Sanpo-yoshi Communication

Printing Column] Does Prioritizing Quality Reduce Productivity?

I am sometimes asked by young workers in a factory, "If we focus on quality, productivity will drop. To this I reply, "If you pursue quality, productivity should increase on its own. What are your priorities in production at Marushin?

In other words, quality is more important than productivity. In other words, quality is more important than productivity.

1. Productivity takes precedence over quality
2. Chasing both quality and productivity
3. quality first

Interestingly, in our experience, only the quality-first approach (3) has shown a steady and consistent increase in productivity. In fact, productivity has increased significantly in departments where complaints have been dramatically reduced. The productivity of the first priority, productivity, does not increase as much as one might expect because of the increase in reprints, machine breakdowns, and inspections.

If you are pursuing both quality and productivity, you are always weighing quality and productivity in your thinking. As a result, when quality is emphasized, productivity is often sacrificed, and when productivity is emphasized, quality is often sacrificed. The result is instability in both quality and productivity. It is precisely this situation that the young worker spoke of.

The "3) Quality first" repeats the thought of making quality the best, although productivity is also taken into consideration if the quality is the same. This means checking and preparing in advance. Maintain the machine in good working order. The ability to quickly bring the machine to a normal state and to make decisions when something happens will increase. As a result, there will be fewer problems, and productivity will increase on its own because there will be no hesitation in taking action when there is a problem.

A first-rate sushi chef or potter, as a result of his mastery of quality, produces an item of the highest quality with lean movements. In golf, when you are able to hit the ball straight, you are able to put the ball in the cup with fewer strokes. We will always aim for high quality so that we can deliver products to our customers with the best quality in both printing and processing.