Abstract
Quality management systems (QMS) have evolved in parallel with the concept of quality itself. The standardization of the requirements beyond the ISO 9001 standard makes the fulfillment of the suppliers and the relationship with the main clients much easier. Therefore, other criteria and/or standards have been developed that generally refer to documents published by national or international standards bodies. This work explores the situation of the main models and standards used in the automotive industry and especially in the manufacturing companies of the auto parts sector. In this case, the most commonly used models are the European Foundation for Quality Award (EFQM) in Europe, Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (MBNQA) in the USA, Deming Prize in Japan and Asia, among others.
TopIntroduction
Quality management systems have evolved in parallel with the concept of quality itself (González, 2002). The standardization of the requirements beyond the ISO 9001 standard makes the fulfillment of the suppliers and the relationship with the main clients much easier. Therefore, other criteria and / or standards have been developed that generally refer to documents published by national or international standards bodies.
In order to evaluate the efficiency of quality management systems in an organization, other options of analysis models arise, called models of excellence and based on quality principles, which allow to identify areas of management improvement (Garcia-Bernal et al. 2004). In this regard, Demuner (2009) considers that these models of excellence are used to call awards among companies that aspire to be recognized as a benchmark for excellence in management (such awards are essentially convened for the purpose of disseminating good management practices and implementation).
Specifically for the automotive industry, quality management systems have been implemented which create guidelines that set out certain requirements about the quality management systems of the suppliers of the automotive companies, so that they can meet the quality requirements.
Authors such as Adams & Dale (2001); Tarí & Sabater (2004); Ahmed & Hassan (2003); Bamford & Greatbanks (2005), have analyzed the impact of quality management systems tools on business results (Heras et al. 2009), while Handfield et al. (1999) analyze the result of the use of different tools related to quality management systems.
This work explores the situation of the main models and standards used in the automotive industry and especially for auto parts companies. In this case, the most commonly used models are the European Foundation for Quality Award (EFQM) in Europe; Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (MBNQA) in the USA; Deming Prize in Japan and Asia; among others, they are developed in the following sections.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Requirements: A condition or capability needed by a stakeholder to solve a problem or achieve an objective.
Standardization: The processes of making something conform to a standard.
Standards: A level of quality or attainment.
Process: A series of actions or steps taken in order to achieve a particular end.
Productivity: The effectiveness of productive effort, especially in industry, as measured in terms of the rate of output per unit of input.
Deming: Author of theory based on the principle that each organization is composed of a system of interrelated processes and people which make up system's components.
Quality Management Systems: Management of services that are offered, and that includes planning, controlling, and improving, those elements of an organization, that somehow affect or influence customer satisfaction and the achievement of results.
ISO: Acronym for the English expression International Organization for Standardization.