A Look at the Quality Assurance Process in the Automotive Industry

quality assurance

Most people don’t think about their cars as parts. It’s just the thing that gets them to and from work, to the market, and to haul their kids around.

They are happy when it starts and runs well. Even when it doesn’t, you think of the car as a whole.

Yet, many parts were carefully manufactured to create the whole car. And the quality of each of those parts is what keeps the entire car running well.

The quality assurance process with auto manufacturers and their parts suppliers is a big part of all those working parts.

Read on to learn more about what happens during the quality assurance process to ensure your next car gets the best parts.

What Is Quality Assurance?

The quality assurance process is used for evaluating and verifying that the products being manufactured will meet or exceed the standards of the customer for whom they’re produced.

Quality assurance is a process that helps manufacturers set goals and then use specific steps to reach those goals to create a product they know will be the best fit for the automakers.

Take into account the whole manufacturing process, including:

  • Design
  • Development
  • Production
  • Service

The process helps users look at their tools and techniques to ensure they meet the expected quality requirements.

Quality Assurance Cycle

Most users who practice quality assurance use what’s referred to as the quality assurance cycle. This cycle includes four steps that users can work through to meet quality standards.

The four steps include:

  • Plan
  • Do
  • Check
  • Act

The planning stage involves the quality assurance team making some definite goals. Then they consider what steps it takes to meet these goals so they can produce high-quality products.

Another essential part of the planning process is anticipating potential problems and how they might impact the ability to reach the established goals.

In the Do step, users put their plan into action. Often this is done on a small scale to see the results and questions whether the product they planned for was achieved. In this step, adjustments can still get made to the plan as they evaluate the outcomes.

The check step further examines the results from the small test groups. The product gets examined closely. The outcome is compared to the desired outcome when goals were set.

Quality assurance experts will consider whether or not the goals were met or exceeded. If yes, then they’re ready to move to the next step. If not, they must return to the plan step and reevaluate their goals and how best to achieve them.

Finally, the product is to act. If the product meets the established quality standards, then production can begin.

Of course, it’s important to note that problems or issues in automotive quality assurance can continue to arise once production is underway. The quality assurance process is a continual cycle to ensure the desired results.

Quality Assurance to Ensure the Parts Are Right

The quality assurance process is those that manufacture automotive plastics and other car parts to ensure they create a product with the highest quality standards. Then when the automakers take all the parts to build a car, you get one that maintains the best quality.

To learn more about our manufacturing capabilities and quality standards at Nova Stevensville, contact us today.

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