The Statistical Process Control to Ensure Total Quality Management - Essay Example

? REPORT ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF A STATISTICAL PROCESS CONTROL TO ENSURE TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT AND IDENTIFY SOLUTIONS TO SATYSFYING NEEDS AND REDUCE WASTE IN THE COMPANY Prepared For Mr. John Smith, Quality Manager By Steve Craig, Unit Production Manager February, 2012 Tom Pulling Toys Company Limited Brief Summary The purpose of this report was to analyse, identify, and recommend suitable suggestions that can be used by the company to reduce waste at every level of the company, satisfy customer needs more effectively, improve product quality, productivity and streamline process. It is also an indicator of the causes of reduced profit and revenue margins in recent years in the company. This report has considered the adoption of a quality management tools such as the Statistical Process Control (SPC) in the company associated with the Total Quality Management (TMQ) that were introduced in the company to measure the performance of manufacturing processes and ensure that the processes meet the required standards. We based our case analysis on the doll manufacturing line that was selected by Quality Manager for trial application. Table of contents 1. Introduction and Problem Description 4 1.2 Purpose 4 2.2 Background 4 2. Methodology and Results 4 3. Discussion & Recommendations 6 4. Conclusion 6 5. Bibliography 8 1. Introduction and problem description 1.1 Purpose The aim and purpose of this report was to analyse the implementation of a Statistical Process Control System and recommend the suitable ways to satisfy customer preferences and reduce waste at every level of the company. 1.2 Background Tom pulling Toys Company is a well-respected major global manufacturer of educational toys for children. The company plans to expand its profit margin and crave towards becoming a market leader. However, with the current competition from China, the company is in the race towards changing its strategies to counter the completion and remain profitable. With such demands to find the ideal changes, a Statistical Process Control method has been put in place to solve this issue. This report gives the overview of the progress of the Processes control in detail. Methodology and Results 1.2 Method In a case like the one in process, either the data or information presented in the report must bear the aspect of empirical validity. This is inherently present in the method of data collection that was put in place while conducting the primary analysis. In this case, the data that has been put forward in the report was collected by analyzing the colour defects in a random sample of 200 units and the height variance of dolls for a period of 30 days. For accuracy, charts and table were designed and analyzed. We used an Np-chart to plot data on the colour defects and a histogram for the height difference of the dolls as the appropriate Statistical Process Control charts to monitor the data. The Np-chart was used because the data on colour defects was prepared as counted time attribute data with a constant sample size. The following charts prepared in MS-excel show the findings of the report in details. Chart 1.0 Np-chart for the number of defective dolls The Np-chart shows how the process, measured by the number of nonconforming items such as the dolls it produces, changes over time. Chart 2.0 Histogram for the height measurements of the dolls The histogram was a suitable choice because the data collected in the 30 days was a measured time variable data with columns of decimals. Discussion and Recommendation The results indicate that there is a problem in the company. More specifically, the problem is traceable to the production part of the company. Consequently, the managerial team of the company should act fast in implementation of effective measures some of which we have discussed in the recommendations provided. There is a high number of customer dissatisfaction due to inconsistent and non-uniform manufacturing. It is evident, from both the report as well as the data collected too, that for every 200units sampled at random, there are dolls with colour defects that resulted into non-uniformity. It was also determined that for every three dolls taken at random, their heights would possibly be different although with a few centimeters. Customer satisfaction forms the core mission of any business. The number of customers satisfied has the implication on the business in terms of increased revenues. It is worth noting that customers are satisfied when they can purchase whatever they desire as offered by the company. Therefore, developing an efficient integrated supply chain is very important. The three sigma control limits of a process can be determined by the inherent factors that have been instigated within the process of supply and are integral to it. These, in most cases, would include local optimization, incentives, and large lots (Heizer, 2010). After taking the two cases into consideration, the findings and conclusions of this report support the recommendation that the company employs accurate machines and further train the workers on the need to design standard, and quality features that can compete fairly in the market. Conclusion After investigating the variation in the height of dolls and the different colour schemes in the dolls sampled, it was found that the dolls are suitable for the market but fail to meet Total Quality Management that is in line with the company requirements. This results from production of dolls that are not within a competitive scope of the market and provides a leeway for companies in China to provide threatening competition to the sale of dolls and possibly other products which are also part of the products that the company produces. In any market, it is imperative to stay ahead of the competition in order to remain relevant and improve competitive edge. It is important to consider long term benefits to the company when designing and manufacturing given the quality of the products will be ultimately determined by the customers. Apart from handling the individual faults in the height and colouring of the dolls, the product quality needs to be defined with measurable and appealing characteristics that can win buyers. Bibliography Heizer.J., &. R. 2010. Operations management. New York: Prentice Hall. Read More