Preston Plant’s Quality Evolution
Having control over organizational processes is the most crucial kind of power that a company must possess to achieve success in the business world. In the case study designed to explore the history of the Preston Plant, the link between the control over the production process and the quality of the product are being discussed.
According to the author of the case study, the crisis at the Preston Plant peaked when even the customers began to recognize the source of the problem, whereas the company managers did not know what measures to apply to fight the crisis.
In fact, the above-mentioned detail seems to be among the most impressive elements of the story. While it is clear that pointing at the flaws and giving advice is much easier than actually applying the necessary changes, the fact that even the customers could nail down the company’s problem is rather impressive. As a very graphic example of things getting out of control, this part of the story is very impressive.
Another obvious event in the case study to be mentioned is the point at which the company started to change. It was quite impressive that the company continued its journey towards improvement despite the disappointments that it suffered and the crisis that it managed to survive previously. As even the HP admitted Preston’s improvements, it became clear that the company has managed to reinvent people’s perception of what quality products are.
The plant’s processes eventually were brought under control. What were the main benefits of this?
As it has been stressed above, the importance of taking control over the production process is on par with the significance of choosing the right leadership strategy; both define the quality of the company’s performance. Therefore, it can be assumed that bringing the company’s processes under control meant that the company could finally coordinate its actions and make reasonable choices.
In addition, the fact that the company’s processes were finally under the control of the company’s leader, its managers and the numerous staff meant that the Preston Plant finally developed the right knowledge management strategy.
As the author of the case study stresses, together with the control over the production process, the stages of information acquisition, processing and sharing became much faster and more efficient. Therefore, another key benefit of seizing control over the company’s processes was the improvement of knowledge management within Preston.
SPC is an operational level technique of ensuring quality conformance. How many of the benefits of bringing the plant under control would you class as strategic?
Rethinking the changes that the Preston Plant had to undergo in order to return to its normal functioning, one must admit that seizing control over its operational processes has brought the company leaders countless benefits. However, not all of these benefits can be considered as long-term privileges.
Most of the positive effects that the application of the new strategy has brought are short-term. Speaking of the long-term benefits, one must name such positive phenomena as the improved reputation of the company and the fact that the company has become capable of attracting more employees.