Hank Kolb Director Quality Assurance Case Solution

1. What are the causes of quality problems on the Greasex line?

There are many reasons which are affecting the quality at Greasex line; the manufacturing department was treating the quality department as a joke. From the shipping department, they have transferred the operators for the filling equipment just two weeks ago. These operators don’t have any formal training, and they are just being trained by Wayne to operate the filling equipment. Also, the equipment used at the Greasex line was not originally designed for it. It had been purchased two years ago for the use of another product, six months ago, this equipment was moved to the Greasex line, and it requires a lot of maintenance and adjustments. The adjustment needed is to design a special filling head for this line. There was no proper maintenance for this this equipment and also for the filling head and in the last six months this has been replaced by three times. Another reason that creates quality problems at Greasex line is from the purchasing end, the plastic nozzle heads used for the Greasex can were designed in a rush by a vendor, and it lacks quality. Often the nozzle heads are being found with burrs on the inside of the rim, and also this is causing trouble to fit on the top of the can, but the company tried to resolve this issue by increasing more pressure at the filling head, and they are going to discuss this with the vendor for the next time. The company designed new can to allow better gripping for the customer, and the new designs helps the customer to easily differentiate between Greasex and its competitors. But the company didn’t test the can on filling hydrodynamics through a high-pressured filling head, and also, there has been no testing on the filling speed. The new packaging design could also be a reason effecting the quality of Greasex line. From the manufacturing point of view, the team have been under pressure to reduce delivery time and cost improvement, and because of this, they don’t encourage rework. The last reason could be the influx of customers because of the marketing team’s new campaign to create awareness. Instead of focusing on the quality of cans, the company’s focus is to have their products on the shelf. The company’s priority is not quality; instead, their priority is to gain maximum market share. 

2. Has Hank done anything wrong?

According to the case study, Hank left his previous job because he thought that this company was serious about the quality of their products, and he wanted a challenge. The company is serious about the quality, and this is the reason they have hired him, and they are also paying them the same as what they are paying to other directors. Also, Morganthal, the general manager of the company, also warned Hank about the lack of quality attitude in the company.