Transition from Quality Control to Quality Assurance at a Stamping Facility

The Quality Control function in the domestic automobile industry is in transition. The changing role is predicated on the question “who will be responsible for Quality?”. Traditional approaches had a separate quality control organization using “On-Line” inspection techniques. A better method it seems would assign quality responsibility to the production activity. “Real-Time” data would be supplied on a regular basis to enhance the decision making process. This presentation will describe a method utilized by Ford Body and Assembly Stamping Operations for the transition from the traditional quality control organization to the quality assurance concept.