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Visiocorp Hungary Bt. Awarded the "Q1" Award by Ford |
Mosonszolnok (February 20, 2008) The Hungarian plant of the international automotive supplier Visiocorp is receiving the sought-after award for high quality standards in the manufacture and supply of automotive parts for the automaker Ford. The Q1 Award will be conferred by a Ford delegation during the celebration in Mosonszolnok on February 20, 2008.
This is already the fifth award of this kind given to the plant (formerly SAPU Bt.) since it was founded in 1995, including awards from General Motors and Suzuki.
The Q1 status is the basis for long-term cooperation between Visiocorp Hungary Bt. and Ford, because it is a prerequisite for new orders.
The criteria for winning the Q1 Award
Ford is one of the largest automakers in the world, with production plants in North and South America, Europe, Asia, Australia and Africa. In order to be able to ensure uniform production and quality standards, Ford developed the Q1 Quality System which is intended to ensure that suppliers adhere to these standards. Q1 is Ford's way of adding specific requirements for the quality management system of an existing or potential supplier to general international quality standards, such as DIN ISO TS 16949. It consists of an overall package of fundamental quality and production standards. These include continually measuring:
§ the scrap rate (PPM),
§ warranty complaints
§ meeting deadlines for bulk deliveries
§ meeting deadlines for spare parts deliveries.
For Ford and its suppliers, this means meeting high demands placed on quality, reliability, materials management and development services in an exemplary manner.
The qualification process
The Q1 qualification process covers a period of at least six months, during which the aspirant must subject itself to a series of tests. These consist on the one hand of evaluations of quality management systems and on the other of information on the supplier's production process. If necessary, Ford checks the reports through on-site audits and in personal interviews. Moreover, Ford evaluates the quality performance of the supplier in detail during this period – in cooperation with the group's plants receiving the supplies.
The information thus collected is then collated and the overall performance of the supplier assessed. If the supplier is ultimately given Q1 status, it is permitted to officially designate itself as a certified supplier and make use of this distinction in its advertising.
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