Total quality management is a hotly debated topic these days. When it comes to manufacturing, quality has to be present in every facet of the operation. You can’t leave anything to chance due to the sheer amount of money involved. Manufacturing is a costly business where errors can pile up and slow down the entire operation. So, how do we make sure that our manufacturing processes are running smoothly?
Believe it or not, calibration becomes one of the best ways to ensure quality. But when you step back and think about it from a different perspective, it is clear what benefits smart calibration brings to an organization.
Calibration programs are a matter of extreme precision. In some organizations, the different of a millionth of a meter can bring growth or even severe loss. There is a strong pressure to get younger professionals up to speed, as aging professionals begin to return.
Bad calibration means that extra time has to be taken away from other operations within the company to fix it. If the calibration problems are extremely bad, then deadlines can be missed. Everything within the world of manufacturing hinges on implementing products quickly and on schedule. Missed deadlines lead to lower satisfaction rates among clients. It’s best to make sure that you are looking at calibration very carefully, and continuing to monitor it.
Badly calibrated products also have a darker side: they can lead to injuries or even death. This brings incredible amounts of bad publicity and even lawsuits. It can take many years before the public trusts a company to make better products, so it’s critical that good calibration is already in place.
A company should focus on calibration from every angle. It’s the one position that just makes sense especially if there’s a strong commitment to quality. The calibration market is ripe for improvement, especially in terms of making uniform processes. But having good calibration is worth investing the extra time and money.
Don’t think for a second that calibration doesn’t play a role in total quality management. If your organization is having trouble with calibration, don’t put this task off. Make sure to hire outsourced help if you need it. And don’t let calibration processes be a one-time issue. Look over the processes regularly. Ensure that quality is being measured. Check on how things are calibrated, and if they need to be re-calibrated more frequently as sales improved.
