Page 160 - DMGT501_OPERATIONS_MANAGEMENT

Operations Management

Notes Introduction

Quality, as it is said, is not by chance but by intention. All successful companies value quality as
a system in their manufacturing systems. It is on account of high quality that German cars, Swiss
watches, Japanese electronics etc. have established global acceptance. Thus, it is imperative for
all organizations to make systems for quality management and control. Let us now study the
techniques and standards for quality control accepted globally.

6.1 Quality Control Defined

Quality Control implies working to a set standard of quality which is achievable and which has
a ready market. Thus Quality Control means adherence to a standard or prevention of a change
from the set standard. In general, this is essential because when there is acceptable quality, a
manager must ensure that there is no deterioration from the standard. However, in a changing
world one is often faced with the fact that the quality which is acceptable today by the customer
may not be acceptable to him a year later. Therefore, there is need for a breakthrough, (creation
of change) for improving existing standards. Thus preventing change (control) and creating
change (breakthrough) are two important functions of quality management. Unfortunately a
large number of managers simply have no time for breakthrough because they are obsessed
with day-to-day problems of keeping controls at the existing levels.
Many breakthrough programmes call for a change of the existing practices. There is always a
resistance to change specifically if the objective is not properly understood. This is because the
people likely to be affected by the change are not involved in breakthrough efforts. Many
breakthrough programmes have failed to click because of this attitude. The training programme
to suit the requirement of the organisation and person involves has been found to be helpful in
ensuring breakthrough in attitude.
Quality control has the objective of coordinating the quality maintenance and improvement
efforts of all groups in the organisation with a view to providing full consumer satisfaction.
Statistical quality control enables these objectives to be attained most economically reducing
scrap and rework, reducing machine downtime and minimising inspection. A successful statistical
quality control programme should result in “better quality to the consumer at a lower cost”.
One would instinctively recognise two aspects of quality, quality of design and quality of
performance. The difference between an ambassador and a maruti is the quality of design. Once
the quality of design has been established, quality of performance concerns itself with how well
the target is hit. SQC is, in general, concerned with the quality of performance but it is also a fact
that SQC applications have occasionally resulted in the improvement of the design as well.

Caselet Quality Control brings Cheers to Coonoor Farmers

uality upgradation efforts led by the Tea Board and the United Planters' Association
of South India (UPASI) have helped increase the sales and prices of tea from
QCoonoor. While there has been substantial decline in sales and prices of South
Indian tea in general, sales at Conoor auction centre increased to 74.555 million kg during
the calender year 2001 from 70.967 million kg in the previous year. Average price also was
better at 41.46 a kg in 2001 than 39.01 in 2000.

The South Indian tea industry is passing through a severe crisis of low prices mainly due
to poor quality and the dependence on a single export market, Russia. With the global

Contd...

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