Garland Introduces a Quality Assurance and Communication Program

Garland introduced a quality assurance and communication program for its manufacturing operations at its Cleveland headquarters. GMAX, which stands for Garland Manufacturing Attention to Excellence, is a proactive program designed to provide more education to the manufacturing staff and open the lines of communication between key players in the product manufacturing process.

At its core, the concept is to keep all involved—from team members working on the production line to the management team—well informed with up-to-date information. The program also outlines a strategy for improving on safety, quality, inventory and efficiency. Each piece of the GMAX program was designed with one goal in mind: engage employees in a positive way that fosters personal ownership and a healthy team dynamic to maintain Garland’s high standards.

The GMAX program brings together many of the departments—manufacturing, product management, research, quality and safety—that help make the products a success in the factory, as well as out in the field. One aspect of the program is the GMAX Command Center—a new room built in the manufacturing plant with product mock-ups, educational information about the products, and real-time information from the Product Management and Quality teams.

Already, the new program has brought positive changes to the Cleveland operations. “Now that all of the team members know the goal and everyone is educated on the what and why of what we’re trying to accomplish, the quality assurance team went from just one department to the entire manufacturing team,” says Colin Downey, plant manager.

The GMAX program will continue to grow and evolve to meet the needs of a constantly changing business landscape while striving to always put customers first.