QUALITY CONTROL

QUALITY:::

Quality refers to the ability of a product or service to consistently meet or exceed customer expectations or requirements.

Dimensions of Quality:::

Product quality is often judged on eight dimensions of quality:

Performance

Aesthetics

Special features

Conformance

Reliability

Durability

Perceived quality

Serviceability

Service quality : dimensions of product quality don’t adequately describe the service quality

Convenience

Reliability

Responsiveness

Time

Assurance

Courtesy

Tangibles

Modern Quality Management Gurus

W Edwards Deming : a statistics professor at New York University .

Deming embraced his philosophy and requested his assistance in setting up quality improvement programs.

Deming stressed the need to reduce variation in output which can be accomplished by distinguishing between special causes of variation and common causes of variation

Joseph M Juran : taught manufacturers how to improve quality of their goods.

It is his view that quality begins by knowing what customer wants.

He believes that roughly 80% of quality defects are management controllable.

Consequence of poor quality

Loss of business

Liability

Productivity

Costs

Responsibility for quality

Top management

Design

Procurement

Production /operations

Quality assurance

Packaging and shipping

Marketing and sales

Customer service

Costs of quality

Appraisal costs : relate to inspection ,testing, and other activities to uncover defectives.

Prevention costs : relate to attempts to prevent defects from occurring .The include costs such as planning and administration costs,working with vendors ,training costs.

Failure costs are incurred by defective parts or products or by faulty services.

Quality awards

Bal ridge award: Annual award given by the US government to recognize quality achievements of US companies.

European Quality award : European ward for organizational excellence

Deming prize: Japan’s highly coveted award recognizing successful quality efforts.

Quality Control

Control may be referred to as the comparison of the actual results (finished product) with the predetermined standards and specifications.

According to Alford Beatty,” Quality control may be defined as that industrial management technique or group of techniques by means of which products of uniform acceptable quality are manufactured”.

Objectives of Quality control::

Assess the quality

Take necessary remedial steps

Suggest suitable improvements

Develop quality consciousness

Assess the various techniques

Reduce wastage

Functions of quality control department

Ensure that products of uniform and specified quality should only reach the customer.

Provide process sheet to all related persons

Develop quality awareness

Suggest solutions to various problems encountered during the course of manufacturing.

Importance and advantage of Quality Control

Reduction in costs

Improvement in the morale of employees

Maximum utilization of resources

Increase in sales

Consumer’s satisfaction