Monthly Tech-Tip | No tracking! No ads! |
Management say they can outsource all the technical, so they don't need him anymore.
What could Freddie have done to be more valuable to the company?
loses the ability to quickly identify, diagnose, and fix production or quality problems
Builds dependency on outsider, weakening your ability to control your own operations
Erodes of institutional memory of past failures, nuances of materials, customer feedback
Suppliers policing themselves: If you rely on suppliers for quality control, they have an incentive to pass borderline or defective material rather than reject their own output.
Consultant loyalty: Consultants may be less invested in long-term product quality or your company’s reputation and more motivated to minimize time spent on issues.
Quality drift: Small deviations that would have been caught by internal QC staff can accumulate until they result in major failures (product recalls, warranty claims).
Longer feedback loops: Problems discovered by customers rather than internal QC cost far more to correct and damage customer trust.
Rework and scrap: Without rigorous in-house testing, defective batches may pass through production, multiplying waste costs.
Increased warranty and liability risk: Poorly controlled quality exposes the company to recalls, legal claims, and regulatory penalties.
Consultant costs ballooning: Ongoing reliance on consultants can become more expensive than maintaining staff, especially if problems increase.
Innovation slowdown: In-house technical staff often drive improvements in efficiency, process control, and product design that outsourced QC won’t.
Inability to verify supplier claims: Without internal expertise, you can’t effectively challenge supplier data sheets, certifications, or performance guarantees.
Customer trust erodes quickly: Even minor quality issues can damage brand perception, especially if competitors are perceived as more reliable.
Once in-house QC and technical roles are eliminated:
Skilled staff may be impossible to rehire quickly.
Remaining employees may lack the training to step in.
Rebuilding internal labs, equipment, and know-how is costly and slow.
Bottom Line
Internal QC and technical staff serve as your independent watchdogs and knowledge base. Outsourcing these functions removes a critical layer of oversight and weakens your ability to control quality at its source. While suppliers and consultants can provide valuable support, they should augment, not replace, in-house expertise.
Buy me a coffee and we can talk