Employeneurs at NPI (New Product Introduction) work for many different clients. Companies in the high-tech sector, the automotive industry and the process industry experience the added value of TMC professionals every day. Supply Quality Engineer Joost Fianen shares his experiences. Technical knowledge is necessary to substantiate your findings and methods such as SPC and Six Sigma are essential for monitoring the quality of the processes. But communication skills are also indispensable.

Joost works as a Supply Quality Engineer at a supplier of lithography machines for the semiconductor industry. "I am responsible for the quality of the parts that come from the suppliers. In addition, there is the NPI (New Product Introduction) part: if new parts have to come, I have to make agreements about the quality. I consult with the suppliers and guide them, so that they know what to make. Then I collect the first products and assess whether the suppliers have their processes under control." This involves SPC (Statistical Process Control) and other methodologies to examine how production is safeguarded at process level so that quality is guaranteed.

Aircraft complexity

The machines the company makes, are extremely complicated. "Think of aircraft level and even more complex. I am responsible for a piece, a module, of such a machine and those modules consist of submodules and parts." But it does not stop with the technical component of the work. "All kinds of developments are taking place. Not only you have to deal with the suppliers, the engineering - both the NPI engineers at the suppliers and the production engineers on the shop floor - but also with logistics processes. I have to get the message to the supplier, but also discuss with our own engineers why certain things cannot be done and how we solve them. I have to substantiate all of this with knowledge."

What knowledge should a Quality Engineer have?

At a previous employer, Joost was a Production Engineer and was involved with R&D that brought new products and processes to production. "That was mainly an internal matter. Now I have to deal with more companies and also with new challenges, such as the cost aspect." In addition, he was once involved as a consultant to improve the processes at a supplier.

The most important thing that study brought me, is that I learned how to optimize processes.

As a Quality Engineer you need in-depth technical knowledge, but communication skills are also indispensable. "Sometimes you have to be diplomatic and it is useful to know when to escalate and when not. I am also partly the technical conscience towards the commercial department. You have to realize that your voice is quite important. You often work together in finding solutions in which costs, scope and time are well balanced. That can be quite a puzzle and it is great when you eventually find each other in that."

In addition, Joost can use the knowledge and experience that he gained in previous positions in a new way. "I was a project manager once and I have experience in development engineering. I enjoy being all-round and it is useful because that knowledge and experience makes it easier for you to put yourself in someone with a different position."