Quality Control Problems

Quality Control Problems MISCELLANEOUS EQUIPMENT Miscellaneous When one of our writers interviewed Eric Rego about the gear reduction starters he and his dad sell for Oliver and White tractors see story on page 38 the conversation turned to quality control Rego described the impossibility of finding starter components made in the U S or even Japan Virtually all starter manufacturing including name brands is now done in China Ensuring quality control is a constant challenge even when dealing with the same Chinese company says Rego “We have rigid specifications for high quality parts like bronze bushings ” he explains “One batch can come through fine and the next batch has nylon bushings substituted for bronze The starter will work for a while but the bushing will quickly wear out ” Rego says their small firm bench tests each starter they import For even greater quality control they completely tear down 2 or more starters in every shipment to ensure that proper components were used “People wonder why one company can sell an item at a lower cost than another ” says Rego “Quality control takes time and adds cost but it’s important ”

To read the rest of this story, download this issue below or click here to register with your account number.