Quality evaluation system
Over 300 “customer’s-perspective” quality checks
How
should
we
check
vehicle
quality
from
the
customer’s
perspective?
Nissan’s
answer
to
this
question
is
the
Alliance
Vehicle
Evaluation
Standard
(AVES).
This
system
evaluates
product
quality
according
to
more
than
300
criteria
developed
from
the
customer’s
perspective.
These
checks
are
rigorously
conducted
by
Nissan
staff
certified
in
using
the
AVES
system.
When
checking
the
condition
of
body
paint,
for
example,
we
envisage
a
situation
where
the
customer
is
extremely
close
to
the
car’s
exterior,
such
as
when
they
are
washing
the
car.
We
then
keep
this
perspective
in
mind
as
we
check
for
scratches
and
color
irregularities.
- AVES is an abbreviation for Alliance Vehicle Evaluation Standard.
Using test vehicles to imagine customer-use scenarios
In
order
to
deliver
high-quality
cars
to
our
customers,
Nissan
manufactures
test
vehicles
that
are
repeatedly
test-driven
and
trialed
under
the
strictest
conditions.
The
results
of
these
trials
guide
us
in
raising
quality
to
a
level
that
exceeds
customer
performance
expectations.
During
these
test
drives,
we
carefully
assess
performance
as
cars
drive,
corner
and
stop
in
a
variety
of
imagined
customer
use
scenarios.
We
also
adopt
a
customer
perspective
to
evaluate
advanced
features
that
provide
customers
with
added
value,
such
as
the
latest
driver
assistance
technology.
Continuous evaluation to boost customer satisfaction
Even
after
a
vehicle
enters
mass
production,
the
AVES
system
is
periodically
used
to
guarantee
quality.
This
means
that
we
are
continually
assessing
quality
from
a
customer
perspective,
which
improves
quality
outcomes
and
contributes
to
customer
satisfaction.
Meeting customer expectations
The
same
list
of
over
300
AVES
criteria
is
used
at
every
Nissan
production
site
in
the
world.
However,
the
target
scores
for
individual
criteria
continue
to
evolve.
This
reflects
ongoing
changes
in
customer
attitudes,
from
general
quality
expectations
to
other
criteria
that
they
consider
important.
Nissan
is
also
constantly
reviewing
the
AVES
criteria
to
ensure
that
every
customer
is
satisfied.
AVES
is
designed
so
that
customer
feedback
can
be
rapidly
analyzed
and
fed
back
into
the
system
in
order
to
deliver
cars
that
meet
customer
expectations.