We all know there are many distractions to perfection. Not only are we expected to ship a perfect product, we have the added pressure to continuously reduce cost. This is a fact of life and what keeps us competitive. Reducing costs, however, should never come at the price of Quality.

How do you reduce cost and not tarnish Quality? You must partner with suppliers that share your same commitment to quality or else all the effort you put forth into manufacturing a quality product goes out the window. You don’t want to find yourself anxiously awaiting the receipt of a part only to find that when it finally arrives, it doesn’t meet the specifications sending you into panic mode and a costly financial and/or reputational challenge. We understand that customers don’t care to hear excuses about poor quality or late delivery. They want what they want, when they want it! So sweat the details and get things right the first time!

Details, details, details. You must continually question “WHY”. Do not jump to the easy or the obvious as the solution. Most times that is only a symptom and not the real reason “why” or “root cause”. You might improve your process short term but you might not permanently correct a problem. Many times the solution is obtained by diving deeper into the details and asking “WHY” over and over. It has been shown that by the time you ask your 5TH “WHY” you are at the real cause and have a clear understanding of the details.

So get it right the first time and keep it right. Every company should Sweat the Details while setting a goal to literally WOW their customer with a positive experience. Work to create an experience that delights the customer far beyond their normal expectations. The “out-of-box experience” is as important – or more important – than the product itself.

Good luck and have a Quality Day.

Richard Schulman,
Vice President Quality