AIAG’s Quality 2020 study reveals that OEMs and suppliers rank product development concerns among the top four most critical issues impacting quality. 

The other three top concerns are problem solving, customer service requirements, and quality management systems — see reports, “Inadequate Problem Solving Tops the List of Automakers’ Quality Concerns,”  “Standardizing Customer Specific Requirements Represents an Opportunity for Industry-Wide Collaboration,” and “Redundant QMS Requirements Affect Supplier Efficiencies and Ability to Respond to Quality-Related Events.”

OEMs and suppliers agree that assuring product compliance is the top reason why product development is key. OEMs also feel this issue is important to innovation and to sustained quality performance, while suppliers place greater emphasis on impact to profitability and operations.

The survey upon which the study is based was conducted by the Automotive Industry Action Group (AIAG) in collaboration with Deloitte Consulting LLP and released as a free downloadable white paper on June 10, 2015.

Quality 2020 uses the survey data to identify needed improvements, with the goal of putting them in place by 2017 and then measuring the results of this industry-wide quality initiative by 2020. The report illuminates where the industry needs to take action and calls on automotive companies to get engaged and commit resources to address the concerns.

Some interesting results emerged from the Quality 2020 study regarding product development, including:

• OEMs and suppliers overwhelmingly describe themselves as capable in product development.
• OEMs and suppliers identify these top five product development improvement opportunities: design in quality, design for manufacturability, lean product development, system DFMEA, and design for Six Sigma.
• OEM and supplier respondents agree that the top two sources of complexity and risk are unrealistic expectations and the concern that, at times, system validation occurs at launch.

“We strongly believe very close collaboration is needed between suppliers and their customers to drive world class levels of quality,” says Fiat Chrysler Automobiles' (FCA) Sig Huber, director, purchasing, supplier relations. “Whether done through early selection of suppliers and/or strict adherence to program milestones, it is important to provide as much development time for the program as possible.”

Bill Hurles, who serves as director of General Motors’ supply chain and leads the global operations of 69 assembly plants and 90 component/stamping/powertrain plants, says the effort to take action on design in quality and design in manufacturability is “critically important” to problem prevention, and “their effective use will be a win-win-win for customers, suppliers, and OEMs.”

Commenting on the Quality 2020 study results, Michael G. Sinnaeve, global vice president, operational improvement and quality for Magna International Inc., says, “Our industry needs to improve its capabilities in effective problem solving, but at the same time, take all of the knowledge from the lessons learned and ensure that we build it into future products. We cannot only focus on the one element to advance our industry.”

For more information on how to get involved in AIAG’s quality-related initiatives, visit www.aiag.org or contact Karen Whitmore.