A study of the quality management methods employed by U.K. automotive suppliers

Abstract

AbstractThis paper reports on the results of a postal questionnaire survey of quality management methods, awareness and attitudes of suppliers to three major companies in the U.K. automotive industry. The main issues discussed include the quality management systems operated by suppliers, the methods by which quality improvement is pursued, quality‐related training, and suppliers' interaction with both their own customers and vendors.The findings to specific questions were disappointing and illustrate the poor state of quality management development in some suppliers; overall the survey evidence indicates that many suppliers have a traditional attitude towards quality management. For example: it is possible to inspect quality into a product; component quality can be graded at different levels according to individual customer requirements; if the customer does not return the product then quality must be satisfactory; the quality manager is responsible for the quality improvement programme. Quality management tools and techniques are often seen as an end in themselves rather than a means to an end, that of improvement. It is clear that a number of suppliers assume that introducing statistical process control is the same as developing a total approach to quality management. There also appears to be a dilution of the quality message as requirements are passed down the supply chain, and in general communication and feedback between customer and supplier is poor.