The management and control of random process variations is often neglected in Europe. The Japanese emphasise the control and reduction of these variations and some multinationals have realised that this is an area of great potential for quality improvements. There are essentially two approaches....

A manufacturing process quality model for investigating the operation of a manufacturing unit has been developed incorporating the failure mechanism of instantaneous assignable cause, mean drift and standard deviation drift. Describes an illustrative example, showing how the new model can be...

Since 1987, 17 businesses have won the US Baldrige Quality Award, established to promote awareness of quality management among US businesses. Assesses the financial and competitive performances of these 17 companies. Previous research with respect to the quality‐performance relationship has...

Inspection for quality of product is performed mostly at the end of the production line. Therefore, non‐conformance is known at the time it is inspected. One solution is applying in or between process inspection. Moreover, in or between processes the required correction can be performed before...

Reports a case study in using a team approach to improve the quality, cycle time and yield of integrated circuits assembled in Hong Kong. Ford’s eight‐disciplines (8‐D) process is the methodology used, and significant improvements are acheived with it. Within the framework of the 8‐D...

The reliability of a product is generally concerned with failures during its operating life. Accelerated (stress) burn‐in before shipment will reject poor quality products and avoid a high initial mortality rate in residual life. It is justified when the expected proportion of a product being...

Purpose – This paper aims to investigate the concept of the standardisation of products and marketing communications in an emerging market. The paper further aims to introduce a logical connection between product attributes and consumers' perceptions of product quality....

The research reported examines the role of service in manufacturing. Focuses on the degree to which Chase′s “Service Factory” concept is applicable in the UK. Also examines the role of service in four manufacturing companies. It was found that the roles reported by Chase in the USA are...

With a global drive towards implementing total quality management (TQM), the number of TQM failures is also increasing. One of the major reasons cited for these failures is lack of management commitment. However, no attempt has been made to diagnose why it occurs. Examines one possible...

The purpose of this study is to investigate how customers’ perceptions of service quality, product quality, and price fairness influence their loyalty to a particular service provider. Based on the results of a pilot study, we have elected to study banks, auto repair and maintenance shops, and...