Real-World Example
Q Program for Systematic Error Prevention in Vehicle Dynamics
Launching a quality initiative in the vehicle dynamics development division of a leading premium automaker.
Background
Quality and reliability play a significant role throughout the entire value chain. This is due to the transfer of development and production responsibilities from OEMs to suppliers, which is particularly true in the automotive industry. This growing importance is driven in particular by the structural changes brought about by the emergence of large module and system suppliers, increasing product complexity, high cost pressure, a growing number of innovation areas, and heightened quality expectations among end customers. Customer focus remains at the heart of automotive manufacturers’ strategies. “Prevention of defects” is therefore the motto, rather than accepting costly inspections to achieve quality goals.
Specific Task Description
- Identify procedural and organizational sources of error
- Initiate measures to improve product quality and evaluate them from a business perspective
- Embedding Goal Achievement in Management's Balanced Scorecard
KBC Approach
Caught between the need for reaction and prevention, our client’s quality efforts in the area of vehicle dynamics were currently heavily focused on troubleshooting. However, the focus of the program to be implemented was on strengthening preventive measures to achieve a significant increase in development performance. Thanks to our many years of experience in automotive development, we were able to work with our client’s program management team to identify the key areas requiring action based on the framework conditions and analyze their root causes. By taking the lead in defining the program’s scope and conducting a business case analysis (costs and benefits) of the individual measures, we were able to quickly secure top management’s approval of the program’s content and actions for our client.
Impact Achieved
Together with our client, we were able to identify the key areas of focus—market orientation, quality, process chain integration, and preventive measures—through joint discussions. Through 15 content-focused enabler measures in these three key areas—which were evaluated and agreed upon using business cases—quality efforts in our client’s key technical areas can be sustainably improved in the future.
