Quality, India, has a quantity of its own

Quality, as they don't say quite enough in our country, has a quantity of its own. The fact is, after getting besotted by things like 'demographic dividend' and being the most populated sovereign territory on the planet - and spinning it as if, per se, it's a great thing - India needs to realise that how matters as much as - if not more than - how much. Traditionally, China has taken the flak for substandard products. Those 'Chinese fan' days have changed. India needs to understand that its products - and services - need qualitative recollection. It is positioning itself as an export hub at a time when Industry 4.0 is facilitating the achievement of what quality control manager of the US Pershing missile programme Philip Crosby defined as 'zero-defect manufacturing' (ZDM). The cutting-edge technologies now available can set up production systems that eliminate all errors in the manufacturing process. AI, automation and IoT ensure that every product line gets it right from the start.

This is an opportunity for India: think AI as the ultimate jugaad. ZDM is a continuous quality control measure that benefits greatly from data-driven decisions. India has adequate talent to create innovative, homegrown software solutions that analyse real-time production line data from IoT sensors and develop sophisticated operating procedures to eliminate defects. The associated productivity improvements can lower cost of manufacturing in the country, which strengthens the case for global companies to utilise it as an export base. All that is required is will.

The concept of ZDM goes beyond traditional quality control approaches, such as Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma, which have created export powerhouses like Japan. As paradigms have shifted, so has ZDM. Indian companies should have to move quickly on this front if they aim for global competitiveness. To be truly global, Indian manufacturing must swivel from the cost-arbitrage mantra and build quality into processes using advanced digital technology and data. It will also mean lifting the domestic market qualitatively.