| SPC: The Philosophy | | | | 4. Improved market share leads to more jobs. |
| The primary emphasis of SPC is usually in the area of | | | | Everybody wins - customers and suppliers. It all |
| quality improvement; however, the methods employed | | | | depends upon improving quality. A determined, daily |
| can also improve human relations, productivity and | | | | pursuit of improved quality and productivity is not |
| profits. SPC, properly applied, will enhance the good | | | | optional in the world market. It is a necessity. |
| things you are already doing and highlight areas where | | | | SPC: How It Works |
| improvements are needed. Really, it's just another tool | | | | A simple way to demonstrate how SPC works is to |
| to help you manage your business more effectively. | | | | contrast the "Classic" Control Cycle and the "SPC" |
| SPC is not a quick solution for problems. Rather, it is an | | | | Control Cycle. Usually, companies will have a system |
| approach to quality management that focuses on | | | | of inspection which is a sorting method. In other words, |
| facts and involves everyone in the organization. | | | | we produce product and then sort the good from the |
| Achieving results will take time, patience and | | | | bad after production. This leads to high costs, high |
| commitment on your part and on the part of | | | | scrap and lower quality products being shipped to |
| management. | | | | customers. This is referred to as the "Classic" Control |
| The basic quality philosophy must be "Do it right the | | | | Cycle. |
| first time." This should be true of all groups in the | | | | The "SPC" Control Cycle uses a different approach. |
| organization - engineering, manufacturing, | | | | With SPC methods, the process tells us what is |
| purchasing, everybody. SPC helps through reducing | | | | happening during the production of our products so |
| process and product variability, thus increasing the | | | | adjustments can be made to the process before |
| quality levels of goods as they are produced. | | | | producing out-of-specification products. This method |
| The basic SPC philosophy incorporates the following | | | | results in reduced variability in our products, reduced |
| points: | | | | scrap, reduced inspection costs and improved quality. |
| 1. Improved quality leads to improved productivity. | | | | These two methods of Process Control are depicted |
| 2. Improved productivity leads to lower costs and | | | | on the following pages. It's easy to see that SPC is a |
| lower prices. | | | | better way. But.... everyone, especially |
| 3. Improved quality and lower prices lead to improved | | | | management, must be involved! |
| market share. | | | | |