THE USE OF STATISTICAL PROCESS-CONTROL IN THE MANUFACTURE OF HIGH-INTEGRITY PRODUCTS

A study has been made of the use of statistical process control (SPC) in a company manufacturing high-integrity components for assembly into engines used in automobiles. The findings indicate that there is a la ck of clear objectives for its use within the company. Some benefits h ave been achieved but the technique is being deployed imperfectly. A n umber of areas have been identified in which improvements are needed t o make more effective use of SPC. For example, there is too much reset ting of the machine tools, control limits are calculated too frequentl y, special causes have not been successfully identified and eliminated , teamwork is not widely used and insufficient resources are allocated to resolve problems in the company's manufacturing processes.