Building Profits and Growth with Statistical Process Control

摘要

You have undoubtedly been exposed to the concept of statistical process control, or at least to the terminology. Over the past several decades, there has been a relatively quiet, and decidedly incomplete, revolution in product quality and process control in the ceramic industry. This is a reflection of what has happened in industry as a whole. American industry has not generally been the leading force in this revolution, and the ceramic industry has been less proactive than many others. Be that as it may, fierce global competition and substantially higher quality and value expectations by users and consumers dictate that sheer survival, let alone growth and prosperity, is increasingly dependent on superior product quality and value, excellent customer service, very efficient manufacturing and cutting edge technology. Statistical process control is a tool that can contribute toward meeting these needs. Our goal in this new Ceramic Industry column is to explore statistical process control (SPC) and related issues as they apply to the ceramic industry. The topic is not a particularly glamorous one, but it holds the potential for enormous economic impact.