Garment manufacturer Tristate Holdings achieved a productivity target of 100 per cent by adopting a hybrid approach to quality management.
The company, which runs nine factories in the mainland, Taiwan and the Philippines, had been losing money before it called in consultants QSA-Mortiboys.
QSA managing director John Romagna said: 'We were able to take a rework rate from 60-80 per cent to zero to two per cent. Productivity, meanwhile, went from 60 per cent to 100 per cent of target.' As a result of Mr Romagna's 'hybrid approach' to quality management, Tristate has returned to profitability.
The company listened to staff, defined objectives, introduced modern process controls, redefined its relationship with workers, improved allocation and scheduling, made improvements to information systems, reduced rework, cut staff and increased output.
It also started work systems and organisational structure improvements associated with 're-engineering' and changed the way factories were managed.
'We cut the number of workers by 20 per cent, increased pay by 14 per cent and reduced working hours [by about 15 per cent],' he said.
