8 ALKALMAS ÁLTALÁNOS

ÜZLETI/MUNKAHELYI
ANGOL TANFOLYAM

QUALITY CONTROL AND QUALITY ASSURANCE

MINŐSÉGELLENŐRZÉS
MINŐSÉGBIZTOSÍTÁS
 WHAT DOES QUALITY CONTROL MEAN?
Q uality control, or QC for short, is a process by which entities review the
quality of all factors involved in production. This approach places an
e mph a sis on thr ee a sp ec ts:

- E l e m e nts: such as controls, job management, defined and well managed

processes, performance and integrity criteria, and identification of records
- C omp e t e n ce : su c h a s knowl edge , skills, e xp e ri e n ce , a n d qu a li f i ca tions

- S o f t e l e m e nts: su c h a s p e rsonn e l, int eg rity, c on f i de n ce , or ga niz a tion a l

c ultur e , motiv a tion, t ea m spirit, a n d qu a lity r e l a tionships.

C ontrols include product inspection, where every product is examined

visually, and often using a stereo microscope for fine detail before the
product is sold into the external market. Inspectors will be provided with
lists and descriptions of unacceptable product defects such as cracks or
surface blemishes for example.

T he quality of the outputs is at risk if any of these three aspects is deficient

in any way.

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 WHAT DOES QUALITY CONTROL MEAN?
Q uality control emphasizes testing of products to uncover defects and
reporting to management who make the decision to allow or deny
product release, whereas quality assurance attempts to improve and
stabilize production (and associated processes) to avoid, or at least
minimize, issues which led to the defect(s) in the first place. For
c ontr ac t work, p a rti c ul a rly work a w a r ded b y g ov e rnm e nt age n c i e s,

quality control issues are among the top reasons for not renewing a
c ontr ac t.

In the global economy, a company might have its headquarters in Italy,

b ut outsour ce pro d u c tion to C hin a a n d t ec hni ca l support to I n d i a . O r

you might find a Korean company that contracts out to one factory in
Ma l a ysi a a n d a noth e r in V i e tn a m. I n a ny ca s e , to m a k e th e ri g ht

dec ision on pro d u c tion fac iliti e s, you’ll most lik e ly n eed to c on d u c t a

fac tory insp ec tion.

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 WHAT DOES QUALITY CONTROL MEAN?
S o if you’re flying halfway around the world to tour a factory or
a noth e r fac ility, wh a t kin d o f qu e stions shoul d you a sk? A n d how ca n

you make sure the factory is the right fit for your needs? Well, you’ll
def init e ly w a nt to a sk qu e stions ab out qu a lity c ontrol to m a k e sur e th e

fac tory ca n m ee t your e xp ec t a tions. Y ou mi g ht a lso a sk ab out

production capacity so you know they can handle the work properly.
A n d you mi g ht a sk ab out th e ir a ppro ac h to st a n da r d s, to m a k e sur e

they’re in line with your values.

Of c ourse, talk is cheap. You might find a factory manager makes

c l a ims th a t a r e a b it un be li e v ab l e . I n th e s e situ a tions, you’ll w a nt to

show skepticism, or doubt, and ask for evidence. This is all part of the
d u e d ili ge n ce n ece ss a ry to m a k e sur e you’r e m a kin g th e ri g ht c hoi ce .

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 FACTORY TOUR
In today’s dialog, we’ll hear Cam and Vanessa, who work for an
A m e ri ca n c lothin g c omp a ny. T h e y w a nt to f in d a n e w pro d u c tion

fac ility, so th e y’r e tourin g a fac tory in C hin a . Y ou’ll a lso h ea r C h e n, a

fac tory m a n age r who’s g ivin g Ca m a n d Va n e ss a a tour o f th e fac ility.

Ca m a n d Va n e ss a w a nt to f in d out i f C h e n’s fac tory is a g oo d f it f or

their company.

As you listen to the dialog, try to answer the following questions:

1.How does Vanessa react to Chen’s claim that they have a .25%
defec t r a t e ?

2.What important issue does Cam say their company is very serious
ab out?

3.What kind of proof does Vanessa want to see of the factory

managers’ training?

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 FACTORY DIALOGUE 1.
C hen: All right, as you can see, we’re using a cell configuration here, which
is really great for handling customizations. Anything you require is possible.
Ca m: s ee a n d a r e you runnin g in-pro ce ss QC throu g hout?

C h e n: Ye s, o f c ours e . I ca n show you th e r e ports l a t e r i f you lik e .

Va n e ss a : T h a t’ d be g r ea t. A n d you h a v e ded i ca t ed QC st aff on this?

T hrou g hout th e fac tory?

C h e n: O h y e s. We h a v e f our f ull-tim e QA a sso c i a t e s on st aff .

Ca m: S o, you’v e g ot a g oo d i dea o f your defec t r a t e ?

C h e n: Ye s, it’s c urr e ntly runnin g ab out .25 %

Va n e ss a : .25 % ? T h a t is low. in fac t, I ’v e n e v e r h ea r d o f a r a t e th a t low.

Y ou’r e sur e th a t’s th e f i g ur e ?

C h e n: Ye s, w e ’v e work ed v e ry h a r d to ge t th e r e . I t’s a ll in th e r e ports whi c h

I ’ll be g l ad to show you.

Ca m: Ye s, w e ’ll def init e ly h a v e a look. N ow, lookin g a t ce lls lik e this, wh a t

kind of lead time is there to get new production up and running?

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 FACTORY DIALOGUE 2.
C hen: Well, lead time is usually about two weeks, depending
on the product of course. As many as four if there is
significant new equipment involved.
C h e n: ... pl ea s e , h a v e a s ea t. Y ou’r e sur e you d on’t w a nt t ea ?

Ca m: N o th a nk you, I think w e ’r e ok a y. N ow, l e t’s t a lk ab out

e nvironm e nt a l h ea lth a n d s afe ty. I t’s som e thin g w e ’r e v e ry

serious about. What can we expect from you guys in this area.
C h e n: M or e th a n f ully c ompli a nt, I a ssur e you. We t a k e this

very seriously, as you do. In fact, three of our managers have

a tt e n ded th e EGS Acade my in G u a n g zhou.

Va n e ss a : I s th a t ri g ht? Pe rh a ps w e c oul d s ee ce rti f i ca t e s or

something else to back that up?

C h e n: o f c ours e , I ’ d be h a ppy to show you. A n d I ca n w a lk you

through our waste treatment process if you like. I think you’ll

be impr e ss ed .

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 BASIC VOCABULARY

Cell configuration:

amethod of organizing work and processes in manufacturing into "cells" with several machines and operators.
"Our new cell configuration makes really eay for workers to communicate with each other and make changes on the fly."

In-process QC:

quality control measures, such as inspection, that are done during a production process rather than just at the end.
"With such a long production line, it's importnat that we have in-process QC to prevent mistakes"

QA/Quality Assurance:

methods or systems that ensure consistent quality in production

'our company promises great product reliability, so our factories have a very robust QA team."

On staff:

if someone is on staff, they are an employee.

“Do we have anyone on staff who can speak Japanese, or should I call in a translator?”

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 BASIC VOCABULARY

Defec t rate:
the percentage of products in a process or facility that are faulty or defective;
“Our defect rate has gone down one whole percentage point since we enhanced training for all of our factory workers.”

Lead time:
time from the start to finish of a production process;
“Customer concerns about lead time have prompted us to hire six more workers in the mill.”

U p and running:
functioning or working;

“We can get one of our technicians in there within the next few hours and have your software up and running again by the end of the
day.”

Environmental health:
human health as it is impacted or determined by conditions around us, either natural or human-made;
“A recent environmental health study has shown us that we have some improvements to make in air quality throughout our plant.”

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 BASIC VOCABULARY
Fully compliant:
closely following rules or standards;

“We’ve got certificates from the local health inspector to prove that we’ve been fully compliant for 10 years running.”

To back something up:

to support or give evidence of something;
“Do you have independent safety reports to back up your claim that you haven’t had a single accident?”

To walk someone through something:

to show or explain something carefully;
“Once we’re done here, I’d love it if you could walk us through your whole packaging process.”

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 IN PROCESS QUALITY CONTROL
Q uality control is one of the most important topics to ask about during a
fac tory insp ec tion. A m a n age r mi g ht point out how won de r f ul th e ir

operations are, but they’re only really wonderful if they turn out quality
products. You need to know that the factory can meet your expectations.

W hat are some other important aspects of quality control that we might
a sk ab out? Le t’s pr ac ti ce with a fe w mor e e x a mpl e s.

So, do you perform the final quality inspection before or after

packing?
C oul d you t e ll m e how QC r e sults a r e r ec or ded a n d post ed ?

E x ac tly how d o you c ommuni ca t e qu a lity r e quir e m e nts to your

suppliers?
Te ll m e , wh a t p e r ce nt age o f pro d u c ts a r e c h ec k ed a t f in a l QC ?

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 SHOWING SKEPTICISM
You shouldn’t take everything a factory operator says at face value. You need to
question them and actually show your skepticism. If they’re being truthful, they
should be able to provide proof.

Le t's see some ways you can show skepticism about a claim. As you will see, we
often show skepticism by repeating someone’s claim with question intonation.
O r w e a sk th e m wh e th e r th e y’r e sur e ab out th e ir c l a im.

Y ou’ve never had a complaint? I find that rather hard to believe.

A r e you ab solut e ly sur e th a t no b o d y works ov e r 44 hours a w ee k?

T wo d oll a rs p e r unit? T h a t is a lmost too c h ea p to be tru e .

Y ou’r e hon e stly t e llin g m e th a t you h a v e n’t h ad a n e quipm e nt b r ea k d own in

two years?

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 PRODUCTION CAPACITY
Production capacity is about how the factory organizes its production and
how much it can produce. You need a factory that can handle the volume
that you require. And you also want a factory that can organize the work
eff i c i e ntly.

T h e r e a r e s e v e r a l d ir ec t qu e stions you mi g ht a sk ab out pro d u c tion

ca p ac ity. Le t’s s ee a fe w e x a mpl e s:

So, what does your production planning look like for each line?
H ow d o you or ga niz e a ll your pr e -pro d u c tion inv e ntory?

Ab out how mu c h d owntim e d o e s on e o f th e s e lin e s e xp e ri e n ce eac h

week?
H ow m a ny units a r e you turnin g out eac h da y, on a v e r age ?

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 HEALTH AND SAFETY, STANDARDS
W hen you’re looking for a factory, or when you outsource service, you
want to make sure that you choose someone with the same values or
c on ce rns f or p e opl e . We a ll know wh a t h a pp e ns wh e n a c omp a ny

c hoos e s a fac tory th a t d o e sn’t t a k e st a n da r d s s e riously. Re put a tions

a r e h a r d to b uil d , b ut ea sily da m aged .

Besides health and safety, there are several other types of standards
you might ask about. Let’s practice with a few examples:

W hat do you have in place in terms of fire and safety?

W h a t’s your fac tory’s a ppro ac h to w a st e tr ea tm e nt a n d pollution

c ontrol?

C oul d you t e ll m e ab out workin g hours a n d ov e rtim e m a ximums?

A r e you f ully c ompli a nt with th e l a t e st e nvironm e nt a l r eg ul a tions?

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 ASKING FOR EVIDENCE
A sking for evidence is an important part of the due diligence you
need to do to find the right factory. What are some ways of
a skin g f or e vi de n ce to bac k up a c l a im? Le t’s run throu g h a fe w

more examples:

We d’ like to see some supporting documentation for that.

C oul d w e s ee th e ac tu a l ce rti f i ca t e s o f c ompli a n ce ?

We ll, i f w e c oul d h a v e a look a t th e e mploy ee lists th a t woul d

be g r ea t.

Pe rh a ps you c oul d show us th e num be rs so w e ca n s ee f or

ourselves.

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 LANGUAGE REVIEW
F or each question, you must choose the sentence that best fulfills the 4. How could you ask about an approach to standards?
g iv e n l a n g u age f un c tion or purpos e . a ) W h a t ca n you t e ll m e ab out th e e nvironm e nt a l r eg ul a tions in

1. Which of the following demonstrates how to ask about quality control? place here?
a ) Te ll m e , wh a t’s th e qu a lity lik e on th e pro d u c ts you’r e turnin g out? b ) I ’m won de rin g , d o you e v e r h a v e a ny c ompl a ints ab out th e

b ) S o, is th e r e a f in a l QC insp ec tion on e v e rythin g bef or e p ac k ag in g ? c on d itions h e r e ?

c ) Ab out how mu c h d own tim e d o you e xp e ri e n ce on th e s e m ac hin e s? c ) S o, wh a t ca n you t e ll m e ab out how QC r e sults a r e r e port ed ?

2. How might you show skepticism about what someone says? 5. What would be a good way to ask for evidence to back up a
a ) I ’m sorry, b ut you’r e g oin g to h a v e to d o mor e th a n th a t to impr e ss m e . c l a im?

b ) W ow… only thr ee w ee ks pro d u c tion tim e . T h a t sur e is fa st. a ) We ll, I ’ d lov e to s ee th e r e ports mys e l f i f I ca n.

c) A r e you ab solut e ly sur e you h a v e n’t h ad a sin g l e s afe ty in c i de nt in th e b ) N o c ompl a ints a t a ll? I f in d th a t a b it h a r d to be li e v e .

past five years? c ) I ’m sorry, b ut woul d you min d e xpl a inin g th a t aga in f or m e ?

3. Which of the following questions relates to production capacity?

a ) C oul d you t e ll m e mor e ab out how you f in d n e w e mploy ee s?

b ) Te ll m e , how m a ny o f th e s e pro d u c ts ca n you c ompl e t e in a w ee k?

c ) D on’t you f in d this sp ace a b it sm a ll?

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 VOCABULARY AND IDIOMS
STAFF , COMPLIANT , RATE , BACK , WALK , RUNNING

1.We’re aiming to get the new store up and _____________ well before the holiday shopping season starts.

2.With excellent quality control measures, we’ve manage to cut our defect _____________ in half.

3.At this facility, we have twelve technicians a nd four engineers on _____________.

4.Do you think you could show us the safety reports to _____________ up what you’re saying?

5.Now, I’d like to just _____________ you through another one of our production lines here.

6.I assure you, we are fully _____________ with all environmental and health regulations.

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 TALKING ABOUT MANUFACTURING
Ma rk and Spencer work for Shoes&Shoes, a manufacturer of sneakers. Mark is in charge of manufacturing. Spencer is trying to push
Ma rk to ge t som e n e w sho e s r ead y qui c kly.

S pencer: We've decided to launch our new autumn shoe on August 20th.
Ma rk: We 'r e still tryin g to work out th e kinks in our m a nu fac turin g pro ce ss. O ur fac tory in C hin a is h a vin g trou b l e with th e sol e s.

S p e n ce r: I know th a t, Ma rk. B ut you'v e still g ot thr ee months. I t shoul d be pl e nty o f tim e .

Ma rk: I t c oul d t a k e a noth e r six months to f in e -tun e our m a nu fac turin g pro ce ss.

S p e n ce r: We ll, w e d on't h a v e th a t mu c h tim e . N o i f s, a n d s, or b uts, w e n eed to l a un c h on A pril 20th.

Ma rk: J ust f or th e r ec or d , I think w e 'r e c uttin g it a littl e c los e . I r ec omm e n d w e l a un c h on Se pt e m be r 20th inst ead .

S p e n ce r: We ca n't. We 'v e a lr ead y dec i ded on th e t ag lin e s, too.

Ma rk: I t's tim e f or a r ea lity c h ec k. I 'm t e llin g you w e mi g ht not be r ead y b y A u g ust 20th, a n d you'r e t e llin g m e w e h a v e to be beca us e o f

a t ag lin e ?

S p e n ce r: Ma rk, now's th e tim e to st e p up to th e pl a t e a n d ge t th e jo b d on e .

Ma rk: We ll, I 'm g oin g to be workin g d own to th e wir e .

S p e n ce r: J ust d o wh a t e v e r it t a k e s. J ust m a k e sur e w e 'v e g ot a million p a irs o f sho e s in inv e ntory b y th e A u g ust 20th dead lin e .

Ma rk: I 'm g oin g to h a v e to run th e fac tori e s 24/7. T h a t's g oin g to be a lot o f ov e rtim e p a y.

S p e n ce r: A t th e e n d o f th e da y, a littl e e xtr a e xp e ns e d o e sn't m a tt e r. We just w a nt thos e sho e s r ead y b y A u g ust 20th.

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 IDIOMS
(to) work out the (or some) kinks
→ to solve the problems with
EXAMPLE : T h e c omp a ny a nnoun ced th a t th e y will de l a y th e l a un c h o f th e ir n e w pro d u c t b y two w ee ks. T h e y still

need to work out the kinks with their packaging process.

NOTE : A "kink" is a pro b l e m or f l a w in a syst e m or pl a n.

(to) fine-tune
→ to make small adjustments to something to increase the effectiveness or to make something work better
EXAMPLE : R i c k hir ed a n e x ec utiv e c o ac h to h e lp him f in e -tun e his m a n age ri a l skills.

no its. ands, or buts

→ no excuses; it's absolutely necessary that; this is how it's going to be no matter what anybody says
EXAMPLE : A ll e mploy ee s must a tt e n d our t ea m- b uil d in g workshop tomorrow, no i f s, a n d s, or b uts.

SYNONYM : no two w a ys ab out it

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 IDIOMS
just for the record (also: for the record)
→ let me make my opinion clear
EXAMPLE : I know th a t e v e ry b o d y e ls e lik e s th e i dea o f usin g a bea r f or a m a s c ot, b ut, just f or th e r ec or d , I think it's a

lousy idea.

(to) cut it (a little) close

→ to try to do too much before a deadline; to not leave enough time to get a task done
EXAMPLE : Je rry promis ed his c ustom e r h e ' d ship out th e fa rm e quipm e nt b y th e e n d o f th e w ee k. S in ce w e h a v e n't

a ss e m b l ed it y e t, I think th a t's c uttin g it c los e .

tagline
→ a slo ga n; a phr a s e us ed to promot e a pro d u c t

EXAMPLE : Me ow M ix, a b r a n d o f ca t f oo d , h a s on e o f th e be st t ag lin e s in history: " Ta st e s so g oo d , ca ts a sk f or it b y

name."

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 IDIOMS
reality check
→ let's think realistically about this situation (said when you don't like something that's being suggested because you don't think
the other person is thinking practically or logically)
EXAMPLE : Y ou think w e ca n st a rt s e llin g our pro d u c ts throu g h our w eb sit e n e xt month? T im e f or a r ea lity c h ec k! N o b o d y a t our

c omp a ny knows a nythin g ab out e - c omm e r ce .

(to) step up to the plate

→ to take action; to do one's best; to volunteer
EXAMPLE : We n eed som eb o d y to be in c h a r ge o f or ga nizin g th e c omp a ny holi da y p a rty. W ho' d lik e to st e p up to th e pl a t e a n d

start working on this project?

NOTE : T his e xpr e ssion c om e s f rom ba s eba ll. Y ou st e p up to th e pl a t e ( a pl a sti c m a t on th e g roun d ) wh e n it's your turn to hit th e

ba ll.

(to) get the job done

→ to do the job successfully; to accomplish the task
EXAMPLE : We pl a n to outsour ce a ll o f our so f tw a r e de v e lopm e nt to IBM . We know th e y h a v e th e r e sour ce s to ge t th e jo b d on e .

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 IDIOMS
(to) work down to the wire
→ to work until the last minute; to work until just before the deadline
EXAMPLE : T h e inv e stm e nt ba nk e rs n eed to turn in th e ir r e port a t 9 a .m. tomorrow mornin g , a n d th e y'v e still g ot m a ny hours o f work l ef t on it. T h e y'r e g oin g

to be working down to the wire.

NOTE : T his e xpr e ssion c om e s f rom hors e r ac in g . I n th e 19th ce ntury, A m e ri ca n r ace tr ac ks pl aced wir e ac ross th e tr ac k ab ov e th e f inish lin e . T h e wir e

helped determine which horse's nose crossed the line first. If a race was "down to the wire," it was a very close race, undecided until the very last second.

(to) do whatever it takes

→ to do anything and everything necessary to accomplish a task or reach a goal
EXAMPLE : I t's v e ry import a nt th a t our n e w pro d u c t be r ead y bef or e C hristm a s. D o wh a t e v e r it t a k e s to m a k e th a t h a pp e n.

24/7 (twenty-four seven)

→ a roun d th e c lo c k; 24 hours a da y, 7 da ys a w ee k

EXAMPLE : D urin g t a x s ea son, m a ny acc ount a nts work 24/7.

t the end of the day

→
a

in summary; when we look back on this after we're finished

EXAMPLE : A t th e e n d o f th e da y, th e most import a nt thin g is how m a ny ca s e s o f pro d u c t w e w e r e ab l e to ship this y ea r.

NOTE : T his e xpr e ssion is now ov e rus ed . Y ou will lik e ly h ea r it, b ut you m a y not w a nt to us e it.

SYNONYM : when all is said and done

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