Quality control refers to the process, most often implemented in manufacturing, of monitoring the quality of finished products through statistical measures and an overall corporate commitment to producing defect-free products. Quality control principles can also be utilized in rvice industries.
The term "quality control" came into common u in the 1950s thanks to W. Edward Deming, who "Fourteen Points" have become the bible for quality control proponents. With the post-war world returning to normal manufacturing patterns, Deming preached that inspecting products for quality after they were manufactured was unacceptable. Instead, he propod a process known as "statistical quality control" that would u cloly monitored performance measures to gauge quality as a product was being manufactured. The goal of statistical quality control was to gather data that would allow for the constant improvement of manufacturing process, which would in turn improve quality control. Introducing such statistical controls could be expensive, but Deming argued that instituting quality measures ultimately saved companies money.
Another important tenet of Deming's beliefs was that upper management was largely to blame for quality failures. He firmly believed that, given the right tools and working environment, workers would strive to create the highest quality products possible. In Deming's own words, "the basic cau of sickness in American industry and resulting unemployment is failure of top management to manage." H
e believed that strong leadership led to an inspired work force that did not fear management and did not fear taking chances when eking ways to improve quality.
If strong leadership is the buzzword for managers in a quality environment, then empowerment is the key concept for workers in Deming's system. Improved education and training are the key factors in reaching employees and making them believe that their incread participation in the work process is an esntial part of improving quality. Involvement, participation, and teamwork are en as absolute musts if a quality workplace is to be created.
The Japane were the first to adopt Deming's Fourteen Points, and with great success. As an example, Deming learned of one Japane factory that doubled
production in just one year and was expecting to gain an additional 25 percent improvement the following year, with no increa in the amount of hours worked. All this occurred as a result of simply improving quality. What is most significant about this achievement is the year it happened—1951. Many American and European companies cho to ignore the dramatic results and nearly perished as a result. Critics contend that by the time American manufacturing plants realized that quality control was a significant issue, it was the late 1970s and Japane firms such as Honda and Sony were taking over large portions of the American consumer market.
In the 1990s, most American firms have embraced quality control practices. Analysts indicate that when firms first began adopting the principles, many went too far, becoming bogged down in quality control charts and measurements of inconquential operating factors. In too many cas, American industry went from ignoring statistical quality control to applying it to every single facet of a business, no matter how small. This overemphasis quickly disappeared, however, and has been replaced by a commitment to overall quality control that is unprecedented in the American workplace.
The Scope of Japane Influence
Becau they have been practicing quality management since the 1950s, the Japane are still the leader in producing quality products in a number of industries and are still the role model for U.S. companies to emulate. For example, a study of the air conditioning industry in the early 1990s found that the worst Japane air conditioning plant had an error rate that was less than one-half that of the best U.S. company.
This drastic difference is largely due to the Japane adherence to one of Deming's most important ideas—that quality should be "designed in" to a product instead of "inspected out." Japane firms tr
eat suppliers as equals, sharing information with them as if the supplier was an internal department of the company. This ensures that quality is already a part of the product before it is even manufactured.
Another common practice in Japan that has found its way to the United States are "quality circles." Workers are brought together on a regular basis to brainstorm about
quality and manufacturing process, all with an eye towards improving quality. The circles are a success if management follows through on its end of the deal and incorporates the suggestions made in the quality circles into operations. When workers e their suggestions implemented, it increas their confidence in management and in the company as a whole, which in turn increas their commitment to the company and to producing high quality goods.
A highly trained work force is one of the keys to producing quality goods, and the training programs of many American companies reflect this recognition, for they are allocating more time and money to this area. Still, many U.S. companies lag behind in this respect. Rearchers have stated that a higher commitment to training and lifelong learning are needed if the commitment to quality is to continue.
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场合着装Today, the key components of quality control that were preached by Deming and practiced by the Japane—including benchmarking, supplier partnering, and continuous improvement—have found their way into American industry. Each of the components demands a clor look.
Benchmarking
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Benchmarking is a continuing process of measuring products, rvices, and practices against your strongest competitors. More simply stated, it means using the best companies as the yardstick against which your company measures itlf. If your company comes up short, than improvements must be made to ensure that your products are just as high in quality as tho of your competitor.
There are two types of benchmarking. The first, competitive benchmarking, entails benchmarking against direct competitors in the marketplace. This can include comparing specific numerical or statistical measurements—return on asts ud, market share, etc. The more detailed information that can be obtained about a competitor, the better.
The cond method, noncompetitive benchmarking, can take two forms. The first is measuring your company against the best companies in the world, regardless of industry. Companies such as 3M, Coca-Cola, and General Electric are considered to be trendtters and leaders in quality, so compan
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ies from nearly every industry study
them and copy their best practices. Business analysts note that noncompetitive benchmarking is a broader—and sometimes more uful—instrument of quality control. By only benchmarking against competitors, a company only ensures it will be as good as that competitor. By benchmarking against the best companies in the world, a company can aspire to be as good as tho companies and can surpass the competition in its own industry. Additionally, companies may find it easier to gain access to information about companies they do not compete with becau they are not en as a threat to the well-being of the company.
The cond type of noncompetitive benchmarking is internal benchmarking, which involves comparing functions or process in different departments within the same organization. Internal benchmarking is often en as a logical starting point for a business that is attempting to u benchmarking for the first time.
To successfully benchmark, a company must first look cloly at its own practices and conduct a rigorous lf-asssment. Once that lf-asssment is completed, the company has a good idea of where it stands on each quality issue and can successfully compare itlf to other companies. The s
system32elf-asssment must be honest and thorough. It should identify weakness, but should also highlight strengths. Improving weakness that are identified should be tied to stated company strategic aims.
Supplier Partnering
Supplier partnering is an increasingly common practice in the United States. Simply put, it means that manufacturers work directly with their parts and components suppliers to improve quality at the supplier's location. This can involve direct participation in the supplier's operations—that is, staff from the manufacturer might work on-site at the supplier's office or provide technical assistance and equipment—or simply a very clo working relationship that more rembles a partnership rather than a simple business transaction between two unrelated companies.
One of the biggest methods of partnering with suppliers involves sharing the u of statistical controls. This is an underdeveloped area in the United States that should grow in the coming years. Most manufacturers have switched to outsourcing as a
means of cutting the costs of production. This incread emphasis on outsourcing means that the companies that supply the parts or components must place just as much emphasis on quality as the
manufacturer if the finished product is to be high quality.
Among the quality issues that still need to be addresd in the
manufacturer-supplier relationship are:
∙Inconsistent quality levels from suppliers, even from different plants of the same supplier.
∙While most first-level, or Tier 1, suppliers have made a commitment to quality control, that commitment has yet to be made by Tier 2 suppliers (tho
companies that supply smaller parts or raw material to the Tier 1 supplier).
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The importance of quality must trickle all the way down the supply chain to be meaningful.
did∙In many industries, mergers are occurring at a record pace. Whenever a merger of two suppliers occurs, there is the chance that quality will suffer while the
details of the merger are hammered out.
课程总结In many industries, especially the auto industry, manufacturers are overcoming the supplier proble
ms by helping the suppliers meet quality standards.
The other facet of supplier partnering means that the manufacturer also actively eks out feedback from the supplier on how the former's operations can be improved. Suppliers often have a unique perspective on the industry they work in and on the companies they supply and can provide valuable advice on how to make changes for the better. When this happens, it is important that the two companies have a framework in place to manage the partnering system. This can mean that the manufacturer's purchasing department would be deemed as the intermediary between the two companies, passing information from the supplier back to the appropriate internal customers.
Continuous Improvement
Continuous improvement (CI) is a method for improving every facet of a company's operations and increasing competitiveness by developing a company's resources. The improvement can involve many goals—producing products with zero defects or achieving 100 percent customer satisfaction—but CI has the same basic principles no matter what the goal:
