Continuous Improvement Overview
As customers focus on cutting costs, distributors increasingly are
required to document a commitment to quality and continuous
improvement. Whether this documentation is part of a formal
quality certification, such as ISO, or remains more informal, the
ultimate goal is to reduce the customer’s total cost of ownership
by:
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Improving quality.
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Eliminating unnecessary inspections.
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Reducing product failure.
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Continually improving internal processes.
Whether continuous improvement is required to meet customer quality
certification demands or pursued to reduce total cost of ownership, it
benefits the distributor by:
While many elements of traditional quality certification are
manufacturer specific, the following recommendations may be implemented
by distributors or manufacturers. When implementing a continuous
improvement system, companies should focus on:
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Management: A commitment to continuous improvement starts with
management and funnels down throughout the distributor operation by way
of quality policies, system audits, and document and records
management.
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Inputs: Quality standards should be implemented for all processes
related to purchasing, procurement and receiving.
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Internal Operations: Continuous improvement of internal operations
should address all elements of handling, storage, picking, shipping and
delivery.
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Outputs: Quality standards should be implemented to address
after-sale servicing and overall customer satisfaction.
MORE
Continuous Improvement System Elements
Developing a Quality Manual
Continuous Improvement Case Study 
Additional Resources
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