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.

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