Final Exam Notes Introduction Quality Assurance integrates product development and production so that products satisfy consumer expectations Textile Quality Assurance the process of designing producing evaluation and assessing products to determine that they meet the desired quality level for a company s target market o Quality incorporated into product in all stages from merchandising and product development through marketing and retailing o Most retailers have someone do outside testing for them before products go to shelves o The goal of textile quality assurance is to meet the target market requirement o QA is basically making sure that all the way from design to production to the store that there is the best quality necessary for the target market Quality assurance IS NOT Quality Control o Quality Control inspecting goods after production to separate acceptable from unacceptable products o Quality control is a post production approach testing after the product is made o Quality control is something done after production while quality assurance is something done from the beginning Quality Assurance Perspectives o Holistic Perspective Quality is not the same for all things but is inherent in all objects and actions When we think about quality assurance holistically the whole product we re measuring the quality and making sure that it is the best it can be That which belongs to something and makes or helps to make it what it is Must address contemporary business issues Quality assurance has to address the company and their business it can affect the business by the requirements for the testing Quality assurance addresses the bottom line profits for the company In the case of textile products it includes the components that contribute to quality Engineering quality into a product Measuring a product s quality Improving quality of a product or process o Product Perspective Product quality is represented by a total of a set of precise and measurable characteristics or components of a finished product o Producer Perspective Consistent conformance to specifications and standards Quality is achieved when products consistently fall within a range of acceptable measures for all dimensions of quality Products that meet this level of quality are assumed to produce the greatest income and profit for the company The producer has to make sure that they meet all of these requirements specifications and standards they are quantitative things they can actually measure From this perspective they want to make sure the person buying their textiles is satisfied o Customer Perspective Customer could be the next level of manufacture or the final consumer Quality reflects and ever changing marketplace and satisfies the ever changing needs of the customer in the market Companies must respond to changes in expectations and needs by maintaining contact with their customers In terms of the customer company has to keep in contact with the customer Textile Testing o One way to be sure quality is the best is through textile testing o There is testing along each stage of production from fiber to end product o Testing is the analysis and evaluation of a material or product to assess its characteristics quality or performance o The product may be tested in its original condition or may be subjected to procedures such as laundry abrasion etc before and or after testing o Except for the flammability and harmful substances tests all of these tests are voluntary in terms of requirements by law Purposes for Testing o Assessment of Product Performance want to know how it performs o Research and Development helps to develop new products and see if they meet all the standards we have o Quality Control usually done after the fact to make sure there aren t any flaws o Comparative Testing compare with other products or other companies products o Analyze Product Failure why did it fail o Meet Government Regulations o Suppliers the company that supplies the product to the retailer o In House the company that produces the product o Independent or Contract a separate business organization that specifically tests materials and products for other companies o Manufacturers do in house testing but so do some retailers ex Sears JCPenney Who Does the Testing Textile Testing Organizations o AATCC Works with test methods and other things dealing with color and finishing they call it wet processing Anything dealing with color or the chemical properties of textiles is done through AATCC o ASTM American Society for Testing Materials Global organization headquartered in the US Helps to set standards about what is expected All companies can set their own standards as long as they don t violate federal testing Develops test methods for physical and mechanical properties of textiles if it s going to break snag rub etc o ISO International Organization for Standardization Based in Geneva Switzerland Serves member organizations throughout the world Has a member from each country the member from the US is ANSI The ISO coordinates efforts among different countries to develop standard test methods that can be applied internationally ANSI American National Standards Institute The purpose of ANSI is to coordinate voluntary standards development and use in the US and to serve as liaison between US standards organizations and other countries o ASQ American Society for Quality Organization of professionals who work to improve the quality of manufactured goods services and related factors Developed code of ethics publishes a newsletter on quality that includes articles related to quality o AAFA American Apparel and Footwear Association National organization that deals with issues of interest to the sewn products industry As the national trade association representing apparel footwear sewn products companies and their suppliers AAFA promotes and seeks to enhance members companies competitiveness productivity and profitability in the global marketplace Do lobbying have a lot of people who keep up on what s going on in the world Types of Textile Testing o Textile materials can be tested in the laboratory or by wear testing o Laboratory Testing evaluating characteristics or performance of materials using May not be true to actual conditions of use because we re accelerating o Wear Testing conducted over a long period of time and simulates actual use standard procedures in a specialized facility Advantages Quick results Controlled environment Specialized