For today’s manufacturers, quality is no longer just a box to check; it has evolved into a strategic pillar central to company success. Once a tactical process focused on meeting regulatory standards, it now plays a leading role in a company’s profitability, brand reputation, employee safety and satisfaction, and, yes, compliance.

As manufacturers well know, when quality suffers the consequences can be immediate and costly. Product recalls—whether they occur in automotive, aerospace, electronics, or medical devices—can quickly run into millions or even billions of dollars, leading to logistical chaos and loss of customer confidence. According to the 2025 ETQ Pulse of Quality in Manufacturing survey, 73% of organizations have experienced a product recall in the last five years, and 48% noted an increase in recalls in the last five years.

The damage to a company’s reputation from product recalls can now be both immediate, thanks to social media, and long term. Take Tesla, for example, which has been hit with numerous recalls of its vehicles in recent months, including a recent recall of 46,000 Cybertrucks after body panels started delaminating due to inferior glue used in their production.

Beyond the headline-grabbing incidents and costly product recalls, poor quality also quietly drains profitability through delayed deliveries and warranty claims. These inefficiencies reduce margins and limit the ability to invest in growth or innovation.

Quality-driven manufacturing, on the other hand, reduces defects and process variation, predicts potential problems, and improves efficiency and processes, resulting in lower waste, less scrap and rework, faster cycle times, and more reliable delivery, all directly improving cost structures.

Increasingly, manufacturers are making significant investments in quality initiatives to support overall corporate goals. According to the ETQ Pulse of Quality in Manufacturing Survey, 60% of respondents cited plans for an increase in total spending on quality in 2025. Some of the primary tools and programs they are investing in include generative AI, automated quality management tools, predictive quality analytics, and workforce connectivity solutions. Respondents  stated that the top business drivers for investing in quality include increased revenue (44%), increased compliance (44%), a stronger supply chain (43%), reduced costs (38%), and reduced risk (31%).

Earning customer trust and brand loyalty

Organizations know that trust is hard to earn and easy to lose. Brands that consistently deliver quality retain customers and turn them into advocates. This trust becomes a durable competitive advantage, so that even when issues arise, companies that have built a strong quality culture are better positioned to respond transparently and restore trust quickly.

Their past track record earns them the benefit of the doubt in the eyes of the public and regulators.

Achieving higher levels of innovation

Technologies like AI, IoT, and machine learning are transforming quality management and processes. Predictive analytics enables manufacturers to forecast defects, while real-time monitoring ensures that problems are detected and corrected early. Combining real-time monitoring and predictive analytics enables manufacturers to address the root causes of issues before they affect quality.

Embedding quality into the product design phase ensures that innovations are robust, scalable, and meet user expectations. This proactive approach reduces time to market and minimizes costly postlaunch fixes.

Quality-focused processes create a stable foundation for rapid innovation. With reliable systems in place, teams can experiment more confidently, iterate quickly, and deliver new products without compromising safety or compliance.

Building a culture of quality

True quality transformation starts at the top. When leadership prioritizes quality—not just in rhetoric, but in budget as well as strategy—it permeates every level of the organization. It becomes everyone’s responsibility and, in turn, everyone’s gain. Training workers to identify, report, and solve quality issues creates an invested, proactive workforce and uncovers problems before they escalate. Quality initiatives, when integrated intelligently across operations, processes, and departments, enable companies to boost financial performance, enhance brand equity, and accelerate product innovation while mitigating risks like recalls and safety failures.

To position quality as a strategic driver, organizations must move beyond siloed departments and embrace cross-functional quality leadership. Here are best practices.

Align senior leadership

Senior leaders should champion quality not as a tactical necessity but as a core value. It should be part of board-level conversations and reflected in the company’s mission, KPIs, and investment decisions.

Infuse a quality culture

Quality should be seen as everyone’s job, not just the responsibility of QA teams. From R&D to customer service, every department should understand how their work affects overall quality outcomes.

Let data drive quality management

According to the ETQ survey, 55% of respondents use quality management systems (QMS) to enable better quality oversight. In addition, IoT sensors, AI and machine learning, and analytics enable a data-driven culture and provide real-time insight into quality performance, which allows proactive and preventive actions. Data transparency is key to driving accountability and continuous improvement.

Lead with the customer

It’s important to align quality objectives with customer expectations, which can be found by conducting regular customer feedback surveys, user group meetings, and other research to make their opinions heard. This in turn will inform product and service enhancements.

Enable employees

Ensure your teams have the right tools, training, and resources to drive quality. With today’s shifting workforce, this is critical to achieving organizational goals.

Manufacturers are embracing the fact that quality is no longer driven solely by operational goals and regulatory standards. It has become an essential strategic asset, improving financial performance, creating more resilient brands, and establishing a culture of innovation. In a world where consumers are more informed, regulators more vigilant, and competition more intense, quality is no longer just a compliance or competitive issue; it’s a necessity for long-term survival.