Quality Pays

Companies can only be successful in the long ter if they place quality at the core of their corporate philosophy and strategy. This was the major finding of the study 'Excellence in Quality Management', a joint study of the automotive supply industry by McKinsey & Company in Europe, the USA and Japan, and the Technical University of Darmstyadt, Germany, in close collaboration with many automotive suppliers. This book, based on the study, offers both a detailed analysis and a blueprint for success for manufacturers worldwide.

The level of quality demanded by the automotive industry from its suppliers has risen steeply in recent years. Quality, reliability and competitiveness are now the only sound basis on which to compete for new business. Customers expect zero defects. This demands the closest attention from every employee at every level of the supplier company along with a total dedication to continuous improvement.

Compromise is not an option. It will threaten the life of the company. Only companies dedicated to quality are successful, profitable and on the road to growth.

1. Introduction: Why and How Quality Pays
2. Strategy and Organization: Think Quality
3. The R&D Process: Value to the External and Internal Customer
4. The Production Process: Zero Defects at Source
5. Japan, Europe and the US: Learning from the Strengths of Others
6. The Road to Quality

• Appendix A: Top Quality Tools
• Appendix B: Quality Profiles by Country

I am supposed to be excited about this? A very boring book by boring McKinsey consultants that are German engineers. It is as uplifting as it sounds like.