Chris - I don't think your understanding of Japanese and German QC is
correct. Both (and probably all) manufacturers have peaks and valleys in
their QC measurements. The trick is to narrow this gap, and the successful
companies work very hard to do quality testing at the lowest level (i.e. at
the suppliers) and then continue checking as components and material make it
into the final product. The more comprehensive this process, the better the
final product. If QC was perfect and the final products never had failures,
there would be no need for a warranty!
In the case of our favorite car brand, I believe that too much of the
initial QC has been left to suppliers, and therefore they have allowed parts
into the final assembly that may have more latent flaws than can be
accepted. Part of this problem is the age-old concept of low bidder; if a
supplier had more control and testing, they would have to raise their
prices, and thereby lose their contracts. All companies try to buy their
material at the lowest cost, in order to sell the final product
competitively.
It just appears that at this time, some of the Japanese firms have managed
to have tighter control of their suppliers. But there is "junk" out there
to buy from any country - its still caveat emptor!
Werner
----- Original Message -----
From: "Chris Kueny" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "Mercedes Discussion List" <mercedes@okiebenz.com>
Sent: Saturday, January 13, 2007 7:31 PM
Subject: Re: [MBZ] Mercedes Quality
Somebody who knows more than me should point out the difference in
Japanese
QC vs German QC. The Germans accept a certain amount of bad cars, and try
like heck to catch them and fix them before shipping them, while the
Japanese see any bad car as a problem in the process, and find a way to
fix
the process so that problem just doesn't happen anymore. Have I got that
right?
Chris K
Cayce, SC
