edge in the market.
- Defect prevention: Manufacturers can identify and resolve production or service delivery issues early in the process. This helps prevent defects and prevents non-conformances from reaching the customer.
- Cost reduction: Quality assurance processes enable manufacturers to decrease overall production costs, reduce waste, and increase efficiency.
- Regulatory compliance: Quality assurance in manufacturing checks that products or services meet regulatory requirements and industry standards. Manufacturers can avoid penalties and legal issues while providing their customers with high-quality products.
- Brand reputation: Businesses that consistently deliver high-quality products and services make a name for themselves as reliable brands. They attract a large customer base and compete globally because of this reputation.
Quality Assurance From ESI
Engineering Specialties, Inc. is a leading provider of precision metal stamping services and engineered components. We have Six Sigma Black Belt trained quality assurance personnel, the latest fully calibrated inspection equipment, and SPC and Gage R&R Software to guarantee high-quality products and services to our customers.
All our finished goods are bar-coded, and our capabilities extend to lean manufacturing techniques and manufacturing capabilities in low-cost countries. We are IATF 16949:2016 certified and provide all PPAP documentation as required. Request a quote for your project today.
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