• Quality and Environment

        • Quality requirements in today's automotive industry are quite demanding. Actually even more so in North America than in Europe. What is the reason for this? The formal requirements are the same, right?

        I don‘t have a conclusive answer to this question, but I think that one of the biggest reasons is the different employment culture between the two continents. In North America the workplace is much more defined and organized with clear rules about what to do and how to do your job. Americans are working "by the book." This book can be called TS16949, ISO14001, APQP, PPAP, PFMEA, DFMEA, SPC etc. Americans are very good in creating rules to work by and obeying them. This is necessary because job changes happen much more quickly and a lot more often in the American business world. Also many different cultures and beliefs share the same work place. One set of rules, with strict compliance to business etiquette and guidelines, is necessary.

        In Europe, however, there is still a lot of undocumented know-how in the heads of the individual designers, project managers, purchasing agents etc.  I have observed Americans that were working in Germany and/or France and who could not believe how "unorganized" operations seemed.

        The systematic "by-the-book operation" of most American companies out of the automotive related field has major benefits: Obeying the rules and documenting each step leads to patents, trade secrets, good results in audits...

        Should you plan to open or expand operations in North America, you will sooner or later have to pass a quality audit. It might be a good idea to work with international companies such as TUV to have all business entities certified by one company/auditor. But also consider your American Tier 1 or OEM customers: They might conduct an audit according to their standards which might require you to make major changes. It would be a good idea to have your QM system checked by a local quality consultant. In any case, the interpretation of the TS16949 or PFMEA requirements can be different.

        When it comes to environmental protection, the ISO14001 comes to mind. In North America however, this standard is not yet as common as in Europe. Having passed the ISO14001 certification with my former employer, I have learned that environmental protection is a fast growing business in the USA. Where it was not possible to do meaningful waste-recycling in the near past, specialized recycling companies are now emerging everywhere. As raw material becomes more expensive on the world market, recycled materials gain in value. You can now combine cost-savings with a good conscience. Since "green" industry will be one of the fastest growing fields in the next years, it will be interesting to see what new ideas emerge. Be on the ball! 



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