bookrandom Chapter 570 Initial results
Chapter 570 Initial results
Li Xiangyang patted Ma Qingfu on the shoulder: "Doing business is like being a person; you have to have principles. We'd rather go slower, but we must proceed steadily."
Just then, the office phone rang.
Li Xiangyang answered the phone; it was Lin Zhihua calling.
"Mr. Li, I have good news for you." Lin Zhihua's voice was excited. "Yesterday I told the client about your refusal to place an additional order, and do you know what they said?"
"How so?" Li Xiangyang asked, somewhat curious.
"They said that suppliers with such principles are the kind of partners worth having long-term collaborations with," Lin Zhihua said with a smile. "The client has decided that if this batch of goods performs well, they will place all their orders for the entire South China region with you next quarter."
Li Xiangyang was secretly delighted, but remained outwardly calm: "Then we must make sure these 50,000 sets are produced perfectly."
"Oh, right, the client also made a suggestion," Lin Zhihua continued, "They hope you can establish a more comprehensive quality management system, which will provide greater assurance for future cooperation."
After hanging up the phone, Li Xiangyang fell into thought.
Quality management system...that is indeed a problem.
Although the factory's products are of good quality now, it mainly relies on the experience and sense of responsibility of the workers.
To handle larger orders, it is indeed necessary to establish a standardized quality management system.
"Fatty, do you think we should hire a professional quality manager?" Li Xiangyang asked.
Ma Qingfu thought for a moment: "That's a good idea. But where can we find such talent?"
“I remember someone,” Li Xiangyang’s eyes lit up. “Do you remember Teacher Liu from the county technical school? He used to be the head of the quality department in a state-owned factory. I heard he retired from the technical school recently.”
“Liu Wanshan?” Ma Qingfu remembered. “Yes, he is indeed an expert in this field.”
In the afternoon, Li Xiangyang and Ma Qingfu went to visit Liu Wanshan.
Liu Wanshan is fifty-eight years old this year. His hair is gray and he is wearing a pair of reading glasses. He is tending to his flowers and plants at home.
"Mr. Li, Mr. Ma, what brings you here?" Liu Wanshan warmly invited them to sit down.
Li Xiangyang got straight to the point and explained his purpose.
After listening, Liu Wanshan took off his glasses and slowly wiped them: "You want me to work in your factory as a quality manager?"
“Yes, Professor Liu,” Li Xiangyang said sincerely, “We urgently need professionals in this field.”
Liu Wanshan pondered for a moment: "To be honest, I really can't stay idle. Growing flowers and plants at home always feels like something's missing."
"So you mean...?" Ma Qingfu asked tentatively.
“I can consider it,” Liu Wanshan nodded, “but I have one condition.”
“You say.”
"I want to visit your factory first to get a feel for the situation before making a decision."
Li Xiangyang immediately agreed: "Of course, when is a convenient time for you?"
"Tomorrow morning then."
The next day, Liu Wanshan visited the factory for an on-site inspection.
He walked around the workshop for a long time, carefully observed the production process, and chatted with several experienced workers for a long time.
Finally back in his office, Liu Wanshan said with a serious expression, "Your factory has a good foundation, and the workers' technical skills are also good, but there are indeed problems with quality management."
"What exactly is the problem?" Li Xiangyang asked humbly.
"First, there's a lack of standardized operating procedures," Liu Wanshan said, counting on his fingers. "Second, quality inspection standards are not clear enough. Third, there's no complete quality record archive."
Li Xiangyang and Ma Qingfu exchanged a glance; they had indeed failed to notice these issues.
"If I were to come, the first thing I would do is establish a complete quality management system," Liu Wanshan continued. "From raw materials entering the factory to finished products leaving the factory, every step must have clear standards and records."
"Isn't this... a bit too complicated?" Ma Qingfu asked with some concern. "Our workers aren't very well-educated; will they be able to adapt?"
Liu Wanshan smiled: "Rules are rigid, people are flexible. The key is to make them simple and practical, so that workers can easily understand and implement them."
Li Xiangyang immediately made a decision: "Teacher Liu, when can you start work?"
“Next Monday,” Liu Wanshan readily agreed. “But I have one request: the salary doesn’t need to be too high, but I want decision-making power. Quality management is non-negotiable.”
“No problem!” Li Xiangyang extended his hand. “Welcome, Teacher Liu, to our team.”
The first thing Liu Wanshan did after taking office was to hold a quality management training session for all employees.
"Comrades, quality is the lifeblood of an enterprise." Liu Wanshan stood at the front of the conference room, his voice booming. "Every product we make represents the image of our factory."
The workers in the audience listened attentively, some even taking notes.
"Starting tomorrow, we will implement a new quality management system." Liu Wanshan took out a stack of documents. "These are the new work instructions; everyone should study them carefully."
Old Wang raised his hand and asked, "Teacher Liu, won't these regulations affect our production efficiency?"
“It might be a little slow at first, but once you get the hang of it, your efficiency will actually increase,” Liu Wanshan patiently explained. “Because rework and scrap are reduced, the overall efficiency is actually improved.”
After the meeting, Li Xiangyang had a long private conversation with Liu Wanshan.
"Mr. Liu, what areas do you think our factory needs to improve?"
Liu Wanshan thought for a moment: "Besides quality management, I think employee training is also very important. Market competition is becoming increasingly fierce, and technology is updating rapidly; workers also need to keep learning."
“You’re right,” Li Xiangyang nodded in agreement. “However, training requires time and money, which will increase costs.”
"In the short term, it increases costs, but in the long term, it saves costs," Liu Wanshan analyzed. "Skilled workers produce higher quality products, are more efficient, and result in higher customer satisfaction."
Li Xiangyang wholeheartedly agreed. In his previous life, he had seen too many companies that, in order to save costs, were unwilling to invest in employee training, resulting in outdated technology, decreased product competitiveness, and ultimately, being eliminated by the market.
A month later, Liu Wanshan's quality management system began to take effect in the factory.
Li Xiangyang was inspecting the workshop when he saw that each piece of equipment had a standardized operating procedure diagram posted next to it, and the workers were working in an orderly manner according to the standard procedures.
After each process is completed, a dedicated quality inspector will inspect and record the results.
"Xiangyang, come and take a look at this." Ma Qingfu walked over with a statistical table in his hand.
Li Xiangyang took the form, raising an eyebrow: "The scrap rate has dropped from three percent to one percent?"
"Not only that, the rework rate has also dropped by half," Ma Qingfu said excitedly, pointing to the numbers. "Teacher Liu's system really works."