Quality Supervisor

Quality Supervisor

The Quality Supervisor is responsible for supervising and coordinating the day-to-day activities of the Quality Department supporting general fabrication, welded assemblies, machining, cutting, drilling, and powder coating operations. The position ensures that materials, processes, and finished products meet customer requirements, engineering drawings, specifications, and established company quality standards.

The Quality Supervisor provides leadership to Quality Technicians/Inspectors, works closely with Production and Engineering, identifies and resolves quality issues, and drives corrective and preventive actions throughout the manufacturing process.

Daily Responsibilities

• Start-of-Day Quality Review
• Review quality issues from the previous shift/day.
• Review scrap, rework, and rejection information.
• Review production schedules and identify high-risk or new production runs.
• Verify Quality Inspectors/Technicians are assigned appropriately to production requirements.
• Communicate significant quality concerns to affected department & Quality Management.
• Production Floor Quality Oversight
• Maintain a visible presence on the manufacturing floor.
• Monitor fabrication, welding, assembly, and powder coating processes for compliance with established requirements.
• Verify operators are working from the correct drawings, revisions, work instructions, and specifications.
• Ensure required inspections are being performed at the appropriate stages of production.
• Verify first-piece inspections are completed before production quantities are released.
• Monitor in-process inspection activities and ensure inspection results are properly documented.
• Verify finished products meet dimensional, visual, functional, and workmanship requirements.
• Assist production personnel in identifying potential quality problems before material reaches the next operation.
• Welded Product Quality
• Monitor welded assemblies for compliance with drawings and specifications.
• Verify critical dimensions, weld locations, assembly orientation, and component placement.
• Monitor weld appearance and workmanship.
• Identify weld defects such as undercut, porosity, excessive spatter, incomplete welds, cracks, improper size, or incorrect placement.
• Verify weld sizes and locations when specified by engineering drawings.
• Work with Production to identify recurring welding problems and develop corrective actions.
• Ensure welding-related inspection records are completed when required.
• Fabrication Quality
• Monitor cutting, punching, forming, drilling, bending, machining, and fabrication operations.
• Verify dimensions and tolerances using appropriate inspection equipment.
• Confirm holes, slots, bends, cut lengths, angles, and other critical characteristics meet drawing requirements.
• Verify fabricated components are properly identified and traceable when required.
• Review dimensional inspection results for accuracy and completeness.
• Stop or place material on hold when significant nonconformances are identified.
• Powder Coating Quality
• Monitor powder coating operations for compliance with customer and internal requirements.
• Inspect finished coating for: Proper coverage, Color, Gloss, Film thickness, Adhesion when required, Surface preparation, Runs and sags, Orange peel, Pinholes, Blisters, Contamination, Scratches and damage, Bare areas
• Verify appropriate surface preparation prior to coating.
• Monitor coating thickness using appropriate inspection equipment.
• Verify cure requirements are being maintained when applicable.
• Identify and document coating defects.
• Work with Production to determine root causes of recurring coating problems.
• Nonconforming Material Control
• Identify and document nonconforming material.
• Ensure rejected material is properly identified and segregated.
• Review nonconforming material with Production, Engineering, and Management as appropriate.
• Determine whether material should be: Reworked or Repaired, Used as-is with approval, Returned to supplier, Scrapped
• Ensure reworked material is reinspected before release.
• Maintain accurate nonconformance records.
• Monitor recurring defects and initiate corrective action when appropriate.
• Corrective Action and Problem Solving
• Investigate recurring or significant quality problems.
• Verify corrective actions are implemented and effective.
• Track open corrective actions to completion.
• Identify opportunities to prevent problems rather than relying solely on final inspection.
• Communicate significant quality issues to Quality management.
• Quality Documentation
• Ensure inspection reports are complete, accurate, and legible.
• Review first-piece inspection documentation.
• Review in-process and final inspection records.
• Verify inspection equipment and gauges are within calibration requirements.
• Ensure current drawings and specifications are available to Quality personnel.
• Inspection Equipment
• Ensure inspectors have the proper gauges and measuring equipment.
• Monitor calibration status of inspection equipment.
• Remove expired or damaged measuring equipment from service.
• Verify appropriate inspection methods are being used.
• Assist in establishing appropriate measurement methods for new or difficult-to-inspect products.
• Production and Quality Communication
• Participate in daily production meetings as required.
• Communicate quality concerns promptly to Production Supervisors and Managers.
• Work with Production to resolve problems without compromising product requirements.
• Provide feedback to operators regarding quality expectations.
• Promote the philosophy that quality is the responsibility of everyone involved in the manufacturing process.
• Escalate significant or recurring issues to management.
• Customer and Supplier Quality
• Assist with investigation of customer complaints and returned products.
• Support root-cause investigations for customer quality issues.
• Assist with supplier quality problems involving raw materials, components, fabricated parts, or coatings.
• Assist in issuing and following up on Supplier Corrective Action Requests.
• Support customer inspections, audits, or quality inquiries as required.
• End-of-Day Quality Review
• Before the end of each shift/day, the Quality Supervisor should:
• Review outstanding quality issues.
• Review production holds and nonconforming material.
• Confirm required inspections have been completed.
• Review incomplete inspection reports.
• Identify jobs requiring follow-up on the next shift.
• Communicate unresolved quality issues to Production and Management.
• Update corrective action and nonconformance status.
• Ensure critical quality information is communicated during shift handoff.

Supervisory Responsibilities

• The Quality Supervisor is responsible for directing the daily activities of Quality Technicians and Inspectors, including:
• Assigning daily inspection priorities.
• Monitoring employee performance.
• Training Quality personnel.
• Verifying inspection methods are being followed.
• Reviewing inspection results.
• Coaching employees on quality requirements.
• Maintaining adequate Quality Department coverage.
• Addressing performance issues as necessary.
• Developing employee skills and cross-training.
• Establishing consistent inspection practices throughout the facility.

Key Quality Responsibilities

• The Quality Supervisor is expected to maintain control of:
• First-piece inspection
• In-process inspection
• Final inspection
• Nonconforming material
• Rework and repair verification
• Weld quality
• Fabrication dimensions
• Powder coating quality
• Inspection records
• Calibration
• Customer complaints
• Corrective actions
• Supplier quality issues
• Drawing/specification compliance
• Quality department personnel

Performance Expectations

• The Quality Supervisor should focus on preventing defects rather than simply finding defects.
• Key performance indicators may include:
• First-pass yield
• Internal defect rate
• Customer returns
• Repeat defects