Question

1) List three examples of quality improvement initiatives in a manufacturing facility that would lead to increased sales productivity.

Answer 1

In today's world it is quite important for any organization to stand out in terms of customers expectations and today the customer wants the best quality services or products, for which the organization shall always be on toes because if it misses out in fulfilling the requirements it would directly affect the sales productivity of the company.

Following are examples of initiatives that can be taken to increase sales productivity

1. If the manufacturing facility adopts a piece rate wage system or similar wage rate system, then the laborers would have more incentive to produce more number of units. This in turn may have an adverse effect on the quality of the product thereby having an adverse impact on the sales productivity. On the other hand, complete lack of such an incentive altogether may lead to a decline in quantity of output. It is of vital importance to maintain a healthy balance between the same. Thus the facility should carefully assess and design a suitable wage incentive scheme wherein the workforce is encouraged to give equal weightage to both quantity and quality of the units produced. This balance in quality and quantity ensures that quality products are made available to customers in sufficient quantity to meet the demand at all times thereby directly boosting the sales productivity of the company.

2. Identify areas where processes and/or technology could use some updating or changing. Processes that have been in place for a long time may be riddled with workarounds as new equipment was added or production methods changed.

• Automation is a powerful tool for increasing efficiency and reducing error.
• New software solutions can help with scheduling, inventory, and monitoring workflow.
• Improvements in equipment can improve production speed and quality

Thus using updated technology improves quality and thereby increases the sales productivity.

3. Training and educating the employees on the work processes helps them to understand the technicalities and also perform in a better way. This would lead to effectiveness and efficiency in production leading to lower costs and better quality which is beneficial for the organization as it is also achieving cost leadership from the same and increased sales productivity.