Just how important is Quality Control? You may think that “The Driving Force” is an overstatement, but consider that just one microscopic crack in a defective fan disk caused the unfortunate crash of United Airlines Flight 232 in 1989. Without Quality Control, there are no standards to adhere to, no certainty that products conform to requirements, and certainly no accountability.
Quality is defined by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) as the “degree to which a set of inherent characteristics fulfills requirements,” where requirements are defined as needs or expectations. In the words of Genichi Taguchi, quality is two-fold: 1) uniformity around a target value and 2) the loss a product imposes on society after it is shipped. To put it simply, quality is conformance to requirements and expectations; any non-conformance ends up costing society at some point, whether it is a monetary or economic cost, or the cost of energy and time spent correcting an error, or the cost due to harmful side effects.
Quality Control is a sub-category of quality—which also includes Quality Assurance, Quality Management, and Corrective and Preventive Actions—and is associated with the detection of defects, most commonly associated with testing within a quality management system. A typical quality control process emphasizes physical testing and inspection of products to uncover defects prior to shipment, and to take the necessary corrective actions.
Similarly, quality assurance attempts to monitor and improve the processes involved in quality. A highly proactive approach, quality assurance is a failure-prevention system attempting to eliminate errors/inconsistencies in production before they occur. Quality Assurance focuses on two important principles: 1) Fit for Purpose and 2) Right First Time. Fit for Purpose, introduced by the late Joseph Juran, deals with conformance to the purpose/use defined by the customer. Right First Time focuses on the proactive elimination of errors/inconsistencies that lead to defects.
Quality Assurance defines the standards to be followed in order to meet the customer requirements whereas Quality Control ensures that these defined standards are followed at every step. Despite the differences between Assurance and Control, the two terms are often used interchangeably. Regardless, whatever you decide to call them, their importance cannot be diminished or undermined. Together, Quality Control and Quality Assurance attempt to deliver a defect-free, quality product or service to customers.
At Nema Enclosures, we take quality very seriously. With an entire Quality Control Department dedicated to inspecting every single enclosure at multiple stages during production, you can rest assured knowing that your enclosure will be delivered exactly as ordered. Our Quality Control Department thoroughly inspects each job packet four (4) times PRIOR to a piece of sheet metal ever being cut! The Quality Control Department also inspects five (5) times during fabrication of your enclosures. Our Quality Assurance Manager works diligently to assure any errors or inconsistencies are reduced or eliminated prior to production, while our Quality Control Manager works non-stop to ensure any errors are caught and corrected as soon as possible.
Why do we value quality so much? Because we exist to serve our customers; they come first, and the quality of their orders is of the highest magnitude here at Nema Enclosures.
You won’t find dedication to quality like this anywhere else. At Nema Enclosures, we take pride in our enclosures, and we are constantly looking for ways to improve not only our quality, but our efficiency and lead times as well. Nema Enclosures, the Standard for Custom Enclosures.
Contact us to place your order today.
