Product and delivery quality can only be assured by close cooperation. Through our office in Shenzhen, China, we are able to work both short- and long-term on supplier development. For more on how in practice we conduct continuous and systematic quality assurance at our production partners, read on.

Audit

Selection and development of our production partners always starts with a quality audit. This process is based on evaluation criteria to identify areas of potential improvement and includes follow-up of our production partners’ performance.

Ref.	Description	RATED  PROFILE	MAX   PROFILE	%
1	Quality and Environmental system		20
2	Supplier / Material Sourcing		30
3	Material Handling / Storage		20
4	Production Processes		70
5	Order Process / Delivery & Inventory Control		20
6	Claims Reduction Process		20
7	Production facility – technical wise		45
	Overall Profile		225

Example of an Audit Template (7 sections)

Quality Improvement Meetings

We implement action plans on an on-going basis to address areas of potential improvement that have been identified through the audit. To follow up existing action plans and establish new ones we visit all our production partners in Asia at least once a month.

The agenda for these visits comprises:

• Follow up of delivery precision and quality
• Analysis of complaints to identify the origin of deficiencies in the production process
• Follow up of corrective actions
• Financial situation
  

Classification system for production partners

PSL (Preferred Supplier List)
Our work in quality assurance culminates in a PSL (Preferred Supplier List), in which we qualify and detail our production partners. The list also summarizes how each partner performs in areas such as delivery precision, quality, capability etc. In addition, it serves as a decision-making basis for every account manager in selecting the right production partner.


Quality Assurance at NCAB
NCAB is an ISO 9000 and ISO 14000 certified organization, confirming that we work systematically towards clearly defined goals to achieve high quality. To develop NCAB’s control and environmental systems, we have a system developer who works specifically in this area. The focus is on pro-active improvement, in partnership with the personnel, to streamline all processes in the organization, plus a follow-up to minimize any possible sources of error.