Blade turned inward: promoting development through change

  Recently, led by the Quality Department, Huahong Technology held a meeting to analyze production quality and costs for the first quarter. Representatives from the Quality Department, Production Department, and various workshops gathered together to review the work done in the first quarter with a problem-solving approach and a focus on improvement. They launched a drive to reduce costs and increase efficiency through lean practices. The meeting was chaired by Hu Honglei, the head of the Quality Department.

Face the challenges head-on and strengthen the foundation of lean management.

  At the beginning of the meeting, Hu Honglei set the tone for the discussion by emphasizing the need to “face problems head-on, delve into their root causes, and drive change.” Drawing on the production data from the first quarter, he conducted a comprehensive review from various perspectives, including the composition of production costs related to quality issues, a summary of quality problems encountered, and analyses of typical cases. The data and examples presented made it clear to everyone present that continuously implementing lean management practices and eliminating waste at every stage of the process is the only way for companies to enhance their competitiveness.

  “Every recurring quality issue is an untapped gold mine,” said Minister Hu during the meeting. He called on everyone to change their mindset, shifting from reactive problem-solving to proactive improvement. He encouraged the use of advanced quality management tools, breaking down departmental barriers, and adopting a continuous improvement approach so that lean management can become a long-term strategy for enhancing the company’s competitiveness.

Delve into the root causes; conduct a thorough analysis to facilitate corrective actions.

 Production Director Wu Rong conducted a thorough analysis of the work done in the first quarter, drawing on practical experiences from frontline production. He   emphasized that when solving problems, we cannot treat symptoms alone; instead, we must address the root causes to prevent problems from recurring:

Clarify in advance: Before starting the work, clearly explain the process requirements and quality standards to avoid batch-related issues caused by misunderstandings.

  Process closed-loop: Establish a closed-loop evaluation mechanism between processes. For issues reported by subsequent processes regarding previous processes, strict accountability and evaluation procedures must be implemented.

  Full participation: Lean management isn’t the responsibility of a single department. It requires collaboration among all departments to ensure that each measure is effectively implemented, thereby creating an environment where “everyone cares about quality and everyone pays attention to costs”.

Focusing on three key directions, we sound the charge for lean cost reduction.

  At the end of the meeting, Production Director Cao Yu, in line with the company’s requirements for lean management, identified three key areas for future efforts:

Direction 1: Standardization first, identify and address gaps

  All workshops have carried out comprehensive self-inspections and corrections. They have reviewed existing operating standards, focusing on identifying issues such as missing standards, outdated standards, or standards that are not applicable. Necessary revisions have been made to improve these standards. This ensures that each process has clear guidelines to follow, thereby reducing various deviations caused by ambiguous standards from the very beginning.

Direction Two: Farewell to Empiricism and Institutionalizing Best Practices

  Resolutely abandon the outdated practice of relying on experience alone. Transform the valuable insights and best practices of frontline employees into standard procedures that can be replicated and applied widely. This way, individual wisdom becomes a “collective asset” for the company, helping to prevent fluctuations in work quality due to staff changes or loss of expertise.

Direction Three: Breaking down information barriers to achieve efficient and traceable communication

  Enhance information flow between departments, between departments and workshops, and within workshops themselves. Ensure timely feedback on issues, clear communication of instructions, and traceable records of the process. This will prevent information gaps from becoming a breeding ground for management problems.

In conclusion: Quality is truly free.

  “We don’t pay for ‘quality’; instead, we pay for ‘deviations from standards.’ Doing things right from the start is always cheaper than correcting mistakes later. True cost reduction and efficiency improvement don’t involve cutting corners, but rather using standards, processes, and wisdom to continuously eliminate waste in production.”

  This meeting not only marked the conclusion of the first-quarter work review but also sounded a new call for the company to embrace lean management as a means to improve efficiency through better management practices and increase profits by optimizing processes. All employees of Huahong Technology will take this meeting as a starting point, instilling a lean mindset into every aspect of their work and integrating cost control into every detail. With a commitment to continuous improvement, we will jointly create a new chapter in lean management!