What’s up with product quality lately? Despite recent efforts to address the issue, quality still plagues manufacturers in a wide variety of industries.
The recent slew of recalls in the auto industry is disturbing. What happened to all those Sig Sigma and lean manufacturing initiatives that are supposed to error-proof assembly?
WASHINGTON—A new FDA report notes that medical device recalls have almost doubled in the past 10 years. The most common reason for recalls in that period was device and software design failure.
DEARBORN, MI—The recent surge in U.S. auto production is hurting vehicle quality because automotive parts suppliers have less time to fix problems that emerge on the line, according to Ford Motor Co.’s new global purchasing chief.
NORTHBROOK, IL—Although 84 percent of manufacturers believe that consumer confidence in product safety is increasing, 58 percent of consumers believe manufacturers value sales over product safety, according to a new study by United Laboratories.
WASHINGTON—Some 16.2 million vehicles were recalled last year, a 4.5 percent increase compared with 2011, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
