For the second quarter of 2025 of the “A Day in the Life of” campaign, we had the pleasure of interviewing Mery Mahjoub, Quality Manager for the Asteelflash plant in Milpitas, California, USA.

Mery Mahjoub is a Quality Manager working for Asteelflash Milpitas, California, USA.

Her career in electronics spans 18 years, with 1 year and 2 months dedicated to Asteelflash. Mary began her professional career as a Quality Engineer following the completion of her degree in Electronics Engineering in 2000. Then, she worked as an IC Layout Engineer and in R&D for several years. In 2008, she obtained a Master's degree and moved back to the Quality field.

Mery’s daily activities include:

• Manage daily QMS implementation and support colleagues.
• Oversee quality control on the production line and communicate issues.
• Prioritize activities to meet business, team, and customer needs.
• Follow ISO 13485, IATF16949, and ISO9001 standards.
• Use Agile and QAD for Quality System information management.
• Handle NPI projects, create Product Validation Plans, and verify tool/process capability.
• Oversee Non-Conformance management, risk assessments, and CAPA.
• Support IQ, OQ, and PQ validation processes.
• Communicate with customers and provide reports using Power BI.

Mery starts her day with a team meeting to review the day's priorities, address ongoing issues, and ensure alignment with daily goals. She oversees the implementation of the Quality Management System (QMS), ensuring all processes are correctly followed and supporting the team in their roles. Additionally, she monitors the quality of production line processes, addresses any issues that arise, and facilitates communication between the production team and customers.

What motivates Mery each morning is the chance to enhance the quality and reliability of site products. She finds great fulfilment in knowing her work ensures customers receive products that meet safety and performance standards. Mery thrives on the challenge of solving problems, continuously improving processes, and collaborating with her team to achieve their goals. Furthermore, the dynamic nature of her role, with new challenges and learning opportunities every day, keeps her engaged and motivated.

Mery enjoys participating in continuous improvement projects, collaborating with her team to solve problems, and enhancing the quality of the portfolio.

The biggest challenge Mery has faced so far is managing and handling large volumes of quality data. Ensuring its accuracy and accessibility remains her primary concern.

During her career at Asteelflash, Mary encountered an unusual event when a key component from a trusted supplier began failing quality tests, causing significant production delays. After a thorough root cause analysis, she discovered the supplier had changed their manufacturing process without sending a Product Change Notification (PCN) for approval.

Mery promptly initiated meetings with both the supplier and the customer to improve communication and implement necessary changes in quality tests. They emphasised the importance of timely notifications from the supplier and prompt communication from the customer. Mary and her team worked closely with the customer to meet quality requirements and enhance processes.

Despite the stress, the experience ultimately strengthened the quality management system and relationships with both the supplier and the customer. It underscored the importance of proactive communication and continuous improvement in maintaining high-quality standards.