As the complexity of the products which are manufactured in China increases, and automakers struggle in both Europe and America, the possibility of China becoming the major manufacturer of cars for export to the United States grows everyday. The recent media coverage (see links below in this post) of China’s auto making capacity brings to light a manufacturing sector that is exploding in the Mainland. Just yesterday I visited a factory in Henan province that was producing disc brakes for several major Chinese automakers, and the rather sizable facility was running at full capacity. However, as fast growing as China’s potential to be the world leader in auto manufacturing is, I’ll tell you that this major auto parts supplier was far from comparable in quality and manufacturing control systems to similar manufacturers in the USA. I see three major factors that Chinese auto manufactures will need to pay special attention to, from a quality standpoint, if they expect to export autos in mass to the USA and Europe:
1. Ability to apply what they have learned from joint ventures foreign manufacturers in China - This has generally always been a strong point in China. From “replica” Gucci bags, to high quality computer knock-offs, China is a pro at acquiring knowledge and technical skill from leading brands and others who are manufacturing on their soil. In the case of producing such complex products such as cars, this ability extends to include their ability to procure experts from the international auto manufacturing industry to work for Chinese manufacturers.
2. Implementing separate quality departments within the factory - One of the keys to producing any quality product is creating a separate and distinct quality department within the factory, which functions similar to an outside quality “auditor”. The best consumer product factories in China have already implemented this process.
3. Ability to develop the domestic supply chain for high quality auto parts - In auto manufacturing, a strong and stable part supply chain is integral to producing a high quality product. Chinese manufacturers ability to not only find quality local part suppliers, but also to implement supplier training and in depth evaluations of potential suppliers, will play an important factor in their development as auto exporters.
Although these factors will need some hard work and time to overcome, that’s nothing that China hasn’t overcome before when they exploded as the major exporter of consumer goods in the 1980’s. From my point of view, the combination of the meticulous and quality-driven Taiwanese management style, super-aggressive Hong Kong style trading style, and never yielding Chinese work ethic, will prove to be the successful formula for the world’s leading auto exporter.
This post is written by a quality control expert in China. For more information, please see our Alibaba Company Profile.
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