LEATHER & LEATHER PRODUCT TECHNOLOGY INSTITUTE 2002 E.

Reference ..............................................................................................................................................86

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION TO QUALITY CONTROL

There is today a noticeable increase of interest in quality control on the part both of
industries and society in general. There are several reasons for this greater interest:

 Higher demands for quality from customers

 Greater competition

 Demand for better profitability. Often however there is a lack of knowledge of

ways of dealing with product quality.

It is not only for the users of industrial products that quality is meaningful. It is also an
important matter for the manufacturers. Poor quality means costs for manufacture in finding
and rectifying (repair or correct) defects. Poor quality leads to reduction in market share due
to a loss of confidence on the part of the customers.

It is apparent to most manufacturers that poor quality has a negative effect on profitability. It
is not so obvious to many manufacturers, however, that possibilities exist to improve profits
by systematic work on product quality even where the situation is considered to be
satisfactory.

Single results will not be achieved through work on single department in the enterprise, it is
necessary for all those functions which comes into contacts with the products during its
developments, manufactures and use to co-operate in this work. This means that quality must
be considered and controlled by all these functions.

 Market research

 Product development

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 Manufacturing engineering

 Purchasing

 Production

 Inspection

 Marketing and after-sale service

Our lives are dependent in many ways of industrial product, shelter, nutrition,
communication, heath care work and national security. One basic aspect of products of this
type (regardless of whether they are goods or services ) if that must be fit for uses failure in
this respect can lead to death, injury, discomfort or economic loss.

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CHAPTER TWO

QUALITY CONTROL DEFINITION

2.1. Basic concept of Quality

Meet specification, fitness for use, anything that can be improved, absence of
variation, conformance to requirements and bad quality is social loss.

Control

Preventing defects from happening

The subjective definition of element of quality relation to the design, style, color, and
\aesthetics. Objectively, quality is the ability to meet consistently the return and clearly
started specification. These aimed at producing a product suitable for end use and price.

Different scholars or authors define quality; however Professor David Garvin, from Harvard
University defines in to the following principal.

1. Product-based quality view

2. User (customer) based quality view

3. Manufacturing based quality view

4. Value-based quality view

1. Product based quality views

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In this view, quality is determined as a precise and measurable variable and difference
in quality reflects differences in the quality of some ingredient or attitude seen to be
possessed by a product. In this view quality and quantity has direct relation

2. User (customer) based quality view

In this view, definitions are based on the premise that solely the user determined
quality. Individual customers are assumed to have different wants or needs and goods
that best satisfy the preference are the one they regarded, as having the highest
perceived quality. Quality is fitness for use that this view also reflects a highly
personalized and subjective view

3. Manufacturing based quality view

This view focuses on manufacturing and engineering practices. It emphasis

conformance to specified requirements. The higher the degree that meets specified
requirements the higher the quality. This view seeks to ensure that the deviations from
standards set design specifications are minimized.

To achieve the quality of conformance means improving in the design of the

• Equipment

• Materials

• Supervision

• Control

• Training

4. Value based quality view

The base for this view is physiological understanding of the meaning of value.
Consequently, customers have been conditioned to accept that the quality of product
is determined by the price. There for price and quality have a direct relation ship

5. Trader based quality view

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This views deals about that we shall get the right product to the right place at the right
time while exceeding our customer’s expectation.

Quality has not specific or common definition or meaning. Some of general definition
of quality

 Quality is a system which produces a product service, information or delivery on

target with manual variance which meets customers’ needs.

 Quality is complete satisfaction (performance, appearance, longevity (long life) at

the lowest possible cost.

 Quality is to reach customer’s needs at low rates (costs) to the company and
achieving employ satisfaction.

 Quality is the extent to which products, services, products and relationships are free
from defects, constrains (limitation) and items which do not add value for
customers

 The AMERICAN NATIONAL STANDARDS INSTITUTE define<< quality as the

totality of features and characteristics of a product or services that bear (accept or
allow) on its ability to satisfy given needs

Quality connotes different meaning to different peoples. Its concepts may be easy to grasp
but formulating a universal definition is difficult. Some definitions are given below.

 Quality is fitness for purpose or use. Or quality is customer satisfaction. (Jurdan

1974G.C)

 Quality should be aimed at the needs of the customer, present and feature. (Deming)

 Quality is the degree of excellence (fineness). (Webster)

 Quality means best for the certain condition

a. The actual use and

b. The selling price (Feugenbaum 1983 G.C)

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2.2. Dimensions (parameters) of quality

Quality is an important factor which customers looks for in a product to give total
satisfaction. Some of the important parameters of quality are listed below:

1. Performance: (will the product do the intended (planed or proposed) job). Potential
costumer usually evaluate a product to determine if it will perform certain specific
functions and determine how well it perform them.

Example: producing document case leather bag, for what purpose does this bag
produced, does the bag has multi function pocket?

2. Reliability: (how often does the product fail?) different products may need repair
over their service life. The leather machineries should be also reliable so as to
increase productivity.

Example: when we produce the leather garment, it needs higher attention during
stitching. Because the nature of the needle is like cuter edge type and stitch the
component by cutting the part. So re stitching is not done, means no repaired and the
product is rejected.

3. Durability: (how long does the product last?). This is the effective service life of the
product customer obviously want products that performed satisfactorily over a long
period of time.

Example: producing leather garment coat for a big man and if the coat is not with his
physical structure. Does the garment have long life? No, because the person may loss
his comfort and reject the product in short period of time.

4. Serviceability: (how easy is it to repair the product?). There are many industries
where the customer’s view of quality is directly influenced by how quickly and
economically a repair or routine maintenance activity can be accomplished.

Example: planed maintenance of stitching machine.

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5. Aesthetics :( what does the product look like?). this is the visual appeal of the
product, often taking into account factors such as style, color, shape, packaging
alternatives and other sensory features.

6. Features :( what does the product do? ). Usually customer associate high quality with
products that have added features: that is, those that has features beyond the basic
performance of the competition.

2.3. Basic concepts of quality control

Quality control is concerned with the operational techniques for detecting, recording and
taking action to eliminate quality problems. It refers to all activities (process) and
technologies that are used to achieve or maintain the quality of a product or service’

Quality control focuses on finding and eliminating of source of defects and monitoring the
manufacturing process. Quality control consists of developing, designing producing,
marketing, service products and services with optimum cost- effectiveness and usefulness,
which customers will purchase with satisfaction.

In leather industry, quality control should be concerned with the evaluation of test data and its
application to the control of the leather process, raw materials, intermediate products and
final products.

For effective quality control, it is necessary to exercises control over the input material,
process, and employment of skilled labor, management techniques and use of appropriate
tools, equipment and machines

Quality control in eliminating of material wastes and ensures in quality product and full
customers satisfaction.

2.3.1. The meaning of control

Any control system has certain essential features, as follows

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1. There is a plan / in our case the quality standard/

2. We prepare to carry out that plan

3. We carry it out, and all the time we compare what is being achieved with our plan.

4. If we begin to deviate from the plan we ‘feed back’ instruction, so that we return to
the plan

2.3.2. Stages of quality control

There are five stages of quality control and which is written in quality control terms are

1. Set the quality standard or quality desidgn required by the customers

2. Plan to achieve the required quality. This will involve.

a. Planning methods

b. Planning equipment

c. Obtaining satisfactory materials

d. Selecting and training operators

e. Planning inspection and shop floor quality control

3. Manufacture right first time

4. Correct any quality deficiencies

5. Provide for long term quality control and planning.

2.4. Why quality is important?

According to Korathi (1999 G.C), various reports have indicated the following six benefits of
quality:

1. Greater market share

2. Higher growth rate

3. Higher earning
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4. Premium price

5. Loyal customers

6. High motivated employs

CHAPTER THREE

QUALITY CONTROL

3.1 Quality determination

Quality can be determined through the following methods

A. By visualizing (inspecting)

This means that, if you feel better by observing on the product, we can say the product has
good quality. The reverse is true.

B. By touching

This means that, when we are touching the product and if it has shine and smooth surface we
feel better as compare to the product which has rough surface and we can say the product has
better quality.

C. By testing

This means that we takes sample of the product and taste some property in the laboratory then
compare the taste result with the given standard value. If the test result is approaches to the
standard given value, then we can say the product is good quality.

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3.2. Main aspects to be considered in the quality control

A. set-up

If the set-up is correct, the whole lot will conform to the specification, such process includes
labeling, and cutting and checking is done by first inspection.

B. machine tools

During production time –to-time change can occur which leads to defects and necessary
checking production.

c. operators

The process is such that the results depend on the skill and attention of the operators.

It is important in manufacturing planning to decide on the operators working methods,

aptitude and experience must be considered when selecting operators.

D. Material components

Raw material and component influence results. A process of this type is assembling different
component. In this case it is very important to assure quality in earlier stage by in process
inspection

3.3. What to control

From the definition of quality, what we understand about preventing defect from happening,
so we should control anything that may made defects from the raw material up to finished
leather

Controlling in leather processing

 Control the amount of chemical added in each production step

 Control the duration for each production time

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 Control the temperature

 Control the ph value

Controlling in leather garment spreading and cutting

 Controlling the size of cutting blade, sharpness of the blade

 Cleanness of the cutting table

 Pattern mixed

Controlling in sewing room

 Needle damage

 Feed damage

 Thread broken

 Inoperative zipper

3.4. When to control

In the garment industries quality control is practiced right from the initial stege of sourcing
the raw material to the stage of final finished garment, so quality control is carried out
throughout the whole system from starting to ending of the process.

To ensure at minimum practicable cost, that the requisite quality of product is being achieved
at every stage of manufacture from raw material to boxed stock.

3.5. Approaches to apply quality control

 Itemize the variable that occurs in fabric and garment production in order to provide a
complete specification.

 Develop a specification in a number of parts of sections to ensure that all design and
production staff has clear idea as what is needed

 Establish acceptable working tolerances in relation to all values on the specification

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 Establish fault rate recording systems

 Improve technical understanding of the product including

• Fabric properties (skin and hide)

• Sewing problems

• Causes and prevention of seam break down

3.6. Who shall be involved in quality control?

Responsibility for the production of good quality lies with and in the hand of

The person teaching the job

Primarily by good communication

By making new comer aware of specifications and tolerances, faults themselves, their
effect and the appropriate action to take. Such communication or training if properly planned
and executed (implemented) will greatly assists in minimizing the cost of poor quality.

For controlling the quality, the following groups are involved:

• Individual operator

• Supervision

• Mechanics

• Quality control inspector

• Quality control head

• Trainer

• Instructor

• Chief executive

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