Premium quality in the digital age

Quality is a core competence of the brand with the four rings. To inspire with quality leadership in the premium segment is Audi’s aspiration with regard to the mobility of the future. Audi customers have expectations for the function, comfort, value and reliability of their cars that are every bit as great as those of people using premium mobility and other services – and that will hold even more true in the future.

With its headquarters in Ingolstadt, Audi Quality Assurance is involved in the entire product process – from development through production in all factories worldwide to testing in international markets.

“The megatrends digitalization, sustainability and urbanization are changing the understanding of quality and influencing our work in Quality Assurance,” said Werner Zimmermann, Head of Audi Quality Assurance. “We are moving from pure component analysis to a holistic system view. In doing so, we are increasingly turning to virtual and digital methods.” Today already, the employees in this area already collect data during the entire product creation process. For Werner Zimmermann this results in a new way of working. “We at Quality Assurance are moving away from checking and towards controlling.”

Quality has many facets and is particularly important where the customer can experience it with all their senses. There, where they see, feel and hear it. The precision of the suspension, the perfection of gap dimensions and utmost quality with respect to workmanship and materials are the traditional touchstones for a car’s overall sense of quality. The reliability of the different vehicle functions also contributes to quality.

“Each of the approximately 2,800 employees in Quality Assurance is an ambassador for quality,” said Zimmermann. His experts are involved in the development of new products at an early stage and provide input on concepts or coordinate material selection with the Design team. Quality Assurance accompanies the entire development process with the aim of implementing lessons learned, incorporating experience and perfecting new features. Early intervention avoids changes at a late stage of the process and the associated additional costs. According to the rule of ten, the cost of an undetected error during value creation increases by a factor of ten from step to step. “The sooner an error is discovered and eliminated, the more cost-effective it is for the company,” said Zimmermann, adding: “Saving on quality is therefore always the most expensive solution.”

Subject to change without notice; errors and omissions excepted.