Quality Control

Quality is a necessary, but complex, element that applies to all aspects of conducting business in today's market. Quality refers to the attributes or properties that describe a product. These are generally expressed in terms of product characteristics such as length, width, weight, colour fastness, durability etc. The factors to achieve quality in a product or service are not uniform. The factors of importance vary among industries.

Quality is such an important commodity to both the consumer and the producer that it has become a goal with many companies. Two approaches to ensuring quality have evolved. Some companies view quality as something that can be controlled by inspecting finished product. Satisfactory or acceptable products pass inspection; unacceptable products are sold as seconds at a lower price. Other companies have defined a level  quality for any output, which ensures that all efforts are directed toward achieving these specific goals. These companies are most likely to test and inspect materials during development and production, so that primarily acceptable products are manufactured. These two approaches illustrate the importance of quality in product development, manufacturing and delivery.

Quality is a complex concept. No single definition addresses all the dimensions, areas of impact, and concerns related to quality. the term itself is used in many ways for many reasons. Each use reflects a different perspective based on philosophy, economics, consumer behaviour, production, engineering and value systems. Definitions may focus on a holistic perspective, the impact of quality on the organisations income, the changing marketplace, the nature of a product or service, the conformity of  a product or service to meet customer's needs and satisfy them.

Quality is actually controlled by the process of manufacture, from design to dispatch. However, the term is conventionally used to describe the process by which management seeks to monitor the quality of output, to compare it with the accepted standards and to act upon the differences.

The consumer remains the ultimate judge of product quality and performance. One of the major problems that businesses have is understanding what consumer look for, how they evaluate tangible and intangible attributes of a product, and what their evaluation means in terms of both satisfaction ad market behaviour.

The concept of quality has become very important within the textile industry complex. Employees refer to quality when they talk about the structure of their company, work with suppliers or vendors, sell to customers, and promote their products.

Consumers are demanding in what they look for in textile products and discriminating in what they find acceptable. Quality is one factor that consumers use in making purchase decisions. Consumers are more likely to purchase a product that they perceive to have good quality than a product that they find lacking in quality. Thus, to satisfy the consumer and remain competitive, a company must consider quality when the product is developed, produced and marketed.

The global marketplace has increased competition throughout the industry. This increased competition affects materials, producers, manufacturers and contractors, retailers and consumers. The products in the market are from many countries and vary significantly in product cost, characteristics and attributes. To survive in this highly competitive climate, companies must maintain quality. Companies that consistently produce substandard or unsatisfactory products do not survive.

Interest in quality has become pervasive within the business world. companies must recognise the importance of incorporating quality in standard day-to-day business practices involving other companies and customers. Companies should demand quality in material received from suppliers and service providers, such as with shipping and computer maintenance. It is standard practise for issues related to quality to be incorporated into contracts. Vendor contracts often refer to manuals that provide detailed descriptions of expectations concerning product characteristics including seam types, colour matching and assessment methods. 

Textile, apparel and furnishings companies compete in a global market. Improving product quality is one way a company can improve its ability to survive. Companies use quality assessments to improve this ability to survive; and for this they devise the Quality Control Departments. 

The main function of the Quality Control Department is not to control quality but to provide a service which allows other people to make good garments. Their main concern must be to do this at the minimum cost, balancing the expense of the department against the savings it makes possible in terms of reduced repairs and rejects. One aspect of this is to define quality level of the plant and of the workplaces in it. To try for a quality above what is natural for the operatives and the machinery with which they work is to invite spoilt work and lost output. 

The maintenance of quality at an agreed level implies clear specifications and these are an important task for this department. As far as possible, specifications should be common to all goods made in the plant. This means that the sheets for individual styles can be kept as brief as possible. They should contain the maximum information in the form of sketches and all dimensions should be quoted with tolerances. Tolerances reflect the extent to which the less than perfect is acceptable. However, small tolerances exist for all garments.

The original function of the quality control department was to stop bad work from leaving the factory and reaching the customer. Nowadays, quality control department concentrates its efforts to reduce the amount of bad work being made which saves the cost of repairs and rejection level. It aims to help make the amounts correctly in the first attempt.