Quality Issues in Supply Chain Management and Solutions

Supply chain management can be challenging and may result in increased costs due to poor quality products, wasted materials, and errors in production. This article discusses the quality issues in supply chain management and their solutions, including complying with safety and quality standards, adopting the least waste possible rule, and meeting regulatory standards.

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Supply Chain Management

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Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
Quality Issues in Supply Chain Management..................................................................................3
Solutions to the issues......................................................................................................................3
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................4
Reference List..................................................................................................................................5

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Introduction
Supply chain directly impacts the quality of products as well as the overall productivity of a
company. Supply chain management comprises of many challenges that may result in increased
costs due to poor quality products, wasted materials, and errors in production. Supply chain
management is the movement and storing of materials, managing the inventory and delivering
the products (Hugos, 2018).
Quality Issues in Supply Chain Management
 Increased costs due to the quality of products- It is often observed that the quality of final
products is hampered due quality issues. The increase in costs is due to rework in the
manufacturing and delivery of poor quality of products. The costs incurred are rejected
parts which involve replacement or scrapped, impact in production schedule due to
delays in re-work, and damage of goods at delivery.
 Non-compliance of safety and quality standards- Supply chain often brings concerns
about the quality of products if they are manufactured in other countries. Certain products
or components of products need to meet regulatory standards which causes the risk of
recalls thereby damaging the company’s reputation.
 Inspection on Production Line- Companies who face the issue of quality complaints from
customers, often opt for manually inspecting their production line. This kind of
inspection is necessary at times, but continual inspections can raise operating costs and
loss of labor hours.
 Quality issues influence consumer behavior- Businesses are under a lot of pressure to
maintain the standards of their products as poor quality of products does not meet the
expectation of customers. People often verify the product quality from the feedbacks
given on the social media sites. Negative reviews can raise product recalls and change the
behavior of customers also (Pappas, 2016).
Solutions to the issues
 Adopting the least waste possible rule- The least waste possible rule helps in negating the
increased costs involved at every step of production till the delivery of the final product.
This rule will help in reducing the costs from the procurement of the materials by

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inspecting them to sending them for production were the poor quality of products will be
replaced and only the good quality of materials will be used. Quality can also be ensured
by doing supplier quality assessments.
 Complying with safety and quality standards- It is important to maintain the quality of
products at each and every step of production. As the quality rises, it becomes necessary
for companies to produce safe and high-quality products. Meeting strict quality
management standards such as International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and
the American Society Standards Institute (ANSI).
 Quality control to avoid inspection- It is important to ensure the standards and quality of
materials before using them for production. This avoids further manual inspection of the
products in the production lines. Supplier audit is required to avoid such continual
inspections.
 Meeting regulatory standards- Consumers often believe in the reviews posted on social
media websites about the products they wish to purchase. As negative reviews attract
criticism for companies, they should address the quality of products at every level of the
supply chain. The quality check and safety tests should be done right from procurement
of raw materials, manufacturing, packaging, handling by logistics team to product
delivery.
Conclusion
Quality impacts nearly at every step of production. Therefore, pre-emptive measures and quality
checks at each step will avoid additional costs of re-works, replacements, and scrap products.
There can be many possible ways to resolve such issues in supply chain management which can
streamline the process and ensure the production of better quality of products thereby securing
the reputation of the company.

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Reference List
Hugos, M.H., 2018. Essentials of supply chain management. 7th ed. New Jersey: John Wiley &
Sons.
Pappas, N., 2016. Marketing strategies, perceived risks, and consumer trust in online buying
behaviour. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 29(5), pp.92-103.