Yesterday, Proton held a media briefing at its Tanjung Malim plant to speak about its high quality initiatives, overlaying the whole lifecycle from product improvement to after-sales.
The nationwide carmaker is definitely feeling the warmth from the brace of well-priced Chinese language SUVs coming into the market – a truth firm officers have made identified each in non-public and in public. Nevertheless it has taken nice pains to speak its dedication to high quality as a differentiator out there place. Humorous, given its picture not too way back.
Proton stated its high quality initiatives are in step with its three strategic aspirations – to be the #1 carmaker in Malaysia and the #3 in ASEAN, in addition to reaching constant high quality by adopting international requirements. The corporate claimed round 800 of its whole workers contribute to its fixed high quality enchancment.
To attain its purpose of maximising buyer satisfaction, Proton has centered on 4 key areas, specifically engineering and mission high quality, provider high quality, manufacturing high quality and market high quality. The primary of those refers back to the firm’s skill to produces new fashions in an environment friendly and efficient method.
This contains the adoption of a New Product Improvement System (NPDS), a worldwide commonplace for mission administration that implements strict gate critiques to determine and handle potential high quality points early on in a automobile’s improvement, guaranteeing new fashions are launched with a excessive commonplace of high quality.
Utilizing this method, the market considerations ratio index (that’s, the proportion of automobiles with buyer considerations/circumstances) inside the first 100 days from launch has fallen from 6% with the launch of the CKD X70 in 2020 to simply 2% with the S70 final 12 months.
Engineering high quality additionally means adopting new traits, notably within the discipline of Related, Autonomous, Shared and Electrical (CASE) automobiles, to make sure the technological readiness of Proton’s merchandise. Proper now, 4G connectivity could be had throughout the corporate’s lineup besides the Saga, with plans to modify over to 5G know-how by 2030.
In the meantime, Stage 2 semi-autonomous driving applied sciences can be found on the X50, X90 and S70, with this 12 months’s facelifted X70 set to get them too. As for automotive sharing, there are not any plans as but, however Proton needs to introduce some form of service by 2030. Lastly, the corporate is making an enormous push in direction of electrification with the launch of its first battery electrical and plug-in hybrid automobiles subsequent 12 months.
Proton has additionally labored to enhance provider high quality, using two extra international requirements – a structured Superior Undertaking High quality Improvement (APQP) course of and Product Elements Approval Course of (PPAP). The latter contains important instruments for creating, producing and distribute elements that meet buyer satisfaction.
The corporate has additionally appeared into upgrading its suppliers’ capabilities with the introduction of the High quality Assurance System Audit (QASA) and a yearly provider high quality efficiency audit, guaranteeing sustainable product high quality via superior course of management. Proton stated it has registered a 43% enhance within the variety of distributors capable of hit a minimal QASA commonplace of BBB (passable).
Subsequent is manufacturing high quality. You might do not forget that shortly after Geely acquired a 49% stake in Proton, the latter adopted the previous’s International Buyer Product Audit (GCPA) scoring system to measure defects in new automobiles. In 2019, Proton recorded a huge enchancment in its GCPA rating, from 6,388 to 1,329 (the decrease, the higher), closing in on the benchmark set by Geely and Volvo.
Since then, the corporate has decreased its rating additional, by a staggering 55%. In contrast to in earlier years, Proton has elected to not publish a concrete determine, however a 55% discount would put its GCPA rating someplace within the 500s.
To generate a GCPA rating, inspectors audit one per cent of the day by day authorized (or “lulus”) automobiles after pre-delivery inspection (PDI). They take a look at every automotive on its security, safety and normal features, in addition to conducting a efficiency analysis and a static analysis of perceived high quality.
Final however not least is market high quality, which refers to how a automotive’s high quality holds up after it’s offered. Basically, Proton appears to be like out for any defects which can be reported after a automotive is launched and takes steps to rectify these points.
The corporate is ready to detect issues after launch both via an Preliminary Stage Management (ISC) within the first 100 days following a brand new product launch, guarantee claims evaluation, day by day market high quality conferences and social media sentiment experiences. As soon as flagged, the problems are despatched to high quality assault, enchancment and circle groups to be rectified, with the outcomes reviewed in weekly administration high quality conferences attended by CEO Li Chunrong.
Proton claimed that since this technique was applied, it has witnessed a drastic discount in guarantee claims and a 44% enchancment in its 12 months in service (12MIS) product reliability index. The corporate added that it has resolved round 1,005 post-launch points since 2019.
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