news

한어Русский языкEnglishFrançaisIndonesianSanskrit日本語DeutschPortuguêsΕλληνικάespañolItalianoSuomalainenLatina

in march 2024, china automotive quality network and kairui saichi consulting jointly launched the annual china automotive product quality outstanding contribution person selection promotion campaign, aiming to showcase managers' innovative practices in redefining and continuously improving product quality in multiple dimensions, and provide the industry with new ideas for responding to quality challenges.

in-depth visits to enterprises and dialogues with managers with outstanding contributions are important parts of this event. in this interview, zhang yue, senior vice president of kairui saichi consulting, talked with li jiayao, senior director of quality management of lantu automobile, and had in-depth communication on lantu automobile's construction of a large-quality platform system, a one-stop user satisfaction system, and the creation of a "three-one" market "double-fast" mechanism.

zhang yue (right), senior vice president of kairui saichi consulting, has an in-depth conversation with li jiayao (left), senior director of quality management of lantu automobile | photo: yang shuo

during the exchange, li jiayao said that the quality concept of lantu auto is user-centric, striving to improve quality and maximize the quality of user experience. a comprehensive user-centric quality management system should be established. in terms of product quality, it is necessary to fully benchmark high-end brands and be committed to providing a quality experience that always exceeds customer expectations.

can withstand users' pixel-level "observation, listening, questioning and palpation"

as a high-end new energy brand created by dongfeng group, lantu has completed the launch of three models in three categories in three years, and recently launched a new model, lantu zhiyin, forming a product matrix spanning three categories of suvs, mpvs, and sedans. the quality and safety of each car are closely related to the construction of the quality management system capabilities.

since the brand was founded, the quality management team has built and improved the whole process quality management system from the early stage quality planning of the whole vehicle to the improvement of the after-sales market. li jiayao said that relying on the quality management system, lantu automobile currently has a dual evaluation standard of "ves + exquisite quality". on the one hand, the projects that customers focus on are constrained through ves evaluation; at the same time, for higher experience requirements, the bonus projects that can bring surprises to customers are improved through exquisite quality evaluation, so that users can see, hear, smell and touch, all present high-end enjoyment.

li jiayao, senior director of quality management at lantu auto | photography: yang shuo

previously, during the trial production stage of a certain model of lantu, touch buttons for the window lift switch were introduced. lantu has always insisted on independent innovation, but after actual testing, it was found that the experience was not good: problems such as insensitivity and easy to touch by mistake occurred frequently. li jiayao judged that there was a great risk of customer complaints in the future. the quality management team promptly put forward suggestions, upgraded and formed a cft team (cross-functional team), and followed up the process on a daily basis. in the end, the new solution was officially introduced before mass production, and it was also recognized by users after it was launched on the market.

li jiayao believes that lantu auto promotes quality management from the perspective of user experience, links development, design, and production, opens up the entire value chain, and ultimately forms a large-quality platform system.

dynamically adjust quality standards based on user needs

the automotive industry pursues ultimate efficiency, but there are no shortcuts. relying on dongfeng group's more than half a century of car-making experience, lantu auto has established an independent and controllable full-link system for research, production, supply and marketing.

li jiayao said that in recent years, lantu motors has adopted a number of new technologies to improve product quality, and these measures run through multiple links such as product research and development, production and manufacturing, and supply chain management. for example, during the production capacity ramp-up phase, the lantu 4.0 digital factory, which integrates advanced technologies such as big data, edge cloud, ai, and the internet of things, played an important role.

voyah auto uses cnc hydraulic pad technology matched with a high-speed synchronous stamping line for mixed steel and aluminum production, so that the error of each process is controlled at the industry's first-class level (0.1mm); in the welding factory with 100% automation coverage, laser welding, arplas welding and traditional welding processes are combined; the 195 sets of high-precision servo tightening equipment on the final assembly line, through the independently developed tms digital torque control system, achieve 100% precise control of the key torque of the vehicle, and the torque data of nearly 10 years can be traced back.

at the same time, the voyah 4.0 digital factory uses ai technology to conduct more detailed inspections. li jiayao introduced: "in chassis inspection, ai is used to free up manpower to prevent errors. in terms of instrument panels and door nameplates, the model conducts deep algorithm learning, which can achieve automatic error prevention and link sound and light alarms for timely correction. through long-term learning, the ai ​​system can evolve and iterate autonomously, and this technology is widely used in quality inspection."

lantu 4.0 digital factory plays an important role in improving product quality | photo: lantu auto

in terms of supply chain, voyah auto is committed to being the "formulator and leader of the quality system and technical standards for new energy vehicle suppliers", and has established and improved the supplier quality system evaluation standard (vqs), summarizing 12 core processes and their management requirements, which can systematically and comprehensively identify the quality weaknesses of suppliers, and focus on the processes that affect key and important characteristics, so as to warn of quality risks in advance and make targeted improvements. "for suppliers, voyah auto has established a supplier quality system auditor qualification certification mechanism, and conducts part quality training including parts expertise, quality system, quality tools, etc. from time to time to continuously improve the auditor's capabilities." li jiayao said.

ensuring the quality of every component from the beginning of r&d | photo courtesy: lantu auto

regarding quality management, li jiayao believes that voyah auto insists on being user-centric and must start from r&d and production to ensure that every component installed on the vehicle is of qualified quality. the quality evaluation standards are also dynamically adjusted according to user feedback. taking the old voyah free as an example, the odor index standard requirements are already within the industry-leading 3.0 level, but there are still a small number of users who have higher requirements. in the end, the standard was adjusted to 2.7. although the difference is only 0.3, it is extremely difficult to achieve. for this reason, "the suppliers of key components under our control have extended from first-tier suppliers to second-tier and even third-tier suppliers."

such actions have received positive feedback from the market: 42,547 vehicles were delivered from january to august, a year-on-year increase of 90%, and monthly sales also achieved "four consecutive increases"; from 2021 to 2023, the company's products had no major/batch defects and zero recalls. according to the data from the auto quality network, the number of complaints about lantu auto is lower than the average of domestic brands, and the withdrawal rate and manufacturer response rate are higher than the industry average.

it took 6 years to meet the needs of 500,000 overseas users

at present, the development cycle of a new car model in the industry has been shortened from 48-60 months in the fuel vehicle era to 12-15 months for new energy vehicle modification models, and the modification rhythm is tending to develop in the direction of consumer electronics.

"at the critical juncture when new cars are launched intensively, we have further strengthened process control. in view of the changes in new models, we have incorporated key management characteristics such as process characteristics and product characteristics into special characteristics control. at the same time, we have fully implemented the 'three ones' principle to improve user satisfaction," said li jiayao.

the "three ones" principle is a rigid requirement that lantu motors puts forward for the entire value chain, that is, user feedback issues must be responded to within 10 minutes, answered within 1 hour, and resolved within 1 day, with the goal of improving user satisfaction. to this end, the factory quality department holds a special promotion meeting on market issues at 1 p.m. every day and a market product feedback countermeasures meeting at 9 p.m. every night, combining professionals in the fields of marketing, r&d, and manufacturing to quickly resolve problems and ensure that users can buy cars with confidence, use cars comfortably, and have peace of mind after sales.

according to lantu's plan, future users will be spread across 60 countries around the world.

in september 2022, 500 voyah free smart electric suvs were officially shipped from wuhan to norway, and were quickly delivered to users after arrival. prior to this, the model had obtained the eu whole vehicle type approval (ewvta) and could be officially registered in eu countries. subsequently, voyah auto entered finland, denmark, the netherlands, bulgaria, the czech republic, italy, spain and other countries.

lantu motors launched in italy | photo courtesy: lantu motors

at the beijing auto show in april this year, voyah officially released its "let's voyah" overseas expansion strategy and announced its "6655" core goal: by 2030, it will be present in six continents, enter 60 countries around the world, build 500 sales and service outlets, and achieve cumulative overseas sales of more than 500,000 vehicles.

how does product quality support the achievement of target tasks? li jiayao admitted that overseas export automobile quality management faces many pain points and problems. the first is cross-border cultural differences; the second is that there are differences in quality standards, consumer habits, laws and regulations with domestic ones; in addition, regulatory requirements are also different. the quality management team faces the actual situation of long problem identification and analysis cycle and need to improve after-sales service.

but he also stressed that the quality management team is actively and in-depth understanding of the local market, and strengthening the construction of the after-sales service system, continuous improvement and innovation, strive to meet the needs of global consumers, and create a "new business card" for chinese auto companies to go overseas.

starting from july 29 this year, the lantu auto brand officially entered its fifth year since its establishment. the next realistic challenge is how to take the scale to the next level in the severely involuted new energy vehicle market. li jiayao said that in this process, the quality management team will ensure product quality while continuously improving the processing and analysis capabilities of quality big data, identifying users' personalized needs, potential quality problems and patterns, coordinating multiple internal departments to respond efficiently, co-creating and win-win products with users, comprehensively improving users' experience of intelligent functions, and meeting users' higher demands for safety.