Hartman Industries, Research Paper Example

Quality Management System of Hartman Industries LLC

Hartman Industries LLC is a business leader in the industry of plastic injection molding. All through the life of the company, Hartman Industries LLC practices three dissimilar plants to manufacture their pieces of plastic and these plants are located in China, Georgia, and Michigan.  The Hartman Industries LLC’s success has been permanent in a mode of following the focus of companies by employing a quality product for its clients. In order to continue with providing required quality, Hartman Industries LLC must use management system to maintain the quality named as “The Goetsch-Davis 20-Step” process for the whole industry.

This 20-Step model is an implementation process for the organizations to focus on improvement continuously within the business to manufacture the most efficient and effective product as possible. Through adopting the 20-step process, the implementation system has to pass from three stages, preparation, planning, and execution that Hartman Industries LLC to correct and accept the essential changes that have to take place. Since Hartman Industries LLC has three plants, corporate level management has to manage and confirms that all plants are manufacturing products with required quality by keeping the customers in mind.

The preparation stage is the foundation of the implementation process for corporate management to make a promise in relation to total quality in order to enhance the product they possess already. This stage consists on the steps from 1 to 11 in order to bring all members of staff on team building board, objectives setting and implementing strategies in action, and in addition to this considering customer and employee satisfaction. Consultants, top executives, and the steering committee of total quality manage these steps.

The planning stage associated with the preparation stage of placing the goals into action.  With the steering committee direction, steps from 12 to 15 implements the Plan-Do-Check-Adjust (PDCA) cycle. The PDCA cycle is implemented to determine the product problems to obtain the solution to that specific problem. This stage divides the teams’ duties, managing training programs, and ultimately being capable to direct and activate the PDCA cycle.

Conclusively, the execution stage is the last phase of improving total quality.  In these stages from 16 to 20, it lets the business to obtain feedback from the clients in addition to the employees to observe what type of other transformation need to be utilized. This stage offers direction for extra changes after the product has passed through the sequence of operations (receiving, mold fab department, mixing department, molding department, and Trimming) of Hartman Industries LLC.

Benefits of Goetsch-Davis System

The Hartman Industries vision is to manage its position as a leader of industry by constantly determining the trends of industry and to present the customers with high quality materials and products. The 20 steps of Goetsch-Davis model are planned to authorize an organization to accomplish total quality. This total quality plan implementation can be modified at any one of the steps to fulfill the organizational need. The plan is determined by goals, vision and objectives and particularly draws the route of implementation of this system. Although the roadmap is laid out modifying this system of quality is an attractive characteristic as well since it creates quantitative data that makes it possible for Hartman to check the changes. Hartman has determined that the 20 steps model plan is perfect system since it agrees with the guidelines of ISO 9000 and will strengthen those standards.

The Implementation Process

The following steps need to be taken in order to achieve the implementation total quality system. In an organization such as Hartman’s it can be complex to get the support. Steps 1 to 11 are steps in the phase of preparation as discussed earlier; here is a complete detail of each of these steps as they are performed. The executive level commitment is important to start this process. The top level management responsibility is to provide the leadership and better training. Developing an infrastructure that helps in continuous improvement and establishing the steering committee is also provided by the management of executive level. The steering committee can attend an activity of team building where training on the total quality techniques, philosophy, and tools can be taught. This empowerment establishes a buy-in by the management and trains them for the future task. Next the step of creation or in this situation re-creation of the guiding principles and vision statement are set together. With the help of this strategic objectives are established and the ideas decided are now complete to be shared all through the organization. A live meeting, with the help of satellite and teleconference, is set up with all locations. The guiding principles and vision in addition to the objectives are conveyed to all people. This is believed to be the starting point of the implementation plan and will move indefinitely from this point. The weaknesses and strengths of the organization become the principal focus and the information that has been gathered will support in identifying which approach need to use. Identifying the resisters and advocates early and work with employees to measure the feelings and overall views of employees. Conducting customer satisfaction surveys to control if the efforts concerning to the total quality are creating a difference.

The planning stage consists on the steps from 12 to 15 and the first of which steps is the Plan-Do-Check-Adjust (PDCA) cycle.  The PDCA cycle is managed by the steering committee and is a permanent process of implementing total quality. In this process on-going information is obtained to support the corrections and adjustments along the way. After the formation of new teams and sub-groups are formed at this step with the purpose of establishing new projects. Based on weaknesses and strengths the committee will choose the projects. These projects will range from the simplest to the more challenging and complex. The steering committee will then establish the teams to execute each type of project and provide the essential training.

The final stage is the execution stage that consists on steps from 16 to 20 for team guidance and activation. The committee presents all teams with responsibilities and direction, by employing the PDCA cycle and the total quality techniques. The response provided to the committee by the team that is further used to make changes. The satisfaction of customer is also element of the process of information gathering carried out by the teams. Sales results, surveys, customer complaints and warranty information. This information is important to constant quality improvements and is collected number of times in a year. The last step is to make amendments within the procedures, process and infrastructure of the organizations. This is often performed by the steering committee.

Conclusion

Hartman Industries LLC is well established organization with the vision to become an international corporation with tenacity. In order to achieve this vision Hartman Industries need to take the essential initiatives to maintain its customer base at the same time of expanding its resources. Using the Goesch-David 20 Steps total quality implementation system. Hartman can slowly make improvements and changes by receiving the feedback outside from customers and inside from employees.

Reference

Gitlow, Howard S. (2000). Quality Management Systems: A Practical Guide. New York: CRC Press.

Cobb, Charles G. (2003). From Quality to Business Excellence: A Systems Approach to Management. New York: Amer Society for Quality.

The official website of Hartman, i.e. http://www.hartmaninc.com/