The use of expert systems in total quality management: An exploratory study

This paper explores the potential for the use of expert systems in total quality management (TQM). The study was carried out under the auspices of the first multi-company programme of research into TQM. Among the findings are that it is feasible to run expert systems on personal (and other) computers in order to assist with aspects of TQM such as statistical process control, quality costing, goods receiving, corrective action procedures, supplier development, quality function deployment and field failure analysis, and that the potential application of expert systems to TQM was received with some degree of enthusiasm by the personnel with whom the concept was discussed. It is also pointed out that the most difficult task in producing an expert system is acquisition of knowledge, and that knowledge elicitation can be facilitated by use of the quality assurance mapping technique—Q-MAP.     

How supply quality management improves an organization's quality performance: a study of Chinese manufacturing firms

Because of unfavourable economic conditions, organizations worldwide have to constantly reconstruct their business strategies in order to survive. Recent studies have stressed the importance of supply quality management (SQM) for the general competitiveness of manufacturers. However, very little empirical research has been carried out that specifically examines how SQM practices lead to improvements in quality across an organization. To scrutinise the impact of SQM practices, a survey was conducted of 138 leading manufacturing companies in the Pearl River Delta (PRD), a manufacturing hub in southern China dubbed ‘the factory floor of the world’. By using path analytic techniques, a model was constructed to portray the relationships among SQM practices and organizational quality performance. This model could act as a tool of reference for companies seeking to improve their SQM systems, and help them in their efforts to raise quality across the company. This paper demonstrates that quality-conscious management practices speed up the implementation of SQM practices. This paper finally reveals the influential effect of SQM practices on both supply quality and organizational quality performance.     

Quality Management in Pakistan's Readymade Garments' Industry

Pakistan's readymade garments' industry is a key player in Pakistan's industry in general, and its textile industrial output and exports in particular. In a liberalizing international trade regime, quality will be a critical success factor in the international competitiveness of Pakistan's readymade garments. Research in quality management in Pakistan's readymade garments' industry was undertaken. To gain further information, a postal self-completion questionnaire was mailed to 101 members of the Pakistan Readymade Garments' and Exporters' Association (PRGMEA). The response rate was 32%. It was found that while this industrial segment was in various stages of development, it needs to graduate fast to advanced quality management concepts of Kaizen and total quality management in order to maintain its competitive advantage in an environment that will soon be liberalized fully.     

Research into the use of statistical quality control in british manufacturing industry — part I

The work described in this paper is part of a large, Government-funded investigation into the usage of statistical methods of quality control (SQC) in British manufacturing industry. This paper reports the results of an investigation of fifteen firms which claimed in earlier work to be successful users of SQC. It is shown that six of the companies were in fact not regularly using recognized SQC techniques. Some general conclusions are drawn from the activities of these, and the remaining nine companies which were examined in detail.     

免疫型质量管理与全面质量管理分析

介绍了免疫型质量管理系统的内涵和基本特点,通过免疫型质量管理与全面质量管理的多角度对比分析,揭示了免疫型质量管理思想的发展潜力和应用价值.     

Research into the use of statistical quality control in british manufacturing industry-part II

The work described in this paper is part of a large. Government-funded investigation into the usage of statistical methods of quality control (SQC) in British manufacturing industry. This paper reports the results of work in seventeen companies on the implementation of SQC. The results are summarized by the use of evaluation scales and attributes, and measures of success and barriers are identified. Some general conclusions are drawn which point to a methodology for the introduction of SQC.     

Scheduling of wafer test processes in semiconductor manufacturing

This research focuses on solving a common wafer test scheduling problem in semiconductor manufacturing. During wafer testing, a series of test processes are conducted on wafers using computer-controlled test stations at various temperatures. The test processes are conducted in a specified order on a wafer lot, resulting in precedence constraints for the schedule. Furthermore, the assignment of the wafer lots to test stations and the sequence in which they are processed affects the time required to set up the test operations. Thus, the set-up times are sequence dependent. Four heuristics are developed to solve the test scheduling problem with the aim of minimizing the makespan required to test all wafers on a set of test stations. The heuristics generate a sorted list of wafer lots as a dispatching sequence and then schedule the wafer lots on test stations in order of appearance on the list. An experimental analysis and two case studies are presented to validate the proposed solution approaches. In the case studies, the heuristics are applied to actual data from a semiconductor manufacturing facility. For both case studies, the proposed solution approaches decrease the makespan by 23–45% compared with the makespan of the actual schedule executed in the manufacturing facility.     

Organizational Change Through Quality Deposits

This article sets out the argument that despite the perceived relative lack of success with Total Quality Management, some things have actually been learned and some changes have been made in the organizational processes, systems, and culture by those involved. The key question examined in the article is how this learning and these changes, as a form of quality deposits, can be retained within the organization so that they actually build up over time and eventually make the organization ripe for major improvement change. The article sets out positive arguments for this, although it is pointed out that more research is still needed. It is also hypothesized that this is probably the most likely way in which change actually happens within large complex organizations.     

A quality management framework for implementing additive manufacturing of medical devices

This paper aims to provide a comprehensive review of the implementation of additive manufacturing (AM) for medical devices. A quality management framework is proposed with discussion on topics such as software and data input, product understanding, AM equipment qualification, process understanding and continuous process verification. The interplay between input materials, process controls, and final outcomes of AM were analysed in the framework of quality management. Opportunities and challenges in implementing AM for medical devices are discussed.     

Quality Management in Pakistan's Knitwear Industry

Although quality is a critical success factor for all types of business, its salience is to be driven home in Pakistan's business environment in general and its export-oriented business segment in Pakistan in particular. As a first part of this effort, we chose to study quality management in Pakistan's knitwear industry, whose combined share with readymade garments in Pakistan's total exports rose to 16.7% by 1997/1998. We mailed a postal self-completion questionnaire to 59 members of the Pakistan Knitwear and Sweaters Exporters Association. The response rate was 29%. It was found that Pakistan's knitwear industry was in various stages of development in quality management, with greater concentration in the quality inspection mode. Although there are attempts to graduate to quality assurance and beyond, it was found that considerable distance has yet to be traversed before Pakistan's knitwear industry acquires a quality philosophy as a part of its overall business approach industrywide. As part of a statistical test, however, advanced quality management concepts were found applicable in Pakistan, although the application is currently limited. These concepts must gain in popularity.     

Indicators for quality improvability and bottleneck sequence in flexible manufacturing systems with batch production

In this paper we study product quality in flexible manufacturing systems with batch production using a Markov chain model. To improve the quality performance in such systems, the notions of quality improvability and bottleneck sequence are introduced. Indicators for identifying the quality improvability and bottleneck sequence, based on data measured on the factory floor rather than complicated calculations, are developed. A case study of improving quality at an automotive paint shop is introduced.     

Yield management with downward substitution and uncertainty demand in semiconductor manufacturing

Motivated by the high yield variability in the semiconductor industry where the quality of the end products is uncertain and is graded into one of several quality levels according to performance before being shipped. We consider a dynamic multi-period yield management problem of a two-stage make-to-stock system faced by a semiconductor manufacturing firm. In the first stage, the firm invests in raw material before any actual demand is known, and produces multiple types of products with random yield rates because of the presence of randomness in the process. In the second stage, products are classified into different classes by quality, and allocated in a number of sequential periods. Demand is also random and can be classified into multiple classes corresponding to product levels. Demands can be upgraded when one type of product has been depleted. This paper presents a multi-period, multi-product, downward substitution model to determine the optimal production input and allocation of the different products to satisfy demands. The production and allocation problem is modelled as a stochastic dynamic program in which the objective is to maximise the profit of the firm. We show that the simple one step upgrade substitution policy is optimal, and the objective function is concave in production input. An iterative algorithm is designed to find the optimal production input and numerical experiments are used to illustrate its effectiveness.