AMLIFE COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE

QUALITY

Amlife follows the principles outlined in the Total Quality Management practices. These principles are geared to ensure that organizations like Amlife consistently meet or exceed the expectations of our customers and their customers. This approach strongly focuses on process measurements and controls as a means of continuous improvement.

1. Quality can and must be managed

Many companies fall into a repetitive cycle of chaos and customer complaints. They believe that some projects are simply too large to effectively manage the level of quality. The first step in the TQM process, then, is to realize there is a problem and that it can be controlled.

2. Processes, not people, are the problem

If our processes are causing problems, it won't matter how many times we hire new employees or how many training sessions we put them through. We must correct the process and then train our people on these new procedures.

3. Don't treat symptoms, look for the cure

If we were to just patch over the underlying problems in a process, we will never be able to fully reach our potential.

4. Every employee is responsible for quality

Everyone in our company, from the workers on the line to the upper management, realize that they have an important part to play in ensuring high levels of quality in our products and services. Everyone has a customer to delight, and we must all step up and take responsibility for them.

5. Quality must be measurable

A quality management system is only effective when you can quantify the results. We need to see how the process is implemented and if it is having the desired effect. This helps us to set goals for the future and ensure that every department is working toward the same result.

6. Quality improvements must be continuous

Total Quality Management is not something that can be done once and then forgotten. It's not a management "phase" that will end after a problem has been corrected. Real improvements must occur frequently and continually in order to increase customer satisfaction and loyalty.

7. Quality is a long-term investment

Quality management is not a quick fix. TQM is a long-term investment, and it is designed to help us find long-term success.

TIME-TO-MARKET

Time-to-market (TTM) is the total time it takes to identify, develop, and reach cost-effective delivery for a new product. In other words, it is the cycle time of the design/manufacture process.

At Amlife, we believe in beginning each new project with a structured time-to-market development process. This process assumes that skipping steps to reduce time not only undermines quality but lengthens product development if steps have to be repeated. Applying process improvement tools and techniques to shorten the steps reduces decision-making time and automates activities.

COSTS

China obviously offers significant cost savings, but realizing them without sacrificing time-to-market and quality can be a tricky matter. When utilizing our extensive supplier network, we take into account our customer's cost requirements and find the best the best match for their needs.

When doing our Design For Manufacturability (DFM) our engineers continually seek out ways to reduce costs for future manufacturing. We provide these suggestions to our customers and determine whether these suggestions should be implemented or not. During manufacturing, our project managers proactively look for cost downs to pass on to our customers.