# Quality Control



## SeaBreeze (Sep 22, 2014)

A toothpaste factory had a problem. They sometimes shipped empty boxes 
 without the tube inside. This challenged their perceived quality with the 
 buyers and distributors.

 Understanding how important the relationship with 
 them was, the CEO of the company assembled his top people. They decided to 
 hire an external engineering company to solve their empty boxes problem. 

The 
 project followed the usual process: budget and project sponsor allocated, 
 RFP, and third-parties selected. Six months (and $8 million) later they had 
 a fantastic solution - on time, on budget, and high quality. Everyone in 
 the project was pleased. 

 They solved the problem by using a high-tech precision scale that would 
 sound a bell and flash lights whenever a toothpaste box weighed less than it 
 should.

 The line would stop, someone would walk over, remove the defective 
 box, and then press another button to re-start the line. As a result of the 
 new package monitoring process, no empty boxes were being shipped out of the 
 factory. 

 With no more customer complaints, the CEO felt the $8 million was well 
 spent. He then reviewed the line statistics report and discovered the number 
 of empty boxes picked up by the scale in the first week was consistent with 
 projections, however, the next three weeks were zero!

 The estimated rate 
 should have been at least a dozen boxes a day. He had the engineers check 
 the equipment, they verified the report as accurate. 

 Puzzled, the CEO traveled down to the factory, viewed the part of the line 
 where the precision scale was installed, and observed just ahead of the new 
 $8 million dollar solution sat a $20 desk fan blowing the empty boxes off 
 the belt and into a bin. He asked the line supervisor what that was about. 


 "Oh, that," the supervisor replied, "Bert, the kid from maintenance, put it 
 there because he was tired of walking over, removing the box and re-starting 
 the line every time the bell rang."


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## Mike (Sep 26, 2014)

A good engineer will always do a better job than an expensive consultant.

Mike.


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## Falcon (Sep 26, 2014)

A good draft solves a lot of problems.   Hic !


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## Meanderer (Sep 26, 2014)

Bert Pavlov was the $20 fan guy's name.  Name ring a bell?


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