What are some of the key performance indicators (KPIs) that you use to measure TQM outcomes and impacts?

Customer satisfaction is, indeed, the ultimate goal. That said, customer satisfaction can be difficult to measure directly, especially for businesses that don't have contact with end users...like many small manufacturing enterprises. But, we all know what customers want...good quality and good service for the price they've paid. It's not difficult to measure quality and service. Once you're doing that well, you can start comparing your quality and service to others in your industry. After that, you can begin comparing your customer performance to world class organizations in any industry. Then you can benchmark best practices. It starts with deciding which KPI's serve as good measures of customer satisfaction and going from there.

O objetivo final do Total Quality Management - TQM é sem dúvidas, a satisfa??o do cliente final e, quando isso é conquistado, a essência do TQM foi entendida e cumprida. Hoje, há muitas formas de mediar a satisfa??o dos clientes, indicadores que medem o desempenho dos fornecedores IGQ - índice de Geral de Qualidade, pesquisas de satisfa??o, auditorias de processos, entre outros. Para aqueles que ainda n?o conseguiram atingir a satisfa??o dos clientes, um ponto chave para se dedicar, entender quais s?o os motivos de descontentamentos e promover um plano de a??o robusto para atingir a satisfa??o do cliente.

Achieving high customer satisfaction is paramount in TQM, indicating successful alignment with customer expectations. I recall from my time in the foam spring mattress industry, implementing a post-purchase survey to gauge satisfaction. The insights derived from this tool allowed us to make pivotal changes, significantly boosting our NPS. Regularly monitoring such KPIs ensures that a company remains proactive in addressing concerns and optimizing processes, leading to enhanced loyalty and competitiveness within the market.

You only get paid for the good stuff you make. Defects slow the overall manufacturing cycle time, lengthen lead times, introduce complexity into the manufacturing process and, of course, raise costs. So, of course, you need to track and discuss the ratio of bad stuff you make to the good stuff. This often means that a discussion needs to be carried out as to what your company defines as "bad stuff". Then, that definition needs to be communicated to everyone in the company. I've worked for companies in which scrap was measured but nobody quite knew what the measurement meant. If no one is quite sure what constitutes "bad stuff", no one will be sure just what to do when the "bad stuff" KPI goes sideways.

Defect rate serves as a vital indicator of product quality and process efficiency. In the nonwoven fabric manufacturing segment of my career, monitoring defect rates was paramount. We once identified an unusually high defect rate in a particular product batch. By examining this KPI closely, we traced the issue back to a specific machine calibration error. Addressing this reduced subsequent defect rates significantly. Keeping a keen eye on such KPIs ensures timely identification and rectification of issues, thus maintaining consistent product quality.

A taxa de defeitos representa o percentual de produtos n?o conforme durante o processo de manufatura e, é salutar entender que se trata de desperdício e deve ser combatido com ênfase, pois afeta diretamente a lucratividade da organiza??o e sobre tudo, quando é evidenciado pelo cliente, afeta a imagem e credibilidade da organiza??o. Uma boa prática para combate dos desperdícios é implementar um procedimento de a??o corretiva/preventiva, planejar treinamento para equipe multifuncional, estabelecer programa de melhoria continua, auditorias de processos, métricas de premia??o para zero defeitos, campanhas da qualidade, entre outros.

From my time in the furniture industry, process efficiency was always at the forefront. For instance, during the production of foam spring mattresses, we observed a recurring bottleneck in the assembly line. Analyzing our process efficiency KPIs, we found that the adhesive drying phase was the culprit. By tweaking the drying mechanism and optimizing workflow around it, we increased our assembly line's throughput by 20%. Monitoring such KPIs enabled us to fine-tune our processes, ensuring optimal resource usage and timely delivery to our customers.

Um sistema de gest?o da qualidade e produtividade, pautado pela melhoria constantes dos resultados, imprescindivelmente precisa considerar como primícias, a eficiência dos processos, pois é a melhor forma de medir os resultados e desempenhos dos processos de manufaturas. Por muito tempo, falavam-se apenas em eficácia, que é a capacidade de realizar o que fora planejado, independentemente dos recursos utilizados. Porém, com a competitividade e a luta pela sobrevivência das organiza??es é mais que necessário combate aos desperdícios e a??es para exauri-los, por este motivo, a eficiência dos processos é elementar para assegurar a competitividade e garantir o sucesso das organiza??es.

Drawing from my experience in the nonwoven fabric manufacturing sector, employee engagement was paramount for operational success. We once initiated a program where team members proposed process improvements, with the most impactful ideas being implemented. Monitoring our employee engagement KPIs, we noticed a decrease in absenteeism and a significant spike in innovation, with numerous cost-saving measures suggested by the very people working on the floor. This initiative not only improved our processes but also fostered a culture where every employee felt valued and integral to the company's success.

O engajamento, comprometimento e a motiva??o dos funcionários s?o de suma importancia para atendimento dos objetivos e planos estratégicos da organiza??o. Dentro do universo industrial, alguns fatores s?o determinantes para um bom desempenho, como: equipamentos em plena condi??o de utiliza??o, matéria prima de boa qualidade, métodos de trabalho de fácil utiliza??o, dispositivos de medi??o para controle de qualidade, programa de manuten??o preditiva, preventiva e corretiva, programa de treinamentos. Todavia, todos recursos s?o insuficientes se n?o houver pessoal qualificado, motivado e engajado com a organiza??o e, isso é possível mensurar, como os indicadores de satisfa??o dos funcionários, rotatividade, absenteísmo e etc.

During my tenure in the furniture industry, I championed a continuous improvement initiative aimed at optimizing production processes. We set up a KPI tracking the number of suggestions employees made monthly. Within the first quarter, over 50 actionable ideas were proposed. By acting on the most impactful ones, production time decreased by 15%, directly improving efficiency. These KPIs not only tracked improvement but also instilled a culture where employees actively sought out efficiencies, underscoring the value of continuous betterment in real-time operations.

A melhoria continua dos sistemas, processos, produtos e servi?os é vital para longevidade das organiza??es e um dos caminhos para garantir a competividade e aumentar a capilaridade dos negócios. é importante destacar que, quando um produto é apresentado ao cliente, existe um método de precifica??o, o qual considera uma taxa de perdas nos processos e, quando as perdas excedem o planejado, a margem de lucro é afetada. Por isso, a necessidade da mentalidade e disciplina com o processo de melhoria continua. Programa de Kaizen, com metas, designados aos líderes e gestores; programa de sugest?o de ideias designados ao pessoal da fábrica, estabelecer uma área com foco melhoria continua e excelência operacional, s?o alguns fatores de sucesso!

Drawing from my background in the beverages, foam spring mattress production, nonwoven fabric manufacturing, and furniture industries, I've witnessed the transformative power of operational excellence firsthand. In one memorable instance, by listening to the VOC in the mattress sector, we identified a common customer grievance related to product lifespan. By diving into VOP data, we pinpointed a defect in a production process. Correcting this not only reduced the defect rate but also enhanced customer satisfaction. This holistic approach, merging both VOC and VOP, emphasizes the importance of these twin pillars in driving quality across industries