Kattamaipu: Notes from the shop floor IATF 16949 consulting and training for automotive Tier-1 and Tier-2 manufacturers across India. Based in Chennai. https://kattamaipu.com/articles/ 2026-10-26T00:00:00.000Z Manojkumar Alagesan This is the RSS feed for Kattamaipu articles. To get new articles as they come out, copy this page's address into a feed reader such as Feedly, Inoreader or NetNewsWire.Read the articles on the website "Operator Error" Is Not a Root Cause: Why the Same Complaint Comes Back "Operator Error" Is Not a Root Cause: Why the Same Complaint Comes Back https://kattamaipu.com/articles/operator-error-is-not-a-root-cause/ 2026-10-26T00:00:00.000Z Why the same customer complaint returns after the 8D is closed, what to write instead of "operator error", and five checks before you close an 8D. What is QRQC? The Meeting, the Board and the 24-Hour Loop What is QRQC? The Meeting, the Board and the 24-Hour Loop https://kattamaipu.com/articles/what-is-qrqc/ 2026-10-21T00:00:00.000Z QRQC meaning for automotive suppliers: how the daily QRQC meeting and board work, and the 24-hour loop that stops a defect before it reaches the customer. Before You Write an SOP, Define the Process Before You Write an SOP, Define the Process https://kattamaipu.com/articles/before-you-write-an-sop-define-the-process/ 2026-08-19T00:00:00.000Z Why Work Instructions drift from the shop floor, what they leave out, and how to define the process first so SOPs, PFMEA and Control Plan stay connected. What a PFMEA Training Taught Me About Process Knowledge What a PFMEA Training Taught Me About Process Knowledge https://kattamaipu.com/articles/pfmea-process-knowledge/ 2026-07-30T00:00:00.000Z In a PFMEA training at a Tier-1 supplier, the quietest people knew the process best. Why shop-floor knowledge finds risks that engineers miss. The 7QC Tools Aren't Weak — You're Just Using Them Wrong The 7QC Tools Aren't Weak — You're Just Using Them Wrong https://kattamaipu.com/articles/the-7qc-tools-arent-weak-youre-just-using-them-wrong/ 2026-05-28T00:00:00.000Z Simple problems don't need complex tools. Why the 7 QC tools work best used in sequence, from flowchart to control chart, with a free Excel template. Strategic Planning Without Strategy: Why Automotive Suppliers Confuse the Document with the Decision Strategic Planning Without Strategy: Why Automotive Suppliers Confuse the Document with the Decision https://kattamaipu.com/articles/strategic-planning-without-strategy/ 2025-11-03T00:00:00.000Z Why automotive suppliers confuse strategic planning with strategy, and how that confusion erodes competitive advantage in precision manufacturing. Revisiting the Basics: Why I'm Abandoning Modern Frameworks for Industrial Engineering Revisiting the Basics: Why I'm Abandoning Modern Frameworks for Industrial Engineering https://kattamaipu.com/articles/revisiting-the-basics-industrial-engineering/ 2025-10-28T00:00:00.000Z Why the foundations of industrial engineering and scientific management, the roots beneath Lean, ISO and IATF, still matter on the shop floor today. What is ISO 14001? A Simple Guide for Automotive Suppliers What is ISO 14001? A Simple Guide for Automotive Suppliers https://kattamaipu.com/articles/what-is-iso-14001/ 2025-10-27T00:00:00.000Z What is ISO 14001? A plain guide for automotive suppliers: what it requires, why customers ask for it, and how it cuts risk, waste and cost. What is IATF 16949? A Plain Guide for Automotive Suppliers What is IATF 16949? A Plain Guide for Automotive Suppliers https://kattamaipu.com/articles/what-is-iatf-16949/ 2025-10-13T00:00:00.000Z What is IATF 16949? A plain guide for Tier-1 and Tier-2 automotive suppliers: what it requires, why it matters, and how it helps prevent defects. What is ISO 9001? A Simple Guide for Manufacturers What is ISO 9001? A Simple Guide for Manufacturers https://kattamaipu.com/articles/what-is-iso-9001/ 2025-10-09T00:00:00.000Z What is ISO 9001? A plain guide for manufacturers: what the standard really asks for, why it matters, and how it brings clarity beyond paperwork. Audit Survival vs Real Quality: Two Plants, Same Certificate Audit Survival vs Real Quality: Two Plants, Same Certificate https://kattamaipu.com/articles/iso-audit-survival-vs-real-quality/ 2025-09-01T00:00:00.000Z Two automotive suppliers prepare for the same IATF surveillance audit. One survives it; the other barely notices it. What makes the difference. Certified on Paper, Different on the Floor: The Real Cost of an IATF System Built for the Auditor Certified on Paper, Different on the Floor: The Real Cost of an IATF System Built for the Auditor https://kattamaipu.com/articles/certified-on-paper-different-on-the-floor/ 2025-08-18T00:00:00.000Z Why so many certified automotive suppliers still run on firefighting, what a certificate-only IATF system really costs, and how to tell if your system is alive. Why Documented Systems Stop Working, and How to Build One Your Team Actually Uses Why Documented Systems Stop Working, and How to Build One Your Team Actually Uses https://kattamaipu.com/articles/why-documented-systems-stop-working/ 2025-07-28T00:00:00.000Z Procedures, software and certification, yet the line still runs another way. Why documented systems die, and how to build one your team actually uses.