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QUALITY in PRACTICE Bringing Quality Principles to Life at KARLEE43 customer's requirements and producing accord- KARLEE is a contract manufacturer of precision sheet ing to those requirements. Teams are empowered metal and machined components for telecommunica- to change targets recommended during strategic tions, semiconductor, and medical equipment indus- planning if they believe it will help them achieve tries, located in Garland, Texas. KARLEE provides a higher performance, as well as to schedule work, vertically integrated range of services that support cus- tomers from initial component design to a finished, manage inventory, and design the layout of their work areas. assembled product. Their services include: Process Approach. Processes such as prototype Advanced design engineering support development, scheduling, production setup, fab- . Prototype production rication, assembly, and delivery require process Manufacture and assembly of precision machined owners to be responsible for maintaining the pro- and sheet metal fabricated products cess to customer requirements. A Quality Assur- Product finishing (painting, silk screening, plating) Value-added assembly integration (cabling, ance team member works with manufacturing power supply and back plane Installation, and teams to create process documentation. electrical testing) System Approach to Management. KARLEE'S strategic planning approach includes a strategic Throughout its business, KARLEE exemplifies the prin- assessment of the entire company, and aligns cor- ciples of total quality in its business practices. Some of these are described below. porate objectives and goals with its key business drivers. KARLEE uses information and data to set Customer Focus. KARLEE made a strategic deci- goals, align organizational directions and manage slon to carefully select customers that support its resource at the operating process, and organiza- values-particularly, a systematic approach to tional levels. business and performance management, desire Continual Improvement. Teams use a structured for long-term partnerships, and global leadership. approach to evaluate and improve their pro- Management and Team Leaders work with each cesses, documenting them and presenting a sta- customer to establish current requirements and future needs, and each customer is assigned a tus report of improvements to senior leaders and the KARLEE Steering Committee. Tears bench- three-person Customer Service team that is on call 24 hours a day for day-to-day production mark competitors, "best practice companies, and customers to learn from others. Issues Leadership. Senior Executive Leaders (SELS) and Factual Approach to Decision Making. Teams the KARLEE Leadership Committee (KLC) set the analyze defect data, customer-reported problems, strategic direction of the company, and commu- and control charts generated during production nicate and reinforce values and expectations to identify problems and opportunities for through performance reviews, participation in improvement. Every business goal and project improvement or strategic projects, regular inter- has defined methods for measurement, and actions with customers and team members, and senior leaders meet weekly to review company recognition of team member achievements. performance and ensure alignment with direc- Involvement of People. Production and delivery tions and plans. processes are designed around cell manufactur- Mutually Beneficial Supplier Relationships. KAR- ing. Teams are responsible for knowing their LEE selects and develops suppliers that share their commitment to customer satisfaction to Question: Discuss how KARLEE's practices reflect on the philosophies of Deming and juran individually (100-200 words). Permalink Reply