As the relentless improvement in information technology becomes integrated into the automotive industry, it creates improved efficiencies through automation. Unfortunately, it also means that fewer and fewer human minds view the process. That limits the chances that someone will spot an obvious flaw before the vehicles go out to dealerships. This is just one reason why good quality control people are so important for the automotive industry. Let’s dig a little deeper into some of the things that quality control offers.
1. Component Quality
Any vehicle is comprised of a truly staggering number of parts. While a low-grade knob on the heat control might prove annoying, bolts made of subpar steel can prove fatal. Quality control has a twofold purpose here. It ensures sourcing from a quality vendor. It also ensures that a person spot checks components for quality and consistency.
2. Cost Saving
When quality control catches a flaw in the assembly process, a flaw in the design, or a flaw in a component, it actually saves the company money. When it doesn’t, you see costly recalls. A good example is when Toyota was forced to recall around 9 million vehicles due to floor mats.
3. Ensures Regulatory Compliance
The VW diesel scandal puts the necessity of good quality control into sharp relief. The company used software to sidestep US emission regulations. The exposure of this fraud not only damaged the company’s reputation, but cost the company billions in legal settlements, a massive drop in stock price, and dozens of lawsuits across the globe.
4. Protects Company Reputation
While automotive companies enjoy variable reputations for reliability and quality, good quality control protects a company’s current reputation. More importantly, doubling down on quality control can repair a company’s reputation. That’s the tack taken by Toyota, who commissioned several safety studies and established a Quality Learning Center in response to the mass recall.
5. Protects Consumers
Flaws in both the design and assembly process of vehicles can render them lethal to consumers. That makes quality control and quality testing a critical component in the process for all automobile manufacturers.
6. Quality Control Is Worth the Investment
Staffing your company with the best quality control personnel you can find is worth the investment. You protect your product’s reputation, limit costs, and avoid the fallout from the exposure of fraud or recalls. You also protect your company’s reputation and the lives of your customers.
Find Quality Candidates with Timpl
Eager to staff your quality control department but struggling to find qualified candidates? Let Timpl take the lead in connecting your company with the best quality control candidates.