The document provides an overview of Tony Lopez's experience and strategies for building best-in-class quality in footwear manufacturing. It details his 28 years of experience in quality roles across various industries. As Director of Quality & Process Engineering at New Balance, his mission was to build a world-class quality mindset and continuous improvement culture. Key strategies included training programs to develop problem-solving skills, building quality awareness, and establishing metrics to drive data-driven improvements. Examples demonstrate focusing investigations on root causes rather than blame, and cross-functional collaboration to resolve complex issues.

1. Building Best-in-Class Quality in
Footwear Manufacturing
Tony Lopez
16 March 2017

2. – BS Electronics & Communications Engineering
– Work Experience:
• 28 years in Quality
• Industries :
– Motorola - semiconductors
– Johnson Electric - electric motors
– Schneider Electric - electrical wiring devices
– Spotless Plastics - hangers & garment accessories
– New Balance – footwear
» Director Quality & Process Engineering
Tony Lopez’ Personal Profile

3. Tony Lopez’ Personal Profile
• Key Prior Accomplishments:
– Hangers and Garment Accessories
• 63% reduction in customer quality claims
– Electrical Wiring Devices
• Resolution of over 250 customer quality issues facilitating business turnaround to
profitability and growth after 5 consecutive years of losses
• 52% reduction in customer complaints from new product launches
– Electrical Motors
• US$3M+ compounded annual savings from the Cost Of Quality (COQ) Program.
• 50% reduction of In-Process defectives and Customer Complaints globally
– Semiconductors:
• General Manager’s awards for Excellence from leadership in ISO 9002 plant certification
in 1994, and the development of the globally adapted QA Data Collection (QADC) system

4. 2012 New Balance
Quality Mission - Footwear
• Mission
“ Build a world-class quality mindset and
continuous improvement culture within the New
Balance External Mfg team and its manufacturing
partners”

5. Give a Man a Fish, and You Feed Him for a Day.
Teach Him How To Fish,
and You Feed Him for a Lifetime !
Chinese Proverb

6. Key Quality Strategies
A. Building a World-Class Quality Mindset
1. People Development / Training program
• Problem Solving
– Eight-Discipline (8D) Problem Solving
» Emphasis on Root Cause, Containment and Prevention
» “Never solve the same problem twice”
• Quality Audits
– Auditor training & certification
• Statistical Methods & other advanced methodologies
– Training-Workshops
» DOE, SPC, Six Sigma
» D/PFMEA & Control Plans

7. Key Quality Strategies
A. Build a World Class Quality Mindset (con’t.)
2. Quality Mindset
• Quality Awareness
• Respect The Spec
• Self-Inspection
• Empowerment

8. DISCIPLINE
QUALITY MINDSET
QualityAwareness
RespectTheSpec
Self-Inspection
Empowerment
Building a Quality Mindset
Relentless Layered Audits:
 NB Regional Quality
 NB Local
 Factory Management
 Factory Roving QC
Quality Awareness:
- Performance updates
> Factory & Production Line
- Bulletin Board Postings:
> KPI results
> Positive / Negative customer
feedback
- Supervisor daily updates
- “Town Hall” meetings
> Top Factory Leadership
"Respect the Spec“ Campaign
Clear procedure for workers if:
- Out of spec / Not exactly right / Unclear
Workers’ Self-Inspection
- Don’t Accept, Don’t Make, & Don’t
Pass Along Defects
Empowerment
- Line stoppage and product
quarantine for quality issues
- Workers & Factory Line QC
- Production supervisors &
managers’ corrective action
signatures

9. Today’s excellence is tomorrow’s standard
… and the future’s substandard
Tony Lopez

10. Key Quality Strategies
B. Build a Continuous Improvement Culture
1. Key Performance Indicator (KPI) Enhancements
• % to Parts-Per-Million (PPM)
• Data-driven Monthly Reviews
– 3-Level Pareto Analysis
– “Let the data do the talking”
• T2 Suppliers
– Soles & Materials

11. Example of Shoe Factory KPI’s

12. Key Quality Strategies
B. Build a Continuous Improvement Culture (con’t.)
2. Effective Containment
• W/H stock sorting for identified issues on Customer Complaints
• Certification of Factory SI Inspectors
3. Audit Programs – “Fresh pair of Product Eyes”
• Conversion of NB Inspectors to Auditor (Reactive to Preventive)
• Product Launch Audits
• Monthly cross-factory NB team audits
• Key T2 suppliers
4. Quality Systems
• Best Practices and audit checklists

14. – Problem Solving Paradigm change
– Stop “Set A / Set B” analysis and corrective action
» Root cause -> (A) workers negligence (B) not in SOP
» Corrective action -> (A) worker re-training (B) SOP update
(C) suspension / termination
» NB Standard:
• 99% of the time, the workers are the victims and not
the root cause !
• Leadership’s role is to help workers succeed !
Key Learnings

15. – Problem Solving Paradigm change
• “Let the data do the talking”
– Data that does not point towards improvements to pursue are
meaningless
• “You can only be as good as what you measure”
Key Learnings

16. Assembly End-Of-Line Pareto Analysis in Sep 2012
Example : “Let the data do the talking”
Temp
Temp Temp
Temp Temp Temp Temp

17. (Same data) Analysis -- by Date
Based on above, 9/17-9/21 had a relatively higher deffect rate.

18. (Same data) Analysis -- by Production Line
Based on above, over cementing came mainly from Building 2

19. (Same data) Analysis -- by Model
Based on above, over cementing mostly came from MT/WT610
48.5%
5.5%
4.0%
3.8%
4.1%
5.0%
5.3%
4.3%
3.8%
5.0% 4.7%
3.6% 2.5% MT/WT610
M/W1080
WT00
MX856
W1090
M/W630
WMD/MMD800
W556
M225
M/W1260
WR1400

20. Foxing Quarter
Heel
Tip
(Same data) Analysis -- by Shoe Location

21. Root Cause Investigation
Why did the 610 tip area have a 2mm
cementing line exposure?
Because the sole did not match the
marking line
Why did the sole not match the marking line？ Because the marking gauge was too wide
Why was the marking gauge too wide? Because new marking gauges added into the
line were not being checked
Why were additional marking gauges not
being checked?
Because there was no process defined for
checking of additional marking gauges.

22. Full Size Run OK
Check marking
gauge
OK
Not OK
Make marking gauge
Stamp
confirmation mark
Hand-over to
production
Use in production
Tooling
Tooling &
Technician
Tooling
Corrective Action : Validation process for toe marking gauges
Responsible departmentProcess

23. Over cementing defective trend
Before After
Note: Above data is only from MT610 model made at Building 2.

24. Toe marking gauge verification – look across
Toe marking gauge check list
Model Gauge （no. of Pieces）
Gauges found
out-of-spec
Reject Rate
MX1211 D width:18 0 0
WL661 D width:16 0 0
M940 2E/4E width:26 0 0
W940 D/2E/4E width:34 0 0
MT610 2E/4E/D width:32 3 9.38%
W1080 D/2E/4E width:32 0 0
M/W1260 D/2E/4E width:76 1 1.32%
MX856 D width:26 0 0
Total 260 4 1.54%

25. • For Complex Quality Issues: Collaboration is Key
– Example : Bonding - Needed Clarity of Specs & Standards
– Declared “War on Bonding Failures” – Jan 2015
– Actions Taken :
• Bonding Summits – Asia & Global
Key Learnings

26. • Asia Bonding Summit : March 2015
• Participants :
- NB Asia / T1 Focus Factories / Adhesive Suppliers / Dick Crosbie
• Focus : Clarification of bonding standards & factory execution requirements
Document Key Learnings into “Best Practices for Excellent Bonding”
Audit and drive compliance
War on Bonding Failures

27.  Global Bonding Summit : May 2015
 Participants :
- Asia Summit team, NB USA, T2 & T3 Suppliers / Equipment Suppliers
 Focus : reducing manufacturing challenges
- sole design & formulation, upper materials, manufacturing technologies
War on Bonding Failures

28. 50%
reduction !!!

29. • Example :
– Instead of finding broken needles, prevent them from breaking
Key Learnings

30. Stitching operator uses a magnifying glass to check needle condition twice per day
NEEDLE CHECKING
Time Checking Tool
Morning Magnifying glass
Afternoon Magnifying glass
BROKEN NEEDLE PREVENTION
1. Daily check of needle condition using magnifying glasses

31. BROKEN NEEDLE PREVENTION
Needle
Brand
Style Speed Needle
size
Stitching
area
Material Broken
needle
Q’ty
Output
(prs)
Schmetz CM1600 1,800 18#
Heel
Stitching
Leather,
Counter, Foam,
Mesh
X pcs
X,XXX
Tip
Stitching
Leather, Mesh X pcs
Groz-
Beckert CM1600 1,800 18#
Heel
Stitching
Leather,
Counter, Foam,
Mesh
X pcs
X,XXX
Tip
Stitching
Leather, Mesh X pcs
2. Standardize to best brand of needles
Brand: SCHMETZ
Made by Germany
Brand: GROZ-BACKER
Made by Germany
 Comparative study conducted on two kinds of
needles “SCHMETZ” and “GROZ-BECKERT”

32. BROKEN NEEDLE PREVENTION
3. Standardize the speed of stitching machine
Style 530 (on one stitching line)
Before Technicians standardized the speed After Technicians standardized the speed
Speed Broken needle Output Speed Broken needle Output
>1,800 50 pcs/week 2520pcs/week 1,800 32 pcs/week 2490pcs/week

33. Tension thread
: Tight
Tension thread
: Loosen
Tension thread
: OK
Upper thread Bottom thread
Upper thread Bottom thread
Upper thread Bottom thread
BROKEN NEEDLE PREVENTION
4. Standardize stitching thread tension

34. The Next Frontier
– T2 Material Quality Improvement
• i.e. Reduction of re-dyeing
– Preventive/Predictive Maintenance
• Automated Equipment
• Tools / Lasts
– ERC Collaboration
• i.e. Eliminate Adhesive Bonding

35. TL PrinciplesTM
Think more of what you can do…
than what can be done for you
For in the end it will be known…
all the good things you have shown

36. email: tony_lopez_cares@hotmail.com
THANK
YOU !