Page 201 - DMGT501_OPERATIONS_MANAGEMENT

Unit 6: Quality Assurance and Control

2. Seiton means Sorting focuses on the need for an orderly workplace. "Orderly" in this sense Notes
means arranging the tools and equipment in an order that promotes work flow. Tools and
equipment should be kept where they will be used, and the process should be ordered in
a manner that eliminates extra motion.
3. Seis means Shine indicates the need to keep the workplace clean as well as neat. Cleaning
in Japanese companies is a daily activity. At the end of each shift, the work area is cleaned
up and everything is restored to its place. The key point is that maintaining cleanliness
should be part of the daily work - not an occasional activity initiated when things get too
messy.
4. Seiketsu means Standardizing; this refers to standardized work practices. It refers to more
than standardized cleanliness (otherwise this would mean essentially the same as
"systemized cleanliness"). This means operating in a consistent and standardized fashion.
Everyone knows exactly what his or her responsibilities are.
5. Shitsuke means Sustaining, refers to maintaining standards. Once the previous 4S's have
been established they become the new way to operate. Maintain the focus on this new way
of operating, and do not allow a gradual decline back to the old ways of operating.

Case Study Quality at Jet

he liberalization process of the airline industry in India started on December 11,
1990 with the issuance of the new Air Taxi Guidelines. Private airlines were
Tdesignated as Air Taxi Operators (ATOs). The major ATOs to start operations with
jet aircraft in 1992-93 were: East West Airlines, Damania Airways, ModiLuft, Jet Airways,
Sahara India Airlines, and NEPC. Jet Airways took to the skies on May 5, 1993. The Air
Corporations Act was repealed in January 1994, and by 1995, all the major private operators
were granted Scheduled Airlines status. However, by 1996-97, four of the private airlines
had to cease operations. The government-owned Indian Airlines, Alliance Air, Sahara and
Jet remained the only players in the market.

"It was only with the entry of Jet Airways that the Indian passengers got a taste of the
service they were entitled to as paying customers. Even as the other private carriers like
ModiLuft, East West, Damania and NEPC have disappeared into the blue one-by-one, Jet
Airways continues not just to survive but to fly even higher. It is practically the challenger
to Indian Airlines' dominance over the Indian skies, with Air Sahara, the only other
contender, being a distant third." (Business India, 1998)
Jet Airways achieved a market share of 6.6 per cent in its first year of operations (1993-94)
and by 2000-01, achieved a market share of 40 per cent. Jet Airways today has a fleet
strength of 28 Boeing 737-400 (Classics), Boeing 737-700/800, and five ATR 72-500 aircraft
that operate over 215 flights daily to 39 destinations across India. The growth of Jet Airways
has been accompanied by substantial investment in computerization, distribution
(ticketing officers, GSA and interline agreements), infrastructure, and training.
From the time of its inception, Jet Airways endeavoured to deliver a world-class service,
on the ground and in the air, by borrowing from the best practices of airlines and other
service related fields in the world, and adapting them to Indian conditions. The Corporate
Mission Statement of Jet Airways states that:
"It will be the most preferred domestic airline in India. It will be the first choice carrier for
the traveling public and will set standards which its competitors will seek to match. This
Contd...

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