Quality Control

"Prevent defects rather than detect defects." Dr. Edward Demmings, the "God Father" of Quality Control

Management Commitment

China Array's upper management has a unique blend of quality control experience specific to both China and plastics. Russell Johnson, President, has contract manufactured industrial components in China since 1980: arguably the most difficult QC assignment anywhere over the last two decades, as Chinese factories have evolved from gargantuan State Owned Enterprises (SOE) to hybrid Township Village Enterprises (TOE) to entrepreneurial private ownership; against a back drop of breakneck, double digit annual GDP growth. China Array has consistently met international quality standards and those of its customers.

For the last 12 years, Li Qinren, General Manager of Wuhan factory, has been the company's hands-on man on the ground for quality control in China. Formerly, Chief Engineer for the China State Shipbuilding Corporation's (CSSC) Marine Instrumentation Plant, Li's mission was to develop and bring to completion complex military technology in the area of nautical and aeronautical navigation systems. (From 1987 to 89, he was on loan to MIT helping to develop an aeronautical gyroscope.) Mr. Li has been crucial to China Array's quality control success in China instituting cooperative QC programs at suppliers verified by unannounced inspections with unfettered access to production facilities. As General Manager of China Array Wuhan he applies the same unyielding standards.

Carl Olson, VP Sales and Marketing, has both resin development and laboratory testing in his career background. As an Applications Development Engineer at GE Plastics (now Sabic Innovative Plastics) for 23 years, Olson helped to develop many of the HPTP's in the forefront of the industry today. Subsequently, he was a manager at Plastics Technologies Laboratory Inc. (PTLI), a lab dedicated to testing plastics and elastomers, and an advocate of statistical analysis: a key tenant of modern quality control. Olson, a world class expert in stress analysis, applies the full panoply of resin and testing knowledge to China Array's production. Mike Caropreso, China Array's Lead Process Engineer, held that same position at GE Plastics for nearly thirty years. As a trouble shooter for GEP, Caropreso has seen problems through the large lens of the telescope looking back at what went wrong: an uniquely valuable QC perspective.

Control of the Process

From RM to FG (raw material to finished good) is a motto at China Array, where the entire production process is controlled in the firm's 100% owned factory. The company molds high performance (i.e. high cost) resins, which are produced by a handful of world class manufacturers: Solvay Advanced Polymers, Sabic Innovative Plastics and BASF, to name three major ones. They provide materials certifications with each shipment, which are filed along with resin and parts samples for each mold test and production run. China Array's molds are built by a single, captive tool maker, the design and construction of which are fully vetted by China Array's engineers. Mold tests are performed in-house. Samples are analyzed, with an emphasis on stress analysis of the finished good, and stored electronically and in hard copy. They are measured extensively and critical dimensions are determined for future ongoing production testing. First and last samples from production runs are tested and saved. Lot traceability is well established. Customer feedback and field testing is documented. From RM to FG, China Array controls and is accountable for, the process.

Identify and Rectify Problems Early

Another of Dr. Demming's adages is that "the sooner a problem is discovered, the easier it is to fix." Anyone who has shipped defective product can attest to this. One of the things China Array discovered working with its sub suppliers over the years is that the shop workers are the first line of defense in quality control. China Array trains and rewards its workers for finding quality problems. Because the resins it molds are so valuable, the company places more emphasis on defect free production than on high volume through put. A worker is not penalized for stopping production, if he thinks there is a problem. Instilling QC values in its workers is the surest way to follow Dr. Demming's advice about catching and fixing problems early.

Adapt to China

It is China Array's long history of manufacturing in China with hands-on, factory floor level quality control that gives it a competitive edge over its competition and its customers the assurance they need that parts will be of consistently high quality parts. Consistency of quality has been an ongoing challenge in China. Firms have the capability to produce quality parts, but lack the vigilance to do so on every production run. Implementing a QC program that Chinese workers will buy into and participate in is the first step in establishing consistency. China Array has had experience with. Bridging the gap between Western standards and expectations and Chinese practices and reality is China Array's specialty. Paying attention to detail, working within the parameters of management and labor, finding the synergies from combining the "Chinese" way and the "Western" way, keeping communications open, being persistent and, again to quote Demmings, "banishing fear from the factory" all contribute to an effective, sustainable quality control system in China.

Coordinate with Customers

Customers are the ultimate arbiters of quality. The QC systems and statistical and physical analysis are in place for one reason: to satisfy the customer. The customer defines the critical quality aspects of a product. China Array works to keep the customer involved in every step of the process. The company is confident in its work and open with its customers, who are vital in understanding a problem and framing a solution. Testing and analysis data are useful to the customer in determining how a product is working in the field, and how it can be improved in the future.

Materials, Molds & Machinery

Having the right tools for production is the foundation of good quality. China Array's materials come from world leaders in the industry; same with its tool steel. It's tool maker has proven itself over the years to be highly capable. (China Array adheres to The Society of the Plastics Industry (SPI) Mold Standards & Classifications:an excellent basis for quality control.) China Array's capital equipment and facilities are dedicated to HPTP molding: desiccant drier, oil temperature controllers, high temperature injection molding machines with adequate clamp tonnage, pressures and speeds lay the foundation for exceptional quality.