Experts in the spotlight: Marcus Baumann, Quality Assurance Manager
Ensuring quality – with a system.
Consistently high quality without compromises – this is what customers can expect from Kubota Brabender Technologie. Every device the feeding expert provides should offer outstanding precision and reliable performance. The company's quality assurance plays a major part in ensuring that every feeder, every control system and every discharge solution meets these high standards. "Our task in a nutshell: We ensure that the company produces reliable and consistently high quality, and we do so by means of inspection," says Marcus Baumann, Quality Assurance Manager. "Errors can never be prevented entirely, but we do everything we can to ensure that they are only made once, and that we learn as much as possible from them.“
F.l.t.r.: Marcus Baumann, Erik Mauer, Thomas Meyer
Focus on quality: The QA team
Marcus Baumann has been with the company for almost 30 years and has gained experience in various departments, from production to work scheduling. He became quality assurance manager in 2024. Many things have already changed under his leadership – and he has big plans for the future. "We do everything in our power to delight the customer with a high-quality product – always," he says. "We are constantly developing new, even more effective and efficient methods of ensuring the highest quality.“ For example, quality assurance is currently working on fully integrating the customer complaint process into the company's ERP system, which will allow all departments to access problems and establish a collaborative workflow.
Testing expert Thomas Meyer supports the department manager in the field of incoming goods inspection, putting delivered components through their paces. Erik Mauer, the third team member, also ensures compliance with the high quality standards of Kubota Brabender Technologie. Together, the quality managers ensure certified and tested quality in accordance with DIN EN ISO 9001:2015.
A comprehensive approach
The tasks of quality assurance are extremely diverse. "Incoming goods inspection and complaint management are extremely important pillars, but effective quality management goes beyond that," as Marcus Baumann emphasizes. "We are tied in everywhere in the company – beginning with product development. We support the departments with know-how, point out defects in the ongoing production process, and, if necessary, also pull out parts.“ Last but not least, company-wide coordination in terms of quality management and close cooperation with suppliers are essential.
Blueprints for value: The work standards
An important measure to ensure uniform quality are the work standards for suppliers that Kubota Brabender Technologie provides for each component. Marcus Baumann creates these documents in cooperation with colleagues in the construction department. They refer to quality standards and contain illustrative photos, detailed information regarding important properties such as surface finishes, and general information on what is particularly important for the part in question.
Standards for mastering the supreme discipline
The importance of work standards becomes very clear when it comes to components that have to meet particularly high requirements. One example of this are components installed in hygienic design devices for the food industry. Feeders for this sector not only have to be extremely hygienic, but are also precisely adapted to the – sometimes extremely challenging – properties of the product they will be feeding.
Here, it is essential that all parts that come into contact with the product are made of FDA-approved plastics, and that the welds on metal parts are continuously welded so the product cannot adhere to them. And these are only the minimum requirements; depending on the specific application, demands can be even higher. For example, components for the "supreme discipline" – feeding sticky food ingredients – require all welding seams to be fully ground down so there is no possibility of adhesion anywhere. Surfaces must have certain roughnesses ranging from 0.4 to 0.8 micrometers, and all materials must be certified. Suppliers can meet this challenge far more easily with clear and detailed work standards.
Inspecting incoming components
Delivered components pass through the incoming goods inspection to ensure they meet all requirements. This inspection is based on detailed and specific test instructions that Quality Assurance Manager Marcus Baumann creates for each component. The test instructions also contain information on particularities – such as supplier changes, multiple complaints, or special customer requirements – and are continually adapted. Components for potentially explosive atmospheres are tested by the ATEX team; here too, test instructions ensure an exact and uniform procedure.
Safety-relevant "critical safety parts", which could cause a dangerous situation in the customer's production if faulty, are always checked individually. Parts that have failed to meet standards several times receive an inspection order until they are reliably delivered as required. The QA experts find the necessary data and information for incoming goods inspections on the inspection iPad, which lists the currently received articles, complete with test instructions, design drawings and order information. In case of a defect, the inspector immediately creates the exact fault description with photos, and the system automatically notifies the purchasing department and the supplier.
In order to effectively rule out errors, you have to think along. We always analyze the cause of the error and look for suitable, sometimes quite individual ways to prevent its occurrence in the future.Marcus Baumann, Quality Assurance Manager at Kubota Brabender Technologie.
Close cooperation with suppliers
Marcus Baumann considers close cooperation with suppliers to be a significant quality factor. He regularly visits Kubota Brabender Technologie's partner companies to compare notes and exchange experiences with their quality managers. For new constructions or special projects, he travels to the selected suppliers in advance whenever possible to discuss all details, requirements and particularities. This allows problems with quality to be minimized from the very beginning.
As of late, the quality expert has also been inviting complete production departments to Kubota Brabender Technologie's production facilities, allowing the suppliers' employees to see first-hand how the components are used. "In order to deliver the best quality, employees need to know how and for what purpose the parts they produce are used," he explains. "Only then can they truly understand what is important. And it also makes work more fun.“
Closely interlinked complaint process
When it comes to customer complaints about Kubota Brabender Technologie products, Marcus Baumann also relies on effective cooperation, clear processes and efficient procedures. The first priority is to provide immediate help to the customer, preventing or minimizing production downtime as much as possible. Then, the quality assurance department promptly analyzes the issue that has arisen and works with the involved departments to develop measures that will prevent a recurrence permanently. "Errors can occur. The important thing is: no second time, please,“ says Marcus Baumann. "The customer should return, not the product!“
Quality through cooperation
What makes quality management at KBT special? "Cooperation and collaboration," says Marcus Baumann. "And of course our ability to learn from our experiences and mistakes, and to set ourselves new goals again and again.“
The QA manager sees a special advantage in the fact that the individual departments involve him, give feedback and actively participate. "That isn't something to be taken for granted. Not everyone likes to be watched at their work. But with us, it works very well – all departments deserve full recognition for that. We benefit from excellent cooperation and a smooth workflow throughout the entire company. We're all working towards a common goal." The regular "Q-rounds" also contribute to this. In these meetings, the departments quality assurance, production management, design management and purchasing consider current topics, discuss problems and determine permanent measures.
Successfully reducing defects
The result of this comprehensive approach to quality assurance: In recent years, the number of defects found in incoming components has been reduced just as dramatically as the number of complaints by customers. "Further reducing the number of customer complaints by taking appropriate measures is on the agenda for 2024. In addition, we are creating an interdepartmental, transparent process that speeds up the complaint processes, including error analysis and the introduction of suitable measures.“
Quality management in the Kubota Corporation
Marcus Baumann is extremely positive about the merger with Kubota. "Quality has always been an important parameter for success with the Kubota Corporation – it has a very high priority there. As part of the group, we will be able to work even more closely with our suppliers in future, and be even more responsive to our customers.“ In addition, the procedures, processes and systems of the Japanese group in the field of quality management offer new impulses that quality assurance in Germany will also benefit from.
How Kubota Brabender Technologie ensures quality.
