On-site, current situation, now

— Reading “Reflections on Lean Production in PCB Manufacturing Enterprises”

——Zhang Jian

　　In quality management, many managers—and so‑called quality experts—fall into a common misconception: a group of people gathers in a conference room, staring at computers, wielding various quality tools, and poring over strings of data to analyze defects and devise improvement measures, all while grandly calling it a “brainstorming session.” Meanwhile, on the shop floor, the situation is far from disciplined: processes are not followed, equipment is operated despite known malfunctions, and defective products are everywhere. Too often, people view quality as an esoteric concept—something reserved for advanced methodologies like Six Sigma or TPM—while neglecting frontline management and overlooking the most fundamental contributors to production: employees and equipment.

I once came across a story about a leading pharmaceutical company that was constantly plagued by a problem both simple and hard to eliminate. They frequently made mistakes in packaging pills, mixing empty vials with full ones and being unable to tell them apart. To locate an empty vial, they had to open already‑packaged cartons and sort through the contents again. Eventually, they brought in a Ph.D. from Tsinghua University to devise a solution. After years of research and substantial investment, they installed X‑ray scanners on the production line, which sent signals to a computer and used advanced algorithms to detect empty vials. They even celebrated having solved a global challenge. Meanwhile, a small county‑level pharmaceutical firm, lacking the same level of financial resources as the big players, relied on its frontline workers to come up with a clever workaround: they placed a fan beside the assembly line. Empty vials, naturally toppled by the airflow, were easily sorted out—solving the same problem without any major technological investment.

Most of the time, on-site issues are not as complicated as they seem. The operators working on the shop floor are the ones who know the production and equipment conditions best. When managers spend more time on the shop floor communicating with them and gaining a clear understanding of the situation, they can often resolve production problems more effectively and directly. Every operator is willing to work diligently; it’s only when faced with challenges they cannot handle—without anyone stepping in to help—that they begin to become indifferent to on-site abnormalities. The most important thing for managers is to go to the shop floor to assess the current state of affairs, understand the condition of our equipment and processes, and address the concerns of our operators. Never rely on assumptions about the current or past conditions; don’t blindly trust your own experience or judgment.

Misjudging the current situation will only derail our management direction. After a group of people have debated and analyzed anomalies, they may ultimately discover that the root cause on the shop floor is nothing more than a tiny screw or switch. Rather than blindly blaming employees for failing to follow procedures or pointing fingers at inadequate equipment management, it’s far more effective to go to the shop floor, provide hands‑on training, and help maintenance personnel tighten any loose fasteners. Deteriorating quality isn’t the real concern; what’s truly alarming is managers’ armchair strategizing and indifference. Eighty percent of problems originate on the shop floor, and eighty percent of outcomes stem from the status quo.

　　So, what should we do about the current quality situation?

　　We must become leaders on the shop floor, break down functional silos, and leverage our understanding of the current situation to devise the most effective improvement measures. The weak process‑control capabilities at Plant No. 2 have resulted in uncontrolled processes, with both personnel and equipment operating far from their optimal states. This calls for managers and engineers to work side by side on the shop floor—assisting process‑control staff in verifying process compliance, addressing the real‑world challenges faced by operators, helping equipment teams identify the root causes of equipment malfunctions, and closely monitoring every step and detail of our manufacturing process. For instance, a defect that has plagued us for years might stem from nothing more than a minor scratch on the photoresist layer during the exposure process—issues that cannot be uncovered through cross‑sectional analysis, EDX, or microscopy alone. Problems arise on the shop floor, and solutions must also originate there. Only by immersing ourselves in frontline operations and stepping into the shoes of an ordinary operator to truly sense the conditions on the ground can we uncover the fundamental causes behind quality issues.

　　Quality improvement is not some mystical, esoteric doctrine; it is simply an attitude and a way of working—“act now, grasp the current situation, and improve the workplace.” There are no hidden secrets; it merely requires us to put it into practice.