Page 21 - Industrial Technology EXTRA 28th September 2020

as required and ensure stable
stock levels? Can they provide
ISIR, FAIRs or PPAP documents as
required?

Quality control
With quality assurance being a
proactive approach to quality,
quality control is reactive. Quality
Control is where manufacturers
evaluate products from the
production supply chain before
acceptance; these tests can be
visual checks against gold-
standard product or by the completion of detailed springs before releasing them to production. Similar
records verifying product against tests can be used to establish the properties of all
drawings/specifications. However, quality control stock, from highly accurate digital measuring to the
can only reduce risk to a certain extent. If a material hardness of any given product.
manufacturer often receives late parts or finds On-site testing equipment enables
themselves rejecting many parts, it might be time to manufacturers to verify that critical characteristics
think about changing the approach to inventory such as hardness, smoothness and maximum load
management, for example by changing supplier or capacity are met before acceptance of their
turning to VMI. inventory. Businesses who pair quality assurance
VMI suppliers help manufacturers manage and quality control operate more efficient and
quality control through on-site surveys and ongoing valuable production lines.
reviews, ensuring a full understanding of the Manufacturers may not have all the necessary
manufacturer’s needs, both in regards to testing equipment and will often require lengthy
specifications and quantity. Any small variation verification of their inventory by the use of third
outside of agreed specification or quantity, whether parties, a process that can take months. Because
caused externally or internally, could lead TFC has a dedicated testing centre in Heathfield,
automated systems that rely on stable supplies to where it verifies all agreed quality specifications
malfunction. Ensuring quality standards are upon the parts it supplies to VMI customers,
recognised, controlled and met, is therefore not only manufacturers do not have to worry about in-house
a matter of competitiveness, but a means to reduce quality checking when components arrive on their
downtime and unnecessary costs. line.
This verification allows not only a reduction in
Specialised equipment waiting times that could halt a business’
In-house experts can enhance quality management manufacturing process, but will ensure cost savings
systems with specialised equipment for testing. For and reduce downtimes and improve the efficiency of
example, compression testing enables engineers to the manufacturing process.
determine the load and deflection characteristics of www.tfc.eu.com

September 2020 • INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY EXTRA • p21