The highest possible standard of quality is now part of the key principles in the automotive industry. The implementation of a consistent quality strategy not only requires technological excellence – it also requires precise controlling of processes and smooth, seamless organization. The Dekorsy Group, one of the most innovative development partners in the plastics processing sector of the automotive industry has sustainably optimized its complaint management and significantly improved the company- wide standard of quality by using SupplyOn’s Problem Solver.

Over the years the company, which first specialized in tool and mold construction, has constantly expanded its knowhow and experience base. This required the use of costly technologies and increasingly more complex productionrelated components. Today the company’s technical expertise, innovation and consistent quality and customer orientation mean that Dekorsy enjoys an excellent reputation in the automotive industry as a “full service supplier”.

Quality as a key competency
Flawless product and process quality is a prerequisite for Dekorsy in affirming its leading position in global competition. And yet, of course, the quality requirements in the automotive industry have increased enormously in recent years. “Today we are confronted in the automotive industry with the kind of complex and demanding quality requirements that we find in the pharmaceutical industry,” explains Guido Cordino, who is responsible for complaint management at Dekorsy. “Our customers expect an extremely high standard of quality. So to meet these requirements we must guarantee a continuous improvement process.”

Cordino focuses here on the standardization and automation of quality and complaint management. “An efficient digital platform is an indispensable requirement in this respect, because it enables both effective complaint processing and transparent communication with the customer,” says Mr. Cordino.

Quality management with SupplyOn Problem Solver

Dekorsy took the decisive step towards structured and efficient complaint management at the end of 2006. “Together with our customer, Continental, we began to manage our complaints via the SupplyOn solution, Problem Solver,” Cordino adds. “This solution provides us with a whole series of benefits. We can process complaints structured in accordance with the 8D Method, and digitally map the entire process.”

Problem Solver has enabled Dekorsy to significantly further develop its complaint management, because previously it was not possible to set up an integrated process for the customer. Dekorsy received a complaint report by fax or e-mail, which has been manually processed and entered into Babtec’s CAQ system. “We can now completely process our complaints via Problem Solver and use Babtec for the documentation and creating statistic analyses,” says Mr. Cordino. “Pretty soon there will also be an interface between Problem Solver and Babtec. We will then be able to set up a fully digital and automated process.”

Processing complaints with the 8D Method

An 8D report is a structured and standardized procedure for removing a fault and for sustained quality improvement. “Using the 8D Method has been a complete success, and we use it with every complaint,” he emphasizes. “This software is extremely solution-oriented, practical and easy to use. The systemsupported method ensures that every 8D activity is consistently managed right up to its completion.” Problem Solver also allows the customer to track the entire processing workflow at Dekorsy. This means that they are informed about the current status at all times and can integrate their know-how into the improvement process. At the same time this transparency also reduces the number of enquiries.

Another benefit of the SupplyOn solution is provided by the alerting, reminder and traffic light functions, which help the responsible person to keep an eye on the status of complaint projects in progress. “On average we have 25 8Ds a month,” says Mr. Cordino. “Without an intelligent system it would hardly be possible to maintain a good overview and guarantee fast processing. The structured and transparent method that Problem Solver enables has a very important function here.”

An important contribution to competitiveness

It’s not just the increasing quality requirements of the customer that make an efficient and continuous improvement- oriented complaint management such a strategic issue for Dekorsy. “Every complaint is a cost factor and has a negative effect on our profitability and competitiveness,” explains the Dekorsy man. “Global competition in particular means that we must have an optimum costs structure and guarantee a high level of customer satisfaction. Complaint management provides considerable leverage in this respect.” With a very low complaint rate and an average processing time of three days, Dekorsy has since become one of the “quality leaders” in the sector.

The objective – standardization
“In the foreseeable future our communication with our customers will become more and more electronic all the time. And yet the heterogeneous landscape that comes into being here produces efficiency losses. Various logics, multiple logins and logouts and the fluctuating performance of some platforms cost us valuable time,” says Mr. Cordino. “It would therefore be a huge advantage to set up standardized processes with as many customers as possible on one shared platform. The easy handling, high stability, practicality and widespread distribution in the industry have more than qualified SupplyOn for this role.”