Quality at Smith is Consistent: Breaking Down the 4Cs Quality Framework

Smith recently unveiled our new 4Cs quality framework, which outlines the four pillars of quality that serve as the foundation for our operations. As Smith’s Chief Operating Officer, I strive to ensure that our framework for quality excellence is unmatched by any other independent distributor. In this blog series, I will be breaking down each of the 4Cs – comprehensiveness, consistency, continuousness, and certification – to explain their place within the framework and the important role they serve in upholding the high level of quality our customers expect of us.

Our second C – consistent – speaks to the uniformity present across all of our operational processes. Smith’s three distribution hubs in Houston, Hong Kong, and Amsterdam offer mirrored capabilities, ensuring that our customers will receive the exact same product and service quality anywhere in the world.

This high level of consistency in our products and services stems from the reliability of our people. We have strived over the last several years to globalize our processes so that all of our employees, regardless of location, receive identical training and follow identical procedures.

This process culminated with our inaugural QC Summit in 2019. The theme of the summit, One Team – One Mission, embodied the culture of consistency we foster at Smith. During the event, quality experts from our global offices had the opportunity to meet and discuss strategies to further enhance and refine our quality management system and establish universal practices to implement across our operations.

Since then, we’ve continued to fine-tune our approach and have maintained constant collaboration among our operational hubs. Through a mix of ongoing employee development, process improvement, and effective communication, our systems and our people are stronger and more cohesive than ever before.

Keep an eye out here on our Market Blog and our LinkedIn page for more industry news, analysis and insights, and information about Smith’s quality program.