Combining ISO 16949 After Implementing TQM

Just how familiar are you with TQM, and how it is implemented?

It's all, or nothing if you are going for certification. and certification. It takes total committment of EVERYONE in the company.

"Picking some of the primary elements" sounds like you are not fully on board with the TQM concept. Does your company currently place focus on the eight items in your list?

Well, I'm now in the position of analysing the needed steps to improve the competitiveness of an Automotive Industry, so yes those 8 TQM points must be enforced all or nothing from the top level management down to the bottom.

As at the moment from what I can see is not all eight of them in place, so before taking the path to ISO 16949 I guess I will need to write some recommendations to fully implement those missing points as gap analysis.

A realistic answer and a tragic example of engineers being overruled by management. Morton-Thiokol management should have been prosecuted for that.

If you don't have TOTAL COMMITMENT from the janitor to the CEO, it just won't work.

I've heard plenty of "exceeding expectations", "total quality commitment", "world class", and so on, over the years and Motorola was one of the few companies that seemed to make the transition to 6 Sigma and TQM. They did it with me kicking and screaming against incorporating it in our shop which was essentially an R&D/prototyping one-off shop.

Hm.. it seems to me that implementing TQM is rather hard if it is does not exist in the first place and it gets more difficult if the company gets larger / bigger especially in the Multi National Company.

So I guess, TQM when implemented right during the company infancy period it should be working easily.

TQM is simple. If it is going to turn out wrong, don't make it in the first place; stop and put right the thing that would have made it wrong.

Having spent 26 years in automotive component supply/manufacture/design/testing I can assure you that implementation of the ISO quality standard is the necessary first step.

Basically the Quality system sets the process that STANDARDISES the way the organisation works and one requirement of that standard is "continuous improvement".

As you identify means for improvement, they will (sometimes) require modification of your systems and procedures.

Your avatar "KaizenDon" implies to me that you've recently completed a continuos improvement program that is an element of background understanding in the auto components supply field.

There are many more interesting concepts that the industry will lead you into. All are of some benefit.

You might see many here express frustration at the various buzzwords and concepts that have a strong basis in that industry, but take it from me that the concepts are generally sound, regardless of whether you are working in the advance development phases (making prototypes), production or even warranty analysis.

The foundation for all improvement (or even to retain the current state of affairs) is to have a Quality system in place. Anything else is anarchy (In my opinion).

Once the system is in place, the others will come naturally.

You will discover that every element that you have nominated for TQM will come up as a natural part of the system that you will need to develop to achieve certification.

Good luck.

That industry gave me the following tools. Kaizen, TQM, 6S for Success, Taguchi problem solving, QFD, DFMEA, PFMEA, FMECA, QFD all or which are now being used outside the industry.

Once the system is in place, the others will come naturally.

Thanks for the reply, so does this means that in order to attain the competitive advantage, the company must have ISO TS16949 certified which then followed by enforcing the 8 points of TQM above or does the TQM points must be enforced first then applying for the TS 16949 ?

While you demonstrate in your question you have knowledge of the TQM, you also demonstrate no practical experience in the implementation of using it. would I be right?

If so then I would suggest that you or whoever is going the 'head up' or "run" the system take either a (i) Internal Auditor course or (ii) Lead Auditor course.

either one of these courses will give you the theoretical and practical knowledge you require.

By the way, the 8 bullets points you list are the same for ISO 9000 series QMS, just slightly different words.

Thank you Brich,

I'm just an analyst who tries to write some good recommendation based on what I have studied in the Master of Management degree, as far as I know, the company that I'm currently working now doesn't have ISO 16949 so I am suggesting to get certified in order to win more tender and business.

So in this case I believe that I should be able to write good report which basically summarize the importance of TQM implementation before getting ISO TS 16949 for competitive advantage.

..so I am suggesting to get certified in order to win more tender and business.
Exactly my point!
You are not suggesting they do it to improve quality!
And you have no experience of the actual business!
I suggest you go and sit on the naughty step and think about it.
Del

Which do you do first? Whichever one you can. Gather successes and use that to motivate.

In real life, you will do each of those things over and over and over. You will get part of each in place, you will find what works for your company, you will document, you will improve, you will repeat. This is the essence of continuous process improvement.

No one ever has enough time, money, or people to do everything. You are the only one of us who is on site, so you are the only one of us in a position to make plans for short term and long term successes.

The most important thing is also the hardest thing. You must develop a culture. This can only happen with full commitment from the Top Management. If your executive level is not committed you will have a very difficult and unrewarding job. (If they are commited you will have a difficult and rewarding job.)

The best sign that you have a Quality culture, in my opinion, is when your workers, from the bottom to the top, have the confidence and the power to say, "I think I screwed up. How do we fix this?" If your organization is more interested in fixing problems than fixing blame, you will have people who help solve issues, not cover-up.

Quality is only difficult because it requires honesty.

Yes, that's what I feel now.

writing some recommendations and probably b/s to the operations manager about the current situation in the factory and then hoping that the meeting with the COO can actually resulting in a change of culture seems a;most impossible.

somehow I feel that the western culture is rather hard to be changed especially when the company has been established for more than 15 years.

I thought that I might be helping some novice to learn and improve the situation in their own workplace while at the same time gaining personal knowlege and experience. I now find that I'm advising a consultant who with no personal experience is attempting to provide an organisation with expert advice.

I'm appalled that you have even continued with the contract. Your organisation should have quickly moved to the point of either engaging someone with the necessary experience or forfeited the contract so that the client can get true value for their efforts.

One thing is for certain, unless it's driven from inside the company WITH A PASSION it will not succeed. Being advised by someone who hasn't had the experience and know the ways past the pitfalls can only lead to dissappointment.

There are many packaged TQM and Quality systems already on the market and have been for decades.

As I said earlier, the FIRST thing that you must have is the system in place, including the necessary "Continuous improvement" sections.

From that foundation, the systematic and coherent records, methods and procedures used in the TQM items that you have suggested wil then be able to support your certifiation attempts. Without the system in place, the records (that will be examined by auditors and the auto industry customers) will be a hodge podge that do not match whatever system you implement. Form numbers will not match for instance.

By documenting what is already done into the framework of the quality system, then the TQM activities that are already taking place will become the evidence of the system functioning. At the same time, having the system will enable a gap analysis to be done that will identify where (system) improvements are required.

(I started with an organisation that had 30 staff supplying auto industry, implemented quality system and that organisation grew to over 400 staff at one time. I've been there, done that!!)

You REALLY need to engage someone with the experience and put them inside that company for at least two years. Maybe that's the advice you should pass to your client.

@Just an Engineer thanks for the explanation and your sharing, it is an eye opener and does make sense.

I really appreciate your efforts in sharing your experience.