Quality Assurance with Tour in the Industry

FT 166 lec/lab 3 unit course

Introduction

• The principles of quality assurance (QA) as a function of total quality management (TQM) and the methodology necessary to establish and implement a QA program – adequate technical and scientific training and a

proper level of professional experience, all of which ensure that the program most appropriate to the individual company

Goals of the Course

• discuss different ideas about quality, starting with the basic concepts and principles behind TQM, and to present examples of programs that can be applied to the food industry

• for the student to gain an overall understanding of a QA program and, with a reasonable amount of experience, be able to set up an adequate system in his or her own company

• Quality assurance is a modern term for describing the control, evaluation, and audit of a food processing system.

• Its primary function is to provide confidence for management and the ultimate customer, in most cases, the consumer.

• The customer is the person a company must satisfy and who ultimately establishes the level of quality of the products a company must manufacture: He is the management’s guide to quality.

• A company builds its product specifications and label requirements around customer preferences. Only by having a planned quality program can food companies continue to succeed in supplying the customer with the desired products. No other component in a QA program is more important than developing a strong organization in terms of both ability and mission. This requires careful thought and discussion.

• Haphazard organization and planning can result only in people working at cross-purposes

Comment?• What government regulators say and do have

as great a bearing on product planning as any decisions made by industry personnel

• The chief executive officer of any company responsible for the actions of his or her subordinates, regardless of any consideration of company size, good intentions, lack of knowledge, or other mitigating circumstances.

THE DOCTRINE OF “STRICT” LIABILITY• This doctrine dates back to 1943, to the so-called

“Dotterweich case.” It is sometimes referred to as “absolute” or “vicarious” liability. It states that

• The president of any food company can be found guilty of a violation of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act) even though he or she may not have been personally involved with the given transgression. The defendant is barred from relying on any assertion that he or she was ignorant of an offense.

THE DOCTRINE OF “TOTAL ACCOUNTABILITY”

• In 1975, the “strict” liability doctrine was upheld and expanded by the Supreme Court, when John R. Park, President of Acme Markets, Inc., which operated more than 800 food stores, was found guilty of violations due to rodent infestation in one of his companies’ warehouses. The

• Supreme Court maintained that “the requirements of foresight and vigilance” demanded of chief executives be upheld.

• Congress has held numerous hearings on new food legislation during which some witnesses have indicated that constitutional rights are being encroached by adhering to such a strict standard. The prevailing opinion, however, asserts “in the sensitive area of food safety, the public’s welfare takes precedence over any consideration of individual claims.”

• The court decision in the Park case, that the Chief Executive Officer of a corporation can be held accountable for the action of his subordinates, is very significant when addressing the question of organization and is

• particularly important in regard to consumer safety, and therefore, QA and Quality Control (QC) programs within the industry.

MANAGEMENT AND PRODUCT QUALITY

• In the food industry, quality is a requirement for consumer acceptance.

• Total quality, or integral quality, means that all industrial operations, manufacturing, and the final product are subjected to acceptable processing and conformance with requirements.

• The support of upper management; time and effort are required to involve all personnel in the explanation of the need for the control of product quality.

• Management must provide proper job instructions to all employees, as some employees may not be aware of good practices. The successful operation of any production, manufacturing, or formulation process is dependent upon the degree of control that can be exerted on the process.

Concept of “quality in production” and“control of production”

• These principles require that a producer or manufacturer plan the production or manufacturing process in such a manner that the process can be carried out under controlled conditions. This “process control” element is now recognized as being critical for the successful operation of a manufacturing industry in order to ensure that quality targets can be consistently achieved.

To obtain quality results, therefore:• A prudent chief executive must establish clear• channels of communication between the persons

making the decisions at the plant level and those executives responsible for setting policy.

• Senior managers should have access to operational data, and line supervisors should be able to report developments as they occur. Impediments to the exchange of information can only lead to low quality of operations and of the final product, and to many other problems.

• Management must make an effort to train all personnel in the concept of statistical techniques and the application of statistical practices to the production line, so that they may help to solve the problems of producing quality products.

Organizational Plan• a modern food plant is organized “around the M’s”;

the first “M” of the food industry is management, responsible for ensuring that the company returns a profit on the invested capital. To make a profit, management must fully utilize the resources of materials,

• machines, manpower, methods, money, and the departmental managers within the plant. According to these authors, the most important M is manpower, vital to producing a quality product at a profit.

• The working environment is the most critical factor for employees, and is often called the “common cause” of manpower wastage and production problems in food plants.

• Management needs to provide workers with the proper environment, appropriate tools, training, and instructions for them to do their jobs correctly.

Total Quality Program• A total quality or an integral quality program

implies the establishment of specific goals for quality improvement and the analysis of the costs associated with nonconformance of products and processes to established quality levels.

• The evidence and consequences of nonconformance must be conveyed to all personnel through newsletters, videotapes, personal contacts, statistical charts, and in open forums.

A company’s management must provide:• total support to a total quality program(conveying a consistency of purpose and continuity to the program)• excitement and enthusiasm at all levels of operations and

in each individual employee• an understanding that workers work in the system, but

managers work on the system.• the highest quality product at the lowest possible cost,

(the fundamental purpose of a quality management program)

• A manager is responsible for the system as a whole and for its continued improvement.

The Working EnvironmentWorkers• the workers should assume the responsibilities,

risks, and rewards associated with making their own decisions;

• Must make decisions that will enhance the productivity of the company, and they must take ownership of both successes and problems. Problems within the system are usually first detected by the workers. If workers complain about poor maintenance, and have the statistical data and facts to back up their complaints, good managers should not consider them to be troublemakers, but rather welcome their comments as contributions to the success of a quality program.

ScenarioThe QC technologist is still an integral part of the company plan to ensure product quality, but accountability has shifted to the line employees because they now understand the company’s standard of quality. They know their jobs depend on the efficient production of a quality product and that the laboratory will be evaluating and auditing their performance. One way to do this is to have workers inspect the item from the prior operation before proceeding. In this way quality feedback can be given on a much timelier basis. Each operation performs both production and quality inspection. In this way, a quality manager can pinpoint causes where most problems occur in a production line.

two reasons for employee participation1. The first one is to increase employee

commitment to the resultant outcomes, as they will feel a greater stake or sense of ownership in what is decided.

2. the second reason is that employees have a great deal of knowledge and skill relevant to the issue at hand (i.e., increasing quality, identifying problems, improving work processes), and their input should lead to higher quality decisions.

Managers and SupervisorsThe manager works on the system as a whole. He takes action based upon the observations of the workers. Managers who share power and responsibilities make the workplace more efficient and make themselves more competent and productive. Workers enjoy being involved in the decision process and will develop pride and enthusiasm and become more effective when given a voice in the operation of the system. A good integral program will consider and take advantage of this fact.

• Apart from technical skills, a good manager needs constant training in human relations, including incentive standards, discipline, how to settle grievances, and how to train others.

• Further, he needs training in cost analysis, leadership principles, and how to manage, motivate, and communicate.

• A manager should set a good example, display enthusiasm, be job oriented, and show interest in his people. He needs to be a good listener, respectful, tactful, and courteous. Most of all, a good manager should be sound in his judgment. He is the bridge between top management an the worker, as he is in daily contact with each employee under his supervision. To the employee, the manager or supervisor is management.

• Therefore, his morale affects the morale of the worker.

• A successful manager relies on the supervisory staff to help make his many decisions, as each person has specialized knowledge and interest.

• Further, each can focus on his area of expertise. The supervisory staff must be committed, visibly involved, and project a strong leadership attitude.

• They must be truthful, consistent with their facts, and confident when dealing with others; clearly define objectives and goals; improve support and trust levels among employees; develop healthy intergroup relations and reduce unhealthy conflict; and reduce stress in the workplace. They should be encouraged to use “we” instead of “I.”

• The people under their supervision need to be brought into the process; when the supervisor’s job is done, his or her people must be able to say “WE did a good job.”

General key traits in a Successfulmanager include:

• Positive attitude• Initiative; willingness to dig in and get started• Ambitious; always broadening his view, developing new

skills, and• willing to take a risk• Self confidence; a competitor, one who gets the job done• Courage; willingness to train a successor• Flexibility; not set in his ways• Resilience; having the ability to bounce back• Stamina; mental attitude to cope with endless stress

General key traits in a Successfulmanager include:

• Ability to judge people; ability to help people develop their own

• strengths• Goal setter; long-range planning, including budgets and

deadlines• Collaborator• Imaginative• Creative• Objective• Stability possessing great self discipline

Building Teams of Empowered Employees• Employee Training1. TQM must start with employee training and

empowerment of workers as individuals and as work teams.

2. They must be given proper training and wide latitude without fear of reprisals, as they bear the responsibility of maintaining a steady output of quality products.

3. Must accept the full responsibility for every facet of the production process and cooperate with each other so that the product being manufactured maintains the desired standards at all times.

• Quality at the Source1. This process puts the production worker in the driver’s seat of controlling the product quality.– Every worker becomes a QC station.– Every worker is responsible for inspecting his or

her own work, identifying any defects and repairing the products.

– Each worker is given the right to stop the line to avoid producing defective parts.

• Steering Committees or QC Circles1. Some companies use the term “task force” or “fact finding

committee” and “quality circle” in lieu of “steering committee.”

• The terms refer to a work environment with the object of solving problems in a given situation. A steering committee is a voluntary group of workers sharing areas of responsibility.

• Usually small groups of no more than eight to nine employees meet periodically (weekly, bi-monthly, etc.) to discuss, analyze, and propose solutions to quality problems; to undertake work-related projects designed to advance the company; and to improve working conditions by using quality control concepts.