Importance of Traceability in Manufacturing

More and more industries within manufacturing are focusing on compliance and quality, which lead to traceability. As companies expand their businesses internationally in this global economy, more regulatory mandates put commercial pressures and expectations on businesses. In an effort to manage quality, recalls, liability, counterfeit parts, inefficiencies in manufacturing, and cost savings, these regulatory mandates rely on traceability. In other words, traceability acts as a risk-management tool. Continue reading

Medical Device Manufacturing – San Diego

San Diego has become the premiere location for the medical industry. From heart valves, to pharmaceuticals, to medical cabinets, San Diego has a plethora of businesses related to the medical industry. When it come to manufacturing, the medical industry demands one thing….Quality! Often times, many medical companies do not go overseas to have their products made. Instead, they look to maintain their quality and remain competitive within the close nitch industry by keeping up with the demand by manufacturing products closer to home. As a medical device manufacturer for the industry, we have seen first hand just how important quality is to the medical device industry. Continue reading

Quality Control vs. Quality Assurance

One thing that all manufacturing industries have is quality. Whether its a quality system, quality standards, quality department, whether the company is small or large or in industry requires precision or not, there’s always some type of quality involved. Now here’s where people get things confused. Often you hear people talk about ‘QA’ when they really mean ‘QC’ and visa versa. Although both are an integral part of a quality system, there is a distinct difference between quality control (QC) and quality assurance (QA). It is also important to note that a successful quality system utilizes both quality assurance and quality control. So let’s get into the differences: Continue reading

Metal Finish vs. Surface Finish

SheetMetalImage1Have you ever had metal parts fabricated and you indicated no finish, and when you received the parts, the surface finish was not what you expected? Maybe you were hoping for a mill finish, but the parts were sanded to a uniform finish? Or maybe you expected a smooth mill finish, but there were scratches and gouges from the fabrication process? In the metal fabrication industry, there can be confusion and a misunderstanding when it comes to metal finishing and surface finish, which are not the same thing. They are actually completely different from each other and one does not indicate the other. To help clarify the distinction between the two, we will identify the differences between the two from a manufacturer’s point of view. Continue reading

Freight Terms Explained

Have you ever shipped or received product and the shipping terms stated FOB Origin or FOB Destination? Freight On Board / Free On Board or FOB is a very common term in the freight industry, but one that is most misunderstood. This is because the term that follows FOB has multiple conditions such as for who pays for the shipment, who bears the shipping costs, who owns the product as it’s being shipped, and who is responsible for risk while it’s in shipment. Buyers and sellers of product will usually define in the shipping contract the shipping terms to address these conditions. But it can become an issue if only “FOB Origin” or “FOB Destination” are stated. There should be more indication since there are more standards that exist. Continue reading