SATEC Quality Management Forum Held in Beijing

Quality Management Forum of Sino-America Technology and Engineering Conference (SATEC) was held in Beijing on April 17^th, 2010. This forum was sponsored by ChineseAcademy of Engineering (CAE), State Foreign Expert Bureau (SFEB), American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), and co-organized by China Association for International Exchange of Personnel (CAIEP). Mr. Du Xiangwan, Vice President of CAE and Mr. Thomas Barlow, President of ASME, delivered their welcome speeches respectively. And the forum was presided over by Liu Yuanzhang, an academician of CAE and Michael Michaud, the System Executive General Manager of ASME.

The forum was attended by approximately 140 domestic and foreign experts and engineering technology specialists. Those invited speakers who addressed the conference included Liu Yuanzhang, academician of CAE, Mr. Bernard E. Hrubala, Vice President of ASME Standard and Certification, Prof. Ni Jun, Michigan University, USA, Prof. Han Furong, Beijing University of Technology, Dr. Ma Yanhui, Quality Department of China Astronautics Standards Institute and Dr. Zhao Keqiang, President of Lean Enterprise China. For instance, Prof. Ni Jun analyzed the strengths and weaknesses, opportunities and challenges of Chinese Manufacturing Industry by adopting the SWOT approach (namely, Strength Weakness Opportunity - Threat). Prof. Ni also conducted a comparative study of Chinese and American innovation system, emphasizing that engineer training and education at home should attach more importance to creativity and critical thinking fostering. Dr. Zhao Keqiang discussed the crucial significance of the notion that people molding should be put above cars making , after looking into the achievements as well as the problems of Toyota management system. Dr. Zhao also pointed out that quality management should be built based upon the cultivation of all the staff members consciousness of never receiving, making or passing on defective products , thus a truly people-oriented quality management system can help enterprises to go further. Such speeches were very well received and those present extended their wish for more international forums like this, which can enhance academic exchanges between domestic and foreign experts, and others specialized in related fields. (By Zhu Yu June, 2010; translated by Liu Chang)