Industry Activities
Year | The full record of its QC development |
2004 | ISO 9001 certified |
2005 | ISO 14001 certified |
2007 | ISO/TS 16949 certified |
2010 | Purchased an X-ray membrane thickness measuring device |
July of 2011 | Adopted the SAP ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) system |
October of 2011 | Certified by the TAF (the ISO 17025 certificate) so that the test reports issued from its lab have high credibility |
The company’s definition of “quality”: In the past, quality control was about tests. As of now, quality control is the combination of employees, machines, raw materials, methods and environment. | |
ISO 17025 Certificate Further Secures Product Quality
The main products of Shin Chun Enterprise Co. are small screws and long screws. In the past few years, the revenue generated by the sale of automobile fasteners has grown and comprises more than 10% of its turnover. The company’s non-conforming product rate is less than 25 PPM and its product rejection rate has been zero. With regard to its latest ISO 17025 certificate, Paul Chuang, General Manager of the company, said “Before we were awarded with the certificate, we already had 2D / 2.5 D projectors, hardness testers, X-ray membrane thickness measuring device, salt spray testers, etc. and we were familiar with the actual test procedure. So, for succeeding in getting certificate of ISO-17025, what we had to do was mainly spending time on the tough theoretical stuff which enables us to acquire a better understanding of the testing processes and results. I think the hardship in getting the certificate is very worthwhile.” In the future, the company’s lab will be used to enhance the product quality and to provide additional services to clients. In response to why the company puts so much effort in QA, Chuang said, “There are more than 1000 fastener manufacturers in Taiwan; small companies like us have to work hard to develop their own special quality to differentiate from that of the big companies.” Most of Shin Chun’s clients are in Europe and Japan. “We have to meet the high demands of our European and Japanese clients. The clients’ demands have become the biggest driving force for our growth,” added Chuang.
Strict Double Check of Test Data of Collaborative Suppliers
Chuang indicates that there are five people working in company’s QA Dept. and lab.; but if talking about QA system, then whole company’s staffs are all involved. Though its wire rods are made by reliable steelmakers (such as CSC), its QA system has to check the chemical constituents of these wire rods and to test the physical property (like tensile strength etc.) when necessary. Other tests of manufacturing processes such as heading, forming, rolling (SPC is processed for special characters) and especially dehydrogenation are all included. In addition, heat treatment and surface treatment entrusted to the subcontractors are closely monitored. “We intend to establish and a mutually beneficial relation with our collaborative suppliers; for example, molds or thread dies have to be replaced periodically before they are actually worn out. Though such replacements take money, we have to let our collaborative suppliers understand the importance of the quality control,” said Chuang. The company has a high regard for the trainings of QA persons, who are reassigned to another job post regularly so as to have a better understanding of the overall operations. Different teams would mutually inspect and also double-check the test results of its collaborative suppliers so as to reduce the non-conforming items. “To provide 100% quality assurance, inspection plans and tests must be devised and then be implemented thoroughly,” said Deputy manager James Pan, who is the chief of lab and has over 18 years of experience in the field of quality control.
Continuing to Elevate True Value of Products
The company requires that every employee be involved in its QA system. QA meetings are held monthly and QA reports have to be made frequently. “In each QA meeting, all employees have to attend and listen to my nagging; therefore, every employee is familiar with our requirements in QA,” said Chuang. The company uses a performance management mechanism to reach the goal of zero defects in quality. When a new order is reviewed, the relevant persons would pay special attention to the errors generated in the conversion between the metric system and other systems and in the use of thread ring gauges. “For instance, European clients use solid go/no-go ring gauges more to measure, American clients use adjustable go/no-go ring gauges and the Japanese clients use Class 1.2 ring gauges” explained Pan. The goal of high quality can be reached only through prudence and attention to details. In comparison to other companies in Taiwan, Shin Chun is young. However, maybe just because it is young, it is bold and fearless. Other companies may achieve success through bigger production outputs, but it uses “a meticulously designed QA system” to achieve its own success.
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