Quality counts: Why the pursuit of quality is worth the trouble.

• Author: Kaelble, Steve
• Position: Cover Story

If it's not worth doing right, it's not worth doing at all." We've all heard that adage or some variation of it since grade school, Certainly few business people purposefully set out to create mediocrity, but the truth is that doggedly pursuing quality is not an easy task.

Just ask the people whose job it is to keep an eye on manufacturing quality, people who often have the word "quality" in the titles on their business cards. These are folks who speak a language of their own, full of such terms as "ISO," "QS," "TQM," "continuous improvement," "kaizen" and "six sigma." They'll tell you that the path to quality is full of hurdles to clear, i's to dot, t's to cross, paper work to produce, reports to file.

"It is a lot of work, especially when you first start," says Dean Hill, who oversees quality programs at General Seating of America's Frankfort factory, which makes seats for the Subaru-Isuzu plant in Lafayette.

"There is more paper work," agrees Lola Steward, quality system manager at Kimball Electronics Group in Jasper, "because you are formally documenting your business processes. In the old days, it was 'This is how we run our business. I'm telling you. Remember it."'

In fact, the process of achieving registration with ISO, the International Organization for Standardization, is so cumbersome and intimidating that some manufacturers have bailed out. But many manufacturers don't have the luxury of avoiding the ISO process.

"We would not be in business today if we didn't have these certifications," Steward says. "One of the key drivers for us is that our customers demand it. It's a requirement to do business in the automotive industry." In many cases, ISO certification is mandatory for American companies hoping to do business in Europe.

Whether or not companies have a choice about obtaining ISO certification or other quality-related standards, those that pursue quality should realize a wealth of benefits that make it worth the hassle, proponents say. Quality programs not only can open doors to new customers and markets, but may also improve satisfaction among existing clients and substantially reduce a variety of business costs.

"Better quality results in more profit through expanded markets and/or decreased costs," says Rick Ring, manager of quality services for the Indiana Business Modernization and Technology Corp.. or BMT. "A continuous and productive quality journey translates into more money for your business."

"Because of our...