Hank Kolb - Director of Quality Assurance

CHONNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY – GRADUATE SCHOOL OF BUSINESS

OPERATIONS AND SUPPLY MANAGEMENT

REPORT

CASE: HANK KOLB

DIRECTOR OF QUALITY ASSURANCE

                                                    Team 2:

                                                    1. Park Sun Hwa

                                                    2. Choi Hee Ung

                                                    3. Wi Min Keun

                                                    4. Pascual Marie Charmaine

                                                    5. Doan Thu

      Gwangju, October 1st, 2010

1. THE CASE SUMMARY

Hank Kolb had been hired as a director of quality assurance. Before Kolb started his job, he was advised by Morganthal, a general manager, that Greasex manufacturing plant lacks quality attitude and Kolb’s main job is to try to do something about it. Therefore, he is here to put an end to the firm’s downward quality-productivity- turnover spiral

After the seminar, Kolb went to the plant to investigate on the industrial products plant (Greasex) quality problems. He found out from Mark Hamler, his immediate subordinate as the quality control manager, that there were some cans found with high pressure that were supposed to be sent to the rework area. But, since the production planning did not want any delay, the cans were manipulated by Wayne Simmons, first line supervisor, by venting them out so that they could be shifted in time.

As he wanted to do more investigations, he talked to the following departments and learned some information. There were various problems involved from personnel to marketing, but what bothered Kolb the most was the safety issue of the high pressure in the cans. He had no way of knowing how much of a hazard the high pressure was.   Although some tests had been done that proved that there was no danger, there were still many questions in his mind such as the reliability of the test or whether or not the same... [continues]

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