Quality

We were not trying to be a low-priced company. Our goal was to be technically superior and priced accordingly. We prided ourselves on having very high standards of completeness and quality. Two months later, we proudly loaded the first lot of 10 MRC high-temperature diffraction attachments onto a truck for delivery to Philips. Each was nestled in custom-designed green baize in a walnut wooden box with brass hardware. A baize pocket contained the instruction manual and all the tools necessary to operate the unit. Everyone has had the frustrating experience of bringing home a toy for a child or some household gadget and discovering that it is inoperable without batteries, which were not included, or needed some tool for assembly that you would not normally have in your home. We were not going to cause that kind of frustration to our customers.  The units could be removed from the box and immediately attached to the diffractometer – no assembly required. We were all very proud of those units, and there were a lot of smiles of accomplishment as the truck left our facility.

Three days later, Philips informed us that their quality department had rejected all 10 units. I was stunned and furious. At such times, I had learned, the most important thing was to try and keep my temper under control and my mouth shut. Whatever one’s feelings of indignation, the operative word at moments like that is, LISTEN.

The MRC project engineer in charge of manufacturing and I drove to Philips and received a Quality 101 lecture from their quality control manager. He was fantastic. He showed us scratches on the sealing surface of the chamber that required a magnifying glass to view. These scratches, if continuous from the outside of the chamber to the inside, could be the path of air that would keep the attachment from achieving the appropriate vacuum. He pointed out errors in the instruction manual and other minor mistakes. These unforced errors on the part of a manufacturer convey sloppiness, which the customer then applies to the product. 

With my tail between my legs, I apologized and retrieved the units.  We returned to our facility and had a plant-wide meeting where my project engineer and I attempted to convey the quality education we had just received. The blow to my ego was great, but by listening to a customer, I made a decision that would make quality an integral part of our reputation.  We immediately set a “no-fault return policy” for everything MRC did. I became maniacal about the subject of quality. At one point, I purchased large-diameter buttons to be worn by the employees that crudely but emphatically conveyed the message. The buttons had printed on them, “DON’T SHIP SHIT.”