Can the Boss Replace an Inspector? A Lesson in Quality Control

A few years ago, when Metaco began working with various suppliers, the boss visited one for a business inspection. As his technically savvy but not a professional inspector, he made a crucial error. The supplier’s boss showed him a defective part and asked if it met our standards. Despite his lack of expertise, he mistakenly approved it.
This decision backfired when our order arrived. Our quality inspector deemed all the parts he had approved as substandard. We had to bear the cost of rectifying these errors to uphold our commitment to delivering quality products to our customers. This incident taught us a vital lesson: even a boss cannot substitute for a skilled inspector’s role in quality control.

Whenever he was asked with any question related to to deciding a quality issue, his answer is “the quality inspector decides it”.