Factors Affecting Product Quality

Product quality isn't simply about meeting demand for design and usability - it also has to balance every internal and external factor affecting the quality of that very good or service. Let's explore the factors affecting product quality through the article below.

Factors affecting product quality

1. Understanding product quality

Product quality is the set of attributes and characteristics of a product that meet the requirements set by the manufacturer and consumer, giving the product its use value. Some product attributes can be measured and compared using a system of technical specifications, and some characteristics can't be precisely quantified.

It's essential for every company to ensure a better-quality product for the consumers who pay for it and expect to receive the best quality product. If this satisfaction isn't met, competing products may be chosen by the customer instead. This will affect your business's reputation.

To improve product quality, you need to clearly understand the factors affecting product quality. There are 2 main groups of factors with a direct influence:

• The group of internal factors
• The group of external factors

Let's explore these 2 factors below.

2. Factors affecting product quality

Internal factors

There are 4 internal factors within a business that directly affect production activity and product quality: People, machinery, materials, and method.

People

In every production system, people are always the most important factor among those affecting product quality, whether business leaders, workers, or even consumers.

• Leadership: The market is always changing, becoming increasingly demanding and more competitive. Managers therefore need to be quick to grasp changes and trends. Leaders need to provide vision and build consensus around brand-building matters, including the content around ensuring product quality.
• The workforce: Professional qualifications, discipline, and work ethic among the workforce are the very factors that determine the quality of goods and services. Ultimately, no matter how automated production becomes, people remain the factor directly involved in producing products, through work that requires creativity and sharpness.

This reality requires businesses to train their staff to have both strong professional qualifications and skilled hands-on ability, as well as a firm grasp of the production process and scientific management thinking. Next is fostering employees' constant spirit of creativity, breathing life into quality management activity through innovation and keeping up with the ever-changing market trends.

Besides that, business leaders must also give their employees the chance to access new technology to produce products that meet international quality standards. From there, they maintain stability and gradually raise product quality.

Machinery

Machinery and equipment are the decisive factor in forming the product in general, and product quality in particular. Therefore, the quality and consistency of production machinery and equipment will affect the stability of product quality.

On the other hand, applying modern technology with advanced production methods also helps a business reduce material and fuel consumption in production, improve working conditions, and reduce negative environmental impact... This is an effective competitive weapon for Vietnamese businesses in modern manufacturing.

Given this reality, strong investment in technology renewal plays an extremely important role. Businesses need to gradually shift and renew their facilities, including: technology production line systems, and measurement and quality inspection systems. Avoid buying old machinery, since such systems will consume a lot of materials and fuel while efficiency may not be high... Besides that, businesses also need to pay attention to modern technology solutions that help with effective machinery management.

Read more: 6 steps in an effective production management process

Materials

Materials are the factor that directly makes up the product. Therefore, the nature of the materials will directly determine the quality of the finished product a business manufactures. So, to have a quality-assured product, a business must first pay attention to the issue of material quality, and on the other hand must ensure suppliers provide materials in the correct quantity, correct quality, and on time, helping production activity happen continuously and smoothly according to plan.

A business needs to note that any material involved in the production process affects product quality. That's why consistency in input material quality is an important factor, requiring every organization to pay attention to and research it carefully.

Method

Method refers to the approaches and directional ways an entity uses to carry out quality management tasks. An effective method plays an important role in ensuring a product's quality indicators, ensuring safety and reliability throughout the product's cycle; it also determines the product's competitive factors (quality, price, timing, and more).

In reality, production factors - from input materials to worker capability, however high the level - if a business doesn't have an effective management method, will lead to ineffective coordination between departments within the organization, and it won't be possible to create a high-quality product that meets consumer expectations.

However, choosing a method as well as applying and operating a system needs to be considered comprehensively. This is reflected in awareness and understanding of quality and the level of management staff, the ability to accurately build goals, quality policy, and direct the organization to implement quality programs and plans... A business can seek advice from production management experts or providers of digital transformation solutions for production, to more easily achieve its strategic goals.

External factors

Effectiveness of the management mechanism

The development and expansion of every business closely depends on the management mechanism and legal framework of each government, including improving and raising the quality of products from the units themselves.

Specifically, the basis for inspection and control activity around the safety and quality of products and goods is national standards and technical regulations. Therefore, every business needs to build, apply, and comply with the standards and technical regulations issued by the state. This is the foundation ensuring equality and stable development of the production process, ensuring the reputation and rights of both manufacturers and consumers.

Socio-economic conditions

As social living standards rise along with more and more units participating in the production and supply of products, and as competition increases, demand for quality also increases accordingly. This has made consumers more demanding in their selection and consumption, yet sometimes they accept paying a high - even very high - price to satisfy their personal needs.

Market requirements

Market demand is one of the specific factors governing the product quality issue for businesses. This is not only the starting point of the quality management process, but also the driving force and direction for every unit to keep improving product quality better.

Accordingly, if a business can meet market demand, it will increase consumers' willingness and ability to pay to get it.

To do this well, a business needs to improve its forecasting ability, keep plans ready to deal with potential risks and bring them down to the lowest level. Finally, forecasts can be turned into a "calculation" of market demand with high accuracy.

Development of science and technology

The influence of technology on modern production activity can't be denied. New technology gives every party more opportunity to join the global supply chain, thanks to shortened product technology cycles, and product quality becoming ever richer and more diverse.

Therefore, businesses must constantly monitor market fluctuations around innovation in science and technology (including materials, technique, technology, equipment, and more) to quickly adjust their development path. Only then can they keep up in perfecting product quality as well as thoroughly meeting consumer requirements.

3. The golden solution to raise quality management

Applying S.I.S's quality management software, a business's product quality inspection will become more systematic. Managers can easily track and grasp the status of products and goods. From there, they can make decisions about importing/exporting goods and managing inventory to maximize costs.

Advantages of quality management software

• 4 category types:
• Inspection criteria category
• Inspection method category
• Inspection defect category
• Defect cause category

• DATA UPDATES: 8 functional forms
• Request form
• IQC incoming-material quality control form
• PQC production quality control form
• OQC inspection form
• Returned-goods quality inspection form
• NG (non-good) handling report template
• Production incident control form (already available on the production module)
• Quantity inspection form (already available on the production module)

• A full reporting system: 19 reports, 6 charts.

Through this article, you now understand the factors affecting product quality, and businesses can rely on these factors to improve product quality. Product is the core factor for a business to survive and develop. Therefore, to manage quality effectively and raise product quality, there's no other way than having a quality management system that's consistent across every stage, thereby raising competitive position in the era of Industry 4.0 technology. If your business needs consulting on quality management software to help improve quality management effectiveness, please contact: 0912.929.785