#211 The Pursuit of Product Details: Even a Single Line Matters (21/06/2026)

Having been in the bedding business for some time, I've gradually gained a basic understanding of bedding products. However, when I recently inspected some products, I noticed some details, particularly in the stitching, that weren't quite up to standard. Naturally, my first thought in such situations is that the colleagues responsible for the stitching did a poor job, and their craftsmanship was subpar. So, I immediately went to the colleague in charge of production management and said, "Boss, how can you let something like this go out? Is this acceptable?" Then, that same afternoon, I conducted a more detailed spot check on more products. But I also understand one thing: while it's understandable and normal to vent frustration and dissatisfaction when having to criticize someone, if it remains merely an emotional outlet, colleagues will likely just promise to be more careful next time, but actual improvement will be difficult. This is something I've learned in the past few years: to do things well, you need to address the root cause. Sometimes, it might genuinely be that a colleague is disorganized and prone to mistakes, or perhaps the sewing technician's craftsmanship isn't good. In such cases, you need to examine the process itself to see if any Process Re-engineering can be done to change the workflow or working methods, so that undesirable errors *cannot* happen within the system. I reiterate, the aim should be "impossible." I've found that this phrase is actually the most crucial for a company's survival and its ability to succeed. The goal is to make it so that anyone, even if their abilities are somewhat lacking, can still do a good job. Or, at the initial stage, one should first look for any factors that might increase the likelihood of problems occurring.

I must also admit that when I first started, I sometimes got too caught up in expressing my dissatisfaction and simply telling people to "do better," rather than thinking from their perspective about how I could "help them do better." It's only been in the last year or two that I've slowly learned that I need to approach it from their perspective and find ways to help them improve their work.

For example, with this current issue of stitching details, I ultimately discovered that a significant cause was very likely the quality of the thread used for sewing. Frankly, when we buy thread for these textile products, I never expected them to have problems. It turns out that the thread company's products have declined in quality. The poor quality of the thread meant that when we looked closely, we found the thread to be sometimes thick and sometimes thin, especially the thin sections, which would easily break during sewing. The disadvantage of easily breaking thread is that it requires rework, leading to visible splices and an unsightly finish. Furthermore, due to the poor quality of the thread, the finished stitching also looked bad, with inconsistent tension. But what customers see is "poor stitching" and "bad craftsmanship"! This is quite frustrating. However, the responsibility is squarely on my shoulders; it is my job to resolve this.