Catalfumo
As a corporation primarily involved in construction and development, Catalfumo had very little experience with either consumer products or buying from China. That’s why when chairman and CEO Dan Catalfumo decided to branch out into the bicycle and scooter industry, he enlisted the help of InTouch Manufacturing Services.
Catalfumo’s expansion into this industry posed a unique quality assurance challenge – the scooter being produced features a newly-patented drive train that has little in common with similar scooters on the market. InTouch immediately set to work developing a brand new QC report format as well as in-line quality control checklists and protocols to meet this challenge. These efforts would turn out to pay dividends for Catalfumo when the project evolved into a full scale production monitoring program coordinated by InTouch.
In order to ensure that Catalfumo’s first entry into the scooter market would be of the highest quality possible, InTouch trained, mobilized, and permanently stationed a dedicated team of 15-20 quality technicians twenty minutes from the factory. These technicians are present on the factory floor to monitor the entire production process at all times – everything from component and sub-assembly checks, assembly and packaging line monitoring, to appearance and function checks on individual units, and even warehouse and container inspections of units ready for shipment. This comprehensive quality assurance program has resulted in the achievement of a common goal pursued by both Catalfumo and InTouch – virtually zero defective units are leaving the factory.
In addition to coordinating real-time quality assurance activities on-site, InTouch has developed a series of tracking documents such as a component timeline, serial number records, and quality issue follow up records which allowed Catalfumo to keep a detailed history of scooter production. By updating and maintaining these documents daily on their behalf, both Catalfumo and InTouch are able to track each shipment’s progression from a collection of component parts to sealed containers of finished goods.
