On May 30, Haier made an impressive debut at the International Conference on Lean Six Sigma, making itself the first brand in China and even Asia ever standing on the world stage of Six Sigma. Recently, Haier's washing machine has just won the championship of in the national final on Six Sigma - the only washing machine brand among 4,325 programs in 13 years.
At the conference, Haier introduced its quality innovation practice in the self cleaning washer, winning thumbs up from over 100 world-leading quality experts from Europe, America, and Asia. Although the speech and interactive session only lasted as short as 25 minutes, behind the curtain was Haier washing machines' long-term accumulation of experience in the quality management system. "Haier is taking the lead in the world in Six Sigma practice. I hope to work with Haier to design the best products", said Professor Chad Laux from Purdue University.
It is well known that Six Sigma seeks "zero defect", and an enterprise must control the defect rate within 3.4 ppm to meet the Six Sigma standards. However, the quality standard philosophy of Haier washing machines is users' satisfaction, which is far more rigorous than Six Sigma. In fact, the test standards for every single Haier washing machine are higher than the national and industrial ones; besides, full consideration is given to all the possible problems that may occur in actual usage scenarios, which will be presented in simulation tests. The product may not be judged qualified until it passes the tests. This means nothing will go wrong within the whole life cycle of the washing machine, from the first to the last usage.
Take washing machine door for example. China has no national standard on its open-close times and the Europe standard only requires 10,000 times. Considering naughty kids may grab the door dangling around, Haier designed a destructive test for its Amethyst washing machines: a 6 or 7 years old kid of 30 kg dangling on the door. Generally, such force will be applied right on the top of the door body, but Haier selected a stricter plan: a tension meter was placed to apply a 150N downward pull on the outer edge of the door body for 60 seconds. This would produce the same effect as 300N force on the top of doors, but Haier's test is harder since force on the outer edge is more destructive.
In addition, users often pull the door when moving the heavy drum washing machine since they find no other places to lift it. This represents a higher standard for weight load of the door body, since it is at a time like this that many washing machines fall apart. To avoid such accidents, Haier testers lifted the washing machine 10cm or above up from the ground with two hands on the bottom of the door. In the process, all the weight of the 85kg machine was focused on the 250g door hinge for at least 30 seconds. The Haier washing machine was still in perfect condition after such a rigorous test.
Haier has defined 53 "never-broken" standards from the perspective of users, and built "user experience labs" to test Haier washing machines. Fire proves gold. Each washing machine produced by user interactions must pass 4,474 standards before being sold on the market.
In addition to reliable quality, Haier also values "the best user experience", like "mother's care". First, Haier's washing machines have amazing washing functions. The Amethyst washing machine has realized a 525mm drum diameter without changing its size and appearance, which is the first in the industry. The machine is the industry's first to apply FPA direct-drive motor and seamless laser welding of inner drums to provide precise control. It also does a great job in clothing care, even the delicate ones such as silk and wool.
Second, cleanliness is also highly important to consumers. It's reported that an Amethyst washing machine has 26 tough-stain washing programs to meet users' everyday need of stain cleaning, topping the whole industry. At the user experience center of Haier washing machines, Doctor Zeng Jingfeng, who specializes in clothing care, told us that "The research on tough-stain washing programs was quite complicated. We simulated the exact usage scenarios of users, and used fresh, dry, and three-day stain methods to wash one type of stain, such as cream and juice." To create stains and clean them up is one of the daily jobs of R&D staff here.
With the rising level of consumption, health has become a critical concern for more and more users. Innovative double-spray antibacterial and mildew-proof window seals are used in Haier Amethyst washing machine. In the final washing, an independent water flow will clean the window and seals to prevent secondary pollution. In terms of healthy cleaning, Haier Amethyst washing machine is the first to pass WFK (Germany) antibacterial test with a bacterial inhibition rate of 99%. It is also the only washing machine in the industry that promises no residual bubbles and mildew-proof window seals.
From cleaning through to care and health, Haier washing machines have always been setting the industry benchmark in cleanliness and health. Haier is in a position to establish the most strict quality system in the world, which is attributed to its long-time focus on quality. Just as Haier CEO Zhang Ruimin says:"There is no limit for quality, no boundary for enterprises, and no national boarder for brands." "Quality is the top priority at all times." In·this year's central government work report, Premier Li Keqiang noted that efforts should be made to expedite the development of the country's quality and manufacturing capabilities, so as to meet the growing consumer demand. Starting right from the livelihood need by delivering "user satisfaction", Haier has made continuous breakthroughs and finally become the world leader in quality.
