About
The Quality Department documents and manages key quality processes throughout the Baker Perkins business, ensures we comply with ISO9001 and puts in place quality controls to ensure that we remain at the forefront of our industry and our customers maintain their competitive edge.
Quality control ensures that defective goods do not go out to our customers.
Having quality control in place within a business helps ensure product quality and the overall success of a business, influences employees’ attitudes about the workplace and creates a sense of ownership of the products and company.
Quality inspections take place to evaluate and verify that the designs, the materials used, and the end product conform to the specified design and manufacturing requirements. This is achieved through various methods, such as a quality inspector measuring, examining, gauging, and testing the product’s characteristics. Quality Engineers/Inspectors usually carry out a pre-established checklist which is based on the specifications of the product and/or client specific requirements. They inspect fabricated or machined products to ensure whether they are suitable for shipment to our customers or the next stage of the manufacturing or assembly process. The results of an inspection are compiled into a detailed report that indicates whether or not the inspected product has passed or failed inspection.
Quality Engineers use most traditional inspection methods as well as more modern methods such as Laser scanning and the use of a coordinate measuring machine. We manage corrective actions to engineering problems, looking for potential solutions to design, manufacturing and production problems and implement/raise corrective action reports to prevent the same problems arising in future.
Audits are conducted in all departments to ensure the correct quality processes are being followed and to continually look for efficiencies and improved ways of doing things.
On a day-to-day basis a Quality Engineer/Inspector will be involved in:
- Goods inwards inspection of raw material, fabricated or machined components and assemblies
- One-off inspection and approval of critical machined components prior to production of multiple quantities
- In-process inspection throughout different manufacturing processes
- Final inspection, before components are processed to assembly, or dispatch to our customers
- Random spot check inspections throughout the manufacturing process
As well as physical inspection we have the capability to reverse engineer process using a state of the art 3D laser scanner, which can also be used for checking finished assemblies. We look at overall business KPIs, trends and potential areas within the business that may need support.
Entry qualifications
To work within the Quality Engineering team ideally requires lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.
Meet The Team
Joseph Stephenson
Quality Engineer
Joseph has spent the last 3 and a half years working as a Quality Engineer and prior to this he worked as a Prototype Engineer at Cummins where he also did his apprenticeship.
His time at Baker Perkins has allowed him to “develop my skillset even further and take the chance to push myself and engineering knowledge further.”
David Mackereth
Quality Engineer
After 40 years hard labour in various engineering machine shops where he personally inspected the components that he made, David has now “finally succumbed to the pleasure dome that is inspection”. Under the expert tutelage of young Joe Stephenson and Dan Bloomfield he shares he’s honing his skills daily in this chosen sphere.
“Your first impression of inspecting is that it looks a simple process of measuring but I am quickly being made aware there is a lot of depth to this career. In the short time I have been doing this job my reason for coming to work has been reinvigorated with its taxing complexity.”
Daniel Bloomfield
Senior Quality Engineer
Dan completed a full apprenticeship to gain NVQ Level 3 and City & Guilds qualifications. He is a Machinist by trade and his other previous roles include CNC Miller, Applications Engineer for CAD/CAM software and several inspection roles. He’s been at Baker Perkins nearly 5 years now, with three of those as a Quality Engineer. He’s now worked his way up to be a Senior Quality Engineer, carrying out investigations, various reporting and supporting other areas of the business where necessary.
A Typical Day
Every day is different but we’re always very busy in the Quality Engineering and Inspection department.
One minute you may be checking a small machined component to then be called to witness a machine test or to inspect a large fabrication that is being machined. There may be a drawing query that would involve the Design Engineer or Drawing Office to verify a dimension or tolerance, make a change to the drawing, or a member of the Customer Service team that needs something urgently inspecting for their customer.
Who We Work With
You’ll find yourself working closely with nearly all areas of the business as a member of the Quality department:
- Manufacturing Engineering department for inspection purposes
- Design and drawing office for technical queries on components being inspected or drawings
- Spares and Customer Services departments for customers that require replacement parts to be inspected prior to dispatch
- Working with the Innovation Centre where quality inspection or precise measurement of research and development work projects is required
