Wayne Clark has spent 26 years in Engineering and Supply Chain Management: nine in Automotive Manufacturing, and twelve in Purchasing and Supply Chain Management where he gained CIPS qualification, where he built his knowledge of Asian Manufacturing.
For the last five years, Wayne has been operating as Sales Director at ET2C, Warwick Music Groups’ supply chain partner, supporting his European clients with their country manufacturing requirements.
Wayne shares with us what supplier audits are, how they are conducted and why they are important.
“Chinese manufacturing, in fact manufacturing anywhere in the world, inherently involves risks. ET2C International’s role is to support Warwick Music Group in helping manage those risks.
We perform our own audits based on product specifications, as well as the company’s overall requirements, needs, and practices – essentially we provide independent verification that the factory used to manufacture a product, in this case instruments, is able to do so.
A factory’s demonstrated ability to manufacture a product is of course important, without it you’re not going to be able to make any instruments! However, it’s actually only part of the equation.
We also authenticate quality management systems. What this means is that a quality assurance assessment takes place to confirm the methods a factory uses to ensure the quality of the final products. Details like how the specifications are considered and adhered to, how goods are handled during production, and methods used to standardise machinery to best ensure long-term quality control are all included. We then design quality indicators at every level of the organisation to ensure all critical details are addressed.
Tommy Deng (pictured right) is a Quality Engineer for ET2C and has worked with Warwick Music Group to build a complete quality control system. He checks incoming quality, in-process production and final inspections of instruments at the end of production, to make sure we meet our quality standards.
Another really important part of our role is ensuring social accountability. Manufacturing audits provide a comprehensive review to ensure all administrative documents follow local regulations. Based on the SA8000 standard an auditor will review HR records as well as interview workers to gain additional insight into the factory’s true working environment.
By working with us Warwick Music Group provide independent verification that their suppliers’ facilities are clean and safe for workers, and are in line with local regulations and laws.
For more information about the work of ET2C International please visit https://et2c.com/
Read more ways Warwick Music Group are #seriousaboutmakingmusicfun
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