A case study: Statistical analysis in a production quality improvement project

This paper documents the results of a case study in total quality management conducted in a production setting. In 1995 internal inspection had detected that defects in the final product had increased at a major manufacturing firm in the southeastern United States. A comprehensive quality improvement project was initiated to locate and fix the major problems. This study recognizes that group processes and interpersonal skills are important. However, this paper focuses on the use of the scientific method and statistical analysis used to evaluate the success of the major objective of the plan i.e. to reduce high defect levels in the roll machines. Major overall improvement occurred in specific areas only after a systematic application of the scientific, TQM process.