Quality control

XR Martin · 20-02-2009, 07:41 PM

Just got the latest Wheels and they were testing the new Fiesta. They mention its available with Halogen lights and HID, then they go on to say their Fiesta got both

Yep some muppet at the factory put a HID light on one side, and a Halogen light in the other. Considering between the factory and here there would have had to been 50 odd people who would have seen the car no one actually noticed or bothered to mention it

platinumXR · 20-02-2009, 07:43 PM

:

pmpdau · 20-02-2009, 08:21 PM

Maybe it was a joke.........i hope so, i really do

snappy · 20-02-2009, 08:28 PM

Quality control is a big problem in general not just for Ford but all product/services
I used to often wonder how cost to the company/business to insure good quality is sold or provided.

An until the last couple of years thought it was generated from company greed basically it because we are all greedy.
But have proved myelf wrong.
I am a Plasterer and have worked for a couple of company's over the years and due to costs they basically had the attitude do it as quick as possible and dont look back move on to the next and hope a complaint is not made .
So after a while i got sick of this type of attitude and decided to work for myself .
Quality is my highest priority and make sure everything is done the best it can be .
Now having quality work may bring in the business as long as you stay competive in pricing.
But there lies the problem .
Most customers only real concern is how much it costs . Builders get screwed down on price then screw me down and so on and so on .
But everyone wants to be paid/make more money so in return everybody loses.
So for me I did a quaility job but made less money than the people doing a average job.
So Imo it not just the company's fault .Its or nation's fault

Bill M · 20-02-2009, 09:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by snappy84

Quality control is a big problem in general not just for Ford but all product/services
I used to often wonder how cost to the company/business to insure good quality is sold or provided.

An until the last couple of years thought it was generated from company greed basically it because we are all greedy.
But have proved myelf wrong.
I am a Plasterer and have worked for a couple of company's over the years and due to costs they basically had the attitude do it as quick as possible and dont look back move on to the next and hope a complaint is not made .
So after a while i got sick of this type of attitude and decided to work for myself .
Quality is my highest priority and make sure everything is done the best it can be .
Now having quality work may bring in the business as long as you stay competive in pricing.
But there lies the problem .
Most customers only real concern is how much it costs . Builders get screwed down on price then screw me down and so on and so on .
But everyone wants to be paid/make more money so in return everybody loses.
So for me I did a quaility job but made less money than the people doing a average job.
So Imo it not just the company's fault .Its or nation's fault

A good point well made.
Bill.

robjh80 · 21-02-2009, 08:46 AM

Quality Control in factories today pretty much doesn't exist.

Every company has to "cut corners" wherever they can to save overheads and remain competitive with the Asian and Third World countries.

I used to work in QA at a large whitegoods manufacturer up here in Brisbane for a number of years, I saw the quality decline enormously over the years in the pursuit for the company to remain viable and competitive with it's overseas competitors.

Unfortunately this company just couldn't compete with these overseas companies who would "manufacture, ship over here, freight and retail" their products in Australia a lot cheaper than our company could even make the things for!

I got out of the manufacturing industry over 12 years ago now, I could just see "the writing on the wall" for Australian manufacturers even back in those days.

This large whitegoods company where I worked closes down all Australian Operations and Manufacturing next month, it's the single biggest employer in the area by a long way, it's closure will put hundreds of people out of work, .... unfortunately just one of many manufacturers in Australia that have either already closed down ... or are just on the verge of doing so.

BA GT-HO · 21-02-2009, 12:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by robjh80

Quality Control in factories today pretty much doesn't exist.

Every company has to "cut corners" wherever they can to save overheads and remain competitive with the Asian and Third World countries.

Spot on. I work in manufacturing and we lost a contract to an asian plant owned by the same company I work for. It is cheaper to make the product over there then ship it back!
However the quality is appaling over there and we just lost that contract because of that. The quality of product coming out of the Australian plant is suffering now because it is all down to cost cutting. Less machine operators, removing the quality inspection teams and heaping that responsiblity on top of the operators who are already understaffed. It is a viscious cycle.

Pedro · 21-02-2009, 01:57 PM

I had my own watch company before retiring and like 80% of the world's watches, mine were made in China. I don't know about other products, but quality control is available from Chinese watch manufacturers through your agent in four different levels... at a price penalty.

I can't remember the exact numbers but roughly, 1 in a 100 pieces are checked at level four QC ... going down to 1 in 10 at level one. I used level one and my QC expense was amortised in that I had minimal warranty returns.

snappy · 21-02-2009, 03:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pedro

I had my own watch company before retiring and like 80% of the world's watches, mine were made in China. I don't know about other products, but quality control is available from Chinese watch manufacturers through your agent in four different levels... at a price penalty.

I can't remember the exact numbers but roughly, 1 in a 100 pieces are checked at level four QC ... going down to 1 in 10 at level one. I used level one and my QC expense was amortised in that I had minimal warranty returns.

Intresting way to run a business .
I wonder how things would go down if i offered four different prices ranging in quality.

dave289 · 21-02-2009, 03:18 PM

Australia has really shat on itself by bringing crap from overseas in all shapes and forms. A very big shame . as for the fiesta lights, maybe they were testing to see which were better but forgot to change it back.

Ohio XB · 21-02-2009, 04:54 PM

Was this Fiesta built in China or Germany?

I feel for you guys over there with your close proximity to 40 cent an hour wages in Asia. It's just too close and too easy. Fortunately here in the States some companies have brought their machining work back here because the lack of quality from China was hurting business too much to justify the original cost savings.

When I hired in at Ford in 1992 and went through 2 weeks of orientation I heard "Quality, quality, quality, because world competition, quality, and quality...." When I got down on the line, for the next two years I heard "Numbers, numbers, numbers, just let it go, don't stop the line, numbers, hey, don't worry, numbers numbers numbers......"

Now all I hear is Quality, and it gets carried through. It is so refreshing to hear them say something AND stick to it! The result......tied with Toyota and Honda for quality. Long live Alan Mullaly!

Steve

**Fordman1** · 21-02-2009, 05:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ohio XB

Was this Fiesta built in China or Germany?

Steve

G'day Steve.

Fiesta for Australia is built in Germany at the moment - at the Cologne plant on the Rhine. A huge plant and the Ford plant with the best quality in the Ford world.

Thailand starts cranking them out late this year for Australia, so the free trade agreement and labor cost will make it more profitable. Hopefully the quality from there will be top class....

Ohio XB · 22-02-2009, 09:14 AM

Very surprised something like that got out of the Cologne plant. The Germans are still held in high regard here for a quality reputation no matter what the product.

I am sure the Thailand built units will also have excellent quality. Alan has a great accountability technique that really does keep people responsible and accountable for their assignments. It's something new.......they all have to report to him directly, and usually every day now to every couple days. For departments that are in other places in the world other than the US this only used to happen once a year. Now it's every week to every few days. And they'd better have their ducks in a row!

Steve

Bossxr8 · 22-02-2009, 03:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ohio XB

I feel for you guys over there with your close proximity to 40 cent an hour wages in Asia. It's just too close and too easy. Fortunately here in the States some companies have brought their machining work back here because the lack of quality from China was hurting business too much to justify the original cost savings.

When I hired in at Ford in 1992 and went through 2 weeks of orientation I heard "Quality, quality, quality, because world competition, quality, and quality...." When I got down on the line, for the next two years I heard "Numbers, numbers, numbers, just let it go, don't stop the line, numbers, hey, don't worry, numbers numbers numbers......"

Steve

You have the same deal over there with Mexico, Ford have been sending a lot of work down there haven't they to capitalise on cheap labour?

I don't know when FoA will stop with the numbers, numbers, numbers game. Thats all that matters here.

Ohio XB · 24-02-2009, 07:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bossxr8

You have the same deal over there with Mexico, Ford have been sending a lot of work down there haven't they to capitalise on cheap labour?

I don't know when FoA will stop with the numbers, numbers, numbers game. Thats all that matters here.

Yes, and the Mexicans just took a 50% pay cut about 4 months ago. I think they are making $2.50 US per hour now.

The Fusion/Milan/MKZ are made in Mexico and sold in US and the quality is top of the line in the industry beating Toyota Camry and Honda Accord. Now a truck plant down there is being retooled to build the Fiesta for the NA (North America) market.

I think as long as that CHEAP labor is right there across the border American companies will continue to exploit it. Also there is no Envromental Protection Agency there.

Steve

AWD Chaser · 24-02-2009, 08:50 PM

I though the HID headlights had to run through an inverter, or some sort of transformer box.

How could they stuff that up? Sounds like maybe a bit of "Wheel" BS to me.

More Ford bashing by Wheel's? Why does that not suprise me?

XR Martin · 24-02-2009, 09:43 PM

I re-read the article and one of the lights were Projector, not HID.
Either way it had two different lights in the pictures.

Quicklier · 25-02-2009, 12:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kia Chaser

I though the HID headlights had to run through an inverter, or some sort of transformer box.

How could they stuff that up? Sounds like maybe a bit of "Wheel" BS to me.

You're correct about the requirement for an igniter (for the HiD lights). I suspect when they say 'the car was equipped with both' they're referring to low and high beam globes.

It's not all that common to have High Beam HiD's, a great deal of cars still come with a seperate halogen globe (through a projector lens) for long distance lighting.