Traditional attribute control charts are based on the monitoring of the number of nonconforming items in a sample of fixed size. In modern manufacturing processes, since items can be checked automatically, use of samples of a fixed subjective size with traditional charts is not suitable for...

Ever since the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (MBNQA) was established in 1987, many other countries have developed their own version of a national quality award (NQA). These NQAs tend to follow the general framework of the MBNQA with different emphases on criteria items such as...

When objective decisions are to be made, statistical methods should be used based on any objective information in the form of data collected about a product or process. Statistical techniques such as control charts, process capability indices and design of experiments have been used in the...

Control charts based on geometric distribution have shown to be useful when this is a better approximation of the underlying distribution than the Poisson distribution. The traditional c ‐chart, if used, will cause too many false alarms. It is noted that for geometric distribution, the control...

This paper considers a competing risk (degradation and sudden failure) maintenance situation. A maintenance model and a repair cost model are presented. The degradation state of the units is continuously monitored. When either the degradation level reaches a predetermined threshold or a sudden...

Foreign manufacturing firms operating in mainland China face an adverse operational environment caused by poor quality management staff and the undereducated workforce. The implementation of TQM is particularly difficult in this environment. Based on case studies of 20 TQM firms and practical...

Optimal crew allocation and scheduling is an important issue in the management of a large fleet of taxis. Presents a modelling study of a taxi service operation in a Singapore public transport company, with the results adaptable for other similar operations. Proposes two quantitative techniques:...