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Project Data
Client: Premier Fashion Retailer & Luxury Department Store Chain
Location: Hersey, PA and Marlboro, MD
Timeframe: 2 Months
Key Project Factors: CONTINUUM was asked to partner with the client given our experience with designing & implementing "best-in-class" quality process operations with the goal of identifying improvement opportunities related to existing Quality Control activities implemented within the company’s DC & FC environments.
The Challenge
The client’s leadership team had identified a major opportunity within their supply chain to transform their current quality process audit program; designing and implementing a quality-focused internal performance cycle between Quality Control and Quality Assurance programs and subsequently improving order accuracy to “best-in-class” goal levels. Measuring and improving quality was a client priority for the 2021 fiscal year to support customer service levels, reduce returns, minimize order reprocessing and drive operational efficiency. Existing manual efforts across the client's North American network to measure and track quality were not sufficient, were disconnected from system-based tracking, and did not effectively link Associate accountability to quality metrics.
The Approach
To address these challenges, CONTINUUM led an effort focused on 1) Observing, reviewing, assessing and documenting the current Quality Audit Program, 2) Providing feedback for improvement opportunities in both process and results reporting, 3) Evaluating current staffing, equipment, tools and processes used for audit program, and; 4) Providing recommendations focused on best-in-class statistical quality audits and people, process and systems integrations. Given that the client had made improving quality across the network a priority and was currently engaging internal and external resources to improve the existing Quality Program Process, defining program success, constructing a well-designed Quality Control program and integrating improvement focused Quality Assurance functions were critical to success.
The Results
By working closely with the company’s operational and quality leadership teams, CONTINUUM was able to assess current QC activities and provide recommendations for improvements related to Quality Control & Quality Assurance. Through the course of the engagement, CONTINUUM identified 318 separate opportunities across the 12 facilities which were consolidated into eighteen (18) executable network-wide project initiatives, segmented by either Quality Control or Quality Assurance and focused in five primary improvement areas including Labor, Process, Layout, Capacity and Systems improvements.
