Title: Quality Control
Course: Manufacturing Analytics (ATE Central) > Section: Module 2 - Lean Manufacturing

Introduction

You have been introduced to lean manufacturing. Now you will learn about quality control (QC) in manufacturing. QC is the process of ensuring that products meet defined quality standards and specifications before they reach customers. It involves systematic inspection, testing, and corrective actions to identify and eliminate defects, ensuring consistency and reliability in production. Lack of quality control leads to defects, safety risks, customer dissatisfaction, recalls, increased costs, and damage to brand reputation.

Objectives

- Recognize the importance of maintaining a quality hold log.
- Identify the types of information that appear in a quality hold log.

Quality Control

One principal responsibility for quality control/quality assurance (QC/QA) departments is keeping track of any issues involving the quality, either as raw material coming into the factory, work that is in process (WIP), and finished goods. Often if there is an issue a hold will be put in place to prevent anything with a quality issue from being shipped and make its way to the customer. Typically material and goods are identified and traced with a lot number. If a customer has an issue, QC/QA is responsible for investigating that issue as well.

When a hold is in place there is a record of the hold, with basic information about the lot, date, quantity and usually category and type. Most QA/QC departments will include much more information about the hold. Below is a simple Quality Hold log that contains a short history of the holds.

Example of a Hold Log
Hold Type | Lot | Quantity | Date | Hold Category
Raw Material | BD7799206 | 60 | 2/3/2024 | Pest
Raw Material | BD6861181 | 5 | 2/4/2024 | Packaging
Finished Goods | LU6817536 | 39 | 2/5/2024 | Foreign Material
Finished Goods | LU6100983 | 57 | 2/5/2024 | Allergen Cross Contamination
Finished Goods | LU862569 | 86 | 2/7/2024 | Allergen Cross Cont.
Finished Goods | LU3101156 | 19 | 2/8/2024 | Allergen Cross Contamination
WIP | LUW2553913 | 35 | 2/8/2024 | Allergen Cross Contamination
Finished Goods | LU7642730 | 70 | 2/8/2024 | Quality Defect