Hank Kolb: Director of Quality Assurance

Hank Kolb, Director of Quality Assurance

As the newly hired director of quality, the first step in identifying the quality issues within the plant is to understand the basic root of the problem. The general manager, Morganthal, has already mentioned the overall lack of attitude toward quality and the on-going problems within production. In order to identify the root cause of the problems plaguing the quality department, an assessment of the appropriate departments would be necessary. The following is the results of those meetings.

Personnel

Newly hired employees or employees who are transferred to other production departments are not properly trained. On the job training is provided by the front-line supervisor during the run operation. Any defects or rejected material was not disclosed to the operator during the shift.

Plant Maintenance

The equipment used for the Greasex was not originally designed for this type of lower viscosity. Special filling heads were created in order to run the product on the machine. The last six months the maintenance department has completed 12 work orders for repairs and adjustments to the machine. No preventive maintenance has been scheduled for this machine though it has been down 15% of its actual run time.

Purchasing

The plastic nozzle head used for the production of the Greasex is a custom part that is a rush order to the vendor. The quality of the part is not meeting the production criteria because of the slight burrs along the rim which causes a problem with fitting the top to the cans. The purchasing agent was going to address this with the sales representative during his next visit.

Product Design and Packaging

The design of the can is special for the Greasex product. The marketing research designed the can with a contoured shape setting it as distinguishable against the competitors' product. This was a significant difference from the competition and considered an important marketing strategy. The can design has not been tested for production in the filling speed or the effect the shape would have under high-pressure. The thought that the shape was creating a venturi when filled was viewed by packaging as highly unlikely.

Manufacturing Manager

The manufacturing manager was under pressure for cost improvements and reduced delivery times. He viewed the front-line supervisor, Simmons, of "being the best foremen" on the floor because he gets production out. Simmons was up for a promotion to shift supervisor because he always met or exceed his production quota. The issue of venting the cans through rework would take too much time and Simmons could do it by hand faster.

Marketing

The Greasex