Producing high-quality products is crucial for any business. But designing quality into the product from the start is the only significant way a business can improve its product margins. When you use detection methods and find a nonconformance, you’ve already invested in that nonconforming product and are either faced with scrapping the part and your investment or investing more in rework to reclaim some of that investment. If that defect goes undetected, cost ratchets up dramatically—not to mention the intangible damage to brand and customer satisfaction.

Quality isn’t free. But you can buy it when it’s at the lowest cost, and for most companies this means investing more in prevention. There are exceptions, most often where safety is paramount and 100-percent inspection is required (as with NASA and aerospace).

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