TQM in the electronics industry

Although previous decades have all proven themselves unique in some way, the accelerated age of information transfer, largely driven by the widespread acceptance of personal computers in the workplace and an associated increase in customer expectations, is largely responsible for the paradigm shift towards a continuous improvement manufacturing environment. Managers and executives have been surprised to learn that failing to move steadily forward in the 1990s is equivalent to falling behind. The concept of the continuous improvement cycle has undergone several transformations as various catch names have come in and out of vogue. Total quality management (TQM) has endured largely because of its broad acceptance at the time of the program's inception and the wide availability of supporting documentation and implementation guidelines. This paper details some of the TQM program's successes and failures in a defense industry, electronics and processing plant over an 18 month period and guidance for anyone wishing to implement such a program.