In today's marketplace, customers are more discriminating regarding the level of product quality they expect. These higher exceptions have created the need for greater consistency in the manufacturing process, to ensure that the expected quality is achieved. Meanwhile, competition requires manufacturers to find ways to reduce manufacturing costs by reaching higher levels of product quality while driving down the cost of scrap, waste, and rework. Administrators in a manufacturing environment use statistical process control (SPC) concepts to attain these goals.
Why SPC? Because the wise application of this statistical tool can improve both quality and throughput in manufacturing, service, and business processes. However, organizations typically do not apply SPC techniques wisely. An attempt to meet the statistical implementation needs of IS0 9000 and customer Six Sigma requirements can lead to many useless charts and wasted resources. The result: frustration and the abandonment of tools that, when used effectively, can make the difference between survival and extinction.
SPC is a well-proven technique used to monitor the performance of a process, providing the basis for achieving continuing improvements in product quality and productivity. Using a related set of statistically based tools for monitoring, analyzing, controlling, and effecting improvements in any process, SPC can produce dramatic results. How-ever, although the basic principles of SPC can be relatively easily understood, their application can be confusing.
SPC is a method of monitoring, controlling, and, ideally, improving a process through statistical analysis. Its four basic steps include measuring the process, eliminating variances in the process to make it consistent, monitoring the process, and improving the process to its best target value. SPC tools include control charts, histograms, and Pareto analysis.
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* * David 0. Campbell, Jc, is a senior application consultant for System Software Associates in Holliston, Massachusetts. In twenty-four years, his operation and administrative management responsibilities have covered a broad spectrum of challenges, including material planning, inventory control, receiving, shipping, manufacturing, purchasing, customer service processes, designing and testing modules for MRP II implementation, leading successful total quality management and process action teams for continuous improvement, I S 0 900 I registration, developing and implementing corporatewide policies and procedures, and designing and delivering educational and skill development interactive programs, both internally and externally.
NATIONAL PRODUCTIVITY REVIEW /Autumn I998 0 I998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.