I barely passed the Quality Engineer Examination
After a long wait, the passing score for the quality engineer exam, which had been torturing me, was finally announced. There were two courses in this exam, and the passing score for both was 102 points. I scored 105 points in the Comprehensive Knowledge course, while I just got 102 points in the Theory and Practice course. This situation of just scraping through the passing line is like walking carefully on the edge of a cliff and finally reaching the other side without any real danger.
Looking back on the days of preparing for the exam, the complex formulas and abstract concepts of probability theory loomed over me like a thick fog. Every time I faced them, I got a splitting headache. Now that I finally don't have to deal with them anymore, I really feel relieved. This narrow pass also makes me especially glad that this exam-preparation period has finally come to an end.
Entanglement over supplier management issues
In recent days, I've been constantly troubled by the supplier management issues in my company. In our small company, the procedures related to supplier management are like castles in the air. Even if the procedures exist, very few suppliers actually follow them.
Take a car exterior trim product of the company as an example. The double-sided tape needs to be replaced soon. The customer clearly requires the use of 3M tape, but the company intends to choose a tape of another brand to save costs. The company has conducted some simple tests internally, such as the adhesion test between the tape and the product, and the results basically meet the requirements. However, the adhesion problem between the tape and the body sheet metal cannot be tested and verified. If mass production is carried out directly later, this practice without strict testing and verification is like building a high-rise building on the beach, posing huge quality risks.
I am well aware of the seriousness of this problem and have raised my concerns more than once at the company's middle - level management meetings. However, the boss has always remained silent, and the company's upper management has not made a clear statement. It's as if I'm shouting in an empty valley, hearing only my own echo. The feeling of fighting alone is like groping in the dark alone, and a sense of desolation arises spontaneously.
Helpless Response to the New Tape's Commencement of Production
At today's morning meeting, the company's senior management suddenly announced that they would officially put the tapes of another brand into mass production in the near future. I knew clearly that the matter was a foregone conclusion, and no matter how firmly I insisted, I couldn't change it. Helplessly, I could only ask the purchasing department to notify the supplier to provide documents such as the third - party test report of the product, the enterprise's quality management system certification certificate, information on major customers, and the status of internal measuring instruments and equipment. I hope that through these requirements, the official production of the new tapes can be postponed to buy some time for the company to further assess the risks.
Reflection on the current situation of corporate management
These days, I've been constantly thinking about whether it's possible to organize a comprehensive and in - depth study of the quality system procedure documents for the internal middle - level cadres. The current management situation of the company is really far from satisfactory. Especially in the area of supplier management, problems keep emerging one after another. The selection of suppliers lacks scientific standards, and the evaluation system exists in name only, resulting in uneven quality of the products provided by suppliers. What's even more annoying is that some suppliers are so arrogant that they simply don't take the company's requirements seriously.
There are also many problems in the company's internal management. The execution ability is seriously insufficient, and the measures formulated by the middle - level management are greatly reduced when they reach the production site. For example, various problems always arise during the specific implementation of the rectification countermeasures formulated for quality problems. The turnover rate of production personnel is too high, there are obvious differences in the operation skills between new and old employees, and the production plan arrangement is also unreasonable. All these have seriously affected the product quality.
There are also problems within our department. The working methods of the inspectors need to be improved, and they often receive complaints from the production site. This series of problems is like a tangled mess, making it difficult to sort out the clues.
The dilemma of problem-solving
Perhaps some people may say that I only know how to complain and don't know how to find the root cause of problems to solve them. But as a quality control personnel, I certainly understand the importance of continuous improvement. It's just that it's extremely difficult to improve the current situation in this enterprise. I've raised some problems many times, but they all ended up without any result in the end. Because these problems involve the interests of too many people. Once personal interests are touched, many people will jump out to oppose it.
Take the current situation of suppliers as an example. Everyone knows that the raw materials provided by the suppliers are of poor quality, but no one is willing to replace them. The interest relationships involved are extremely complex, like a bottomless muddy pool. I don't want to get involved easily. After all, I simply can't change this situation on my own.
Future plans
In this small company, I feel like a sober onlooker. The people around me are just muddling through their days. When others turn a blind eye to the problems, if I take them seriously, the result is predictable.
Now I have passed the intermediate-level exam. I believe I'll soon obtain the intermediate-level qualification certificate. By then, I may choose to leave this place that has left me feeling helpless and look for a new environment where I can better showcase my talents and realize my value.