Total Quality

Table of Contents

Title ………………………………………………………………………………………….…… 3

1.0 Introduction…………………………………………….….…………….4

2.0 Literature Review…………………………………………………..…….5

2.1 Pre-requisites of Total Quality …………………..….…….…….. 6

2.2 Benefits of Total Quality …………………………………………. 8

2.3 Relevance of adopting Total Quality in an Organisation ……….…..9

2.4 How to implement Total Quality successful …………….………. 12

3.0 Conclusions and recommendations……….…..…………………………… 13

References …………………………………………..……………………….….14

Introduction

Total Quality Management is a familiar term that has been used in the motor vehicle industry business cycles for quite along time. The main objective of emphasizing on total quality in the industry is its delicate and costly nature of mistakes that are made. Critical dimensions therefore have t o be taken care of to avoid defects while fixing or assembling.

Those who have a lot of expertise and experience in Total Quality Management especially in the motor industry discipline like Juran, Deming, Ishikawa and Crosby have all defined it in different methods but the spirit and essence still has more or less remained the same. In the words of Deming, “TQM is a continuous quality improvement process aimed towards a predictable degree of dependability and uniformity” (Creswell, 2008). He went ahead and identified fourteen principles of TQM designed to improve performance and productivity of the company. On the same note Juran defined quality as “fitness for use.” Juran believes that every individual in the organization must be involved in activities that make goods or services that are fit for use. Crosby defines quality as “conformance to requirements”. Crosby’s aim is to do everything right at the first time so as to avoid defects as much as possible.

According to Garvin, (2008), TQM can be defined as an organisation’s continued endeavour to achieve quality assurance, planning, control and improvement. Thus we can say TQM is a holistic approach to the ways in which an organisation conducts its operations. In the words of Ishikawa, (2005) TQM can also be defined as a “management philosophy that aims to integrate all the functions of the organization”. This includes such areas like marketing, engineering, design, finance, and customer care to focus on meeting organizational objectives and customer needs even more effectively and efficiently. Thus Ishikawa, (2005) agrees with Garvin, (2008), that TQM is a holistic approach towards organisational operations.

Total Quality Management looks at an organization or business concern as a collection of different processes but all aimed at one goal. It emphasizes that an organization must strive to achieve continuously improvement on its various processes. This is arrived at by incorporating the skills, experiences and knowledge of its employees. The simple objective of TQM is “Do the right things, right the first time, every time”. Many authors in this subject have come to agree that TQM is infinitely variable and adaptable. This is because even though originally it was applied to organisations that were in manufacturing industry (and remained so for a long time) TQM is now becoming universally applicable to all types if organisations irrespective of the type of activity they are involved in.

One good thing about total quality management is that it can be applied virtually in all business cycles. It does not matter how small or big, young or old, manufacturing or service, capital or labour intensive an organisation is. It can be applicable across the board. It is for this and more other reasons that TQM has gained a lot of attention in the recent past among scholars, business executives, administrators, researchers and entrepreneurs alike (Garvin, 2008).

2. Literature Review

2.1 Pre-requisites of Total Quality

The major problem with vehicle spare parts is t he inability of the companies to come up with a comprehensive or detailed analysis of what they need in a particular period to assemble the parts of the vehicle. The laxity and lack of professional guidance cause the companies a lot of losses at the end of the process. Therefore, the best way to deal with it is to first get the initial prescription of the items that the dealer needs. A mistake in getting the right order can result to unnecessary costs shifting to and from the clients.

The measure of an organization`s quality management for manufacturing and service firms was proposed by Juran. Crosby also came up with an eight critical factors, also known as dimensions of TQM. Later Deming developed 7 critical factors using “Deming management method” concept, which was later agreed with the empirical findings of Juran. Deming developed what is known as the Deming chain reaction. This simply means that as quality of a product or service improves, costs will substantially decrease while productivity will increase. This in the long run does not only help an organization achieve its objectives but also gain competitive advantage over rivals (Maylor, 2006).

Deming maintains that his 14 points can be virtually applied across the board, to big institutions as well as small ones, to organizations in the manufacturing industry as well as the service firms. He points out that it is the system of work that determines how the job can be performed and it is only the managers that can create such system. He summarized his foundation work in quality by identifying fourteen points for institutions to follow. They are as outlined below:

Minimize commonly accepted levels of errors and defects as a new philosophy of quality.

Stop depending on mass inspection to improve quality. Aim o achieve quality from the first time and not wait for mistakes to happen then you start rectifying them.

Minimize cost by working with a single supplier by not awarding and choosing a supplier based on price.

The firm should always strive to improve the production system and service by continually improving test methods and identification of problems, from the very first planning stage right up to distribution to customers, thus constantly reducing costs.

Organization can also adopt current methods of training on the job. This can be met by training the workers on the best ways of achieving quality in their areas of specialization and the use of quality conformation tools such as SQC (statistical quality control).

Adopt and institute leadership to improve on a better delivery by machines and people.

Motivate the employees. Individuals tend work best when they feel that the organization values them by taking their interests in to consideration, assuring them of job security and career growth.

Do away with standards of work or quotas and replace it with. Elimination of management which is based on numbers, statistical goals and if possible replaces it with leadership.

Make people feel they are part and parcel of the institution. This is done by removing hindrances that deny people off the pride of workmanship.

The cornerstone of Deming’s philosophy is based on statistical process control (SPC), which must be implemented where corrective action can be successfully instituted. Top management involvement is a key requirement with proper delegation of quality responsibilities at all levels in an organization. The recognition of training and leadership skills is vital in adopting Deming’s philosophy with continuous improvements never ending. The work findings on performance of business unraveled numerous studies that reveal the constructive results of putting in place and emphasizing quality management practices on business performance.

2.2 What should be done to ensure non defective assemblies?

The spare parts meant for new models should be made available at the same time when the vehicles are being assembled. By the time vehicles are being released to the market the parts will also be ready. This will ensure that there is adequate time to check confirm and pack age this parts accurately. This will avoid anxiety whenever a client calls to demand a spare part. This will go a long way in improving the quality of service in the company. Implementation of TQM has the potential of yielding merits that are associated with continuous improvement in service delivery and production of goods in the organization. Total Quality Management also leads to augmentation of efficiency in terms of equipments as well as human resources which consequently leads to overall quality improvement (Maylor, 2006).

These processes enhance proactive working system which protects deviation from the original ideal state. Then what are key and major benefits of the Total Quality Management that may accrue to a corporation that implements it? TQM application aids in streamlining operations of the firm. To achieve great productivity using this process of TQM efficiency is by tracing and eliminating trouble shooting in the working process and the systems.TQM unearths out unnecessary task and double the effort by minimizing the mistakes in the working process.TQM is a great help intervening and predicting such mistakes and unnecessary activities. By employing this process and method come about with many benefits within the organization in terms of cost and time management. Some important benefits in cost minimization include the following;

No repetitive work, this is because TQM emphasizes on doing something right for the first time.

Elimination reworks and unwanted repairs

Reduction of costs and reject products

Customer care support warranty is considerably reduced

Process efficiency which help to generate profit per product or service

Shackles and pins for instance can be inspected randomly. The width and the section across the flat section and the centers have to be inspected. A table to monitor the suppliers and what is intended to be transferred to them is created and checked regularly. There is utmost discipline through reduction of wasteful procedures. TQM also helps to generate time management with effort to utilize time in the organization.

2.3 Supplies that is likely to cause problems

The number of spare parts is too large and the numbers too that can cause defects can be enormous depending on how they were handled du ring the manufacture stage. It is therefore necessary to avoid a guise of which ones a have a problem du ring assembly and focus mainly on improving the quality of all these parts at the initial stages. The next point will be to use statistics to determine which parts are normally returned fro m sup-lies with complains. When this is established it becomes easy to narrow down on the parts that need more attention. There are no specific parts that are known t o cause defects. It mainly depends on the make of the car and the manner in which the parts where done.

Since its inception in the 20th century, the incorporation of TQ in organizations has never found its relevance like it has in the 21st century. This is largely due to the fact that Business environment has become very dynamic, crowded and above all faced with very stiff competition a mid deteriorating economic conditions world over. Resource planning in many businesses has evolved over time and that is why today we have very independent Total Quality departments in many firms. However quality management programs need a lot of support, commitment of those entrusted with the responsibility and acceptable levels of financial resource investment from the respective organizations (Maylor, 2006).

Enterprise resource planning therefore should put great emphasis on quality management and should always be an endemic part of the corporate policy if the organization as to compete on the same level with others that offer the same product or service in the market. It may take a little while before the results show but it is a strategy that eventually pays. Quality lobby groups have come a long way and have seen many transformations too (Ishikawa, 2009).

Initially a product had to be checked so that an inspection of whether it is fit for the market or not is made. Today this is no longer the case. Quality units are concerned more on a preventive process and not the inspection part of it. What this means in essence is that focus has shifted to avoiding production or manufacture of commodities that would otherwise be rejected as unfit. This will not only serve the interests of the employees but also the target clientele, therefore boosting both morale at work and growing the customer base (Maylor, 2006).

Researchers from diverse companies have concluded that that there are many advantages associated with initiatives aimed at quality implementation. It has also been noted by the same researchers that there are dangers that can be linked to the lack of a quality assurance departments or personnel in organizations. They have even gone ahead to give a comprehensive analysis of how best implementation of quality management policies can be achieved. There are a set of factors that have been proposed to especially improve performances with an objective to advance customer satisfaction (Nofal Al, Omaim Al & Zairi, 2005). These success factors are mainly made up of various activities and behaviour that is very much needed to attain the vision and goals of the particular business enterprise. There are also various methodologies developed by the researchers, targeted at quality improvement.

These are factors that have been tested by various companies around the world and proved to work. For example according to Maylor, (2006), Tata Company in India has practices aimed at quality improvements that are closely related to those of American Model of business excellence. It also heavily borrows from both European foundation of Total Quality and the Japanese Union of Scientists and Engineers. These models and the exchange of ideas around the world, on improvement of quality standards in is a sign enough that Total Quality Management is inevitable if an organization has to thrive (Maylor, 2006). The suggested factors by the various groups and bodies will help for as long as they are established with a close observation and integration of the company principles and values. The implementation is also very much dependent on the entire workforce of the particular institution and its management.

Different studies have produced diverse factors majorly as a result of the methodologies and the definitions that they accord quality management. What is more important though is the arrival of a conclusion on which ones are practical and which ones are not. A factor or concern raised by a research group may be applicable in one organization and not the other. This explains why there has been the rise of quality regulatory bodies such as European Foundation for Quality Management and the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. The quality awards are especially there to encourage proper ethics and standards by research firms dealing with the quality issues (Maslow, 2004).

They also reward the most professional among the researchers. Such quality standard groups should be encouraged all over the world because the business environments differ from one country to another. It would not be fair for instance if the European Foundation for Quality management would be engaged in observation and monitoring of surveys and quality standards in America or Japan (Hofstede, 2001). The framework with which this operates does not tally with what has been achieved over the years.

There will obviously be disagreements by various scholars and professionals in the field on what exactly constitutes quality standards and what doesn’t. Forums and discussions that encourage the harmonization of these thoughts should be organized and encouraged world over. This should also help look keenly at the diverse cultural and regional differences in definition and ideas on quality. Other considerations that make the research firms come up with different factors that affect quality include, varied government regulations and laws, ICT in the area under study, education level of the people involved, the industrialization level of the country and etc.

Other reasons that have greatly impacted the difference in the various analyses are the difference in the type of industries surveyed and the size of those companies. A larger company for instance will have more challenges on making sure that quality standards are attained than a smaller one. This however should not be an excuse for the large firms to lie back in as far as quality standards are concerned (Hackman & Wageman, 2005).

2.4 How to implement the supply of correct spare parts successfully.

A good analysis of the inventory will assist in follow up of cases that need a lot of emphasis and to know which suppliers are most affected. This will help place more emphasis on the clients that have been affected most by the events and therefore try to assist them in future by avoiding a repeat of the incidence. Total Quality Management has the implication of technique that is applicable among the organization management as well as employees for the purpose of achieving continuous improvement in the process of production and service delivery. Total Quality Management involves integration of management and quality tools with the intention of mitigating against losses arising from wasteful practices while at the same time increasing business in the organization (Godfrey, Dale, Marchington & Wilkinson, 2007).

2.5 Data analysis

In analysing this data I made use of spss i.e. statistical package for social sciences. In my analysis I came to realise that there are a number of interesting findings. For supplier A the range of the dimensions is (19.10 – 18.87) = o.23, the median is 19.00 and the mode is 19.05. Turning to supplier B the range is (19.23 – 19.00) = 0.23, the median is 19.10 and the mode is 19.18. On the same note the statistical tools for supplier C are more or less the same as those of A and B. The statistical for suppliers of shackles are as follows. Beginning with supplier D the dimension range is (13.46 – 13.10) = 0.36. The median is 13.28 and the mode is 13.30. For supplier E the dimension range is (13.30 – 12.92) = 0.38. The median is 13.18 while the mode is 13.03. On the same note supplier F has a range of (13.15 – 12.87) = 0.28. The median is 13.08 while the mode is 2.6.

H-Graph

302895048895Pins

Dimensions (A)

Supplier A

Supplier B

Supplier C

Pins

Dimensions (A)

Supplier A

Supplier B

Supplier C

1524001270Shackles

Dimensions (B)

Supplier D

Supplier E

Supplier F

Supplier G

Shackles

Dimensions (B)

Supplier D

Supplier E

Supplier F

Supplier G

Good Bad

Data analysis

The process has been kept under control in the case of supplier A with each part being maintained at limits that have been specified. Likewise, majority of parts have assumed asymmetrical arrangement in the direction of the mean value according to what the histogram can demonstrate. The value 0.04500971 of the standard deviation is at a close proximity to 0.0506891, the overall value which is a clear indicator of the fact that, there is a greater possibility of gaining stability in the performance of the system even in consideration of the long run. The values Cp in addition to Cpk of have proved to be greater in comparison to the one that gives an indication of the process. Additionally, the data in the histogram further indicates the defective parts that are being reflected by observed performance are non existent.

The histogram further gives the observations with respect to the supplier B of 291,666.67 parts per million to be to fall out of the scope of the USL, which is therefore a representation of 29.17% of entire parts. Despite the efforts of keeping the process under control based on the information that the I-chart in addition to range chart indicates, there is a notable increase in the total amount of the parts that were found to be defective. This consequently leads to a decision to reject the parts indicated.

In a similar perspective, the supplier C has an indication of 87.5% of all parts being beyond the limit of specification. This therefore has the implication of lack of a normal distribution of data attributed to the fact that P-value=0.005 being is smaller than 0.05, and therefore the parts must be returned. In the case of Supplier D, a percentage of 83.33 of all parts being beyond the limit of specification and therefore the parts must be returned

According to the data evident in Supplier, a percentage of 4.1 falls short of the upper baseline with a P value of 0.065 which exceeds the 0.05 benchmark. Additionally, the I-Chart has the indication of the fact that one of the parts did not meet the requirements of Upper control limit and consequently, rendering the process to be out of control. However, in consideration of the percentage of items that fall outside the limit of specification, it is imperative to take the decision of returning the bad parts while at the same time retaining the good ones.

Considering the situation of supplier F, it has been possible to maintain the process under control and consequently making the standard deviations for the case of both within as well as the overall to be more or less equal. Consequently, the implication of this observation is that there is a similarity of the long term effects to the current. None of the parts have fallen outside the limits of specification since the P value has been observed to be above 0.05 and therefore the process has been proven to be capable.

In consideration of supplier G, a percentage of 25 has fallen outside the limits of specification as has been made evident from the information indicated in the histogram. The process has been maintained under control while entire parts have been maintained at levels beneath nominal value with an exception of a solitary one which has gone slightly above the mean. Cp=Cpk=0.85, almost one that has qualified to be reasonably acceptable, P-value=0.692 superior to the 0.05 benchmark which consequently implies that it is in order to make assumptions about the normal distribution of the data. The parts that fail to reach desired levels of specification must be given back to the supplier.

Consequently, to mitigate against possible supply of parts that fail to meet the specifications as laid down, the suppliers should be made submissive to some important guidelines. Is is imperative to set up an important unit responsible for quality control. The composition of the unit is professional working as a team with the responsibility of maintaining quality standards. Statistical tools and skills should be availed to the technocrats in this unit. This team of professionals should also conduct regular checks on supplied parts to ascertain that the standards are according to the specifications.

There should be conformity of products as well as parts to the standards that have been laid down and therefore the parts supplied should agree with the standards as well as the specifications suggested by the professionals. It is the duty of the suppliers to avail certifications. It will also be prudent to effectively communicate about the standards to all members in the organization with the use of means such as the notice board, bulletins and fliers. By so doing, the organization is able to uphold its culture of quality. The technocrats should also be keen on the reliability of the measuring standards. All the measuring equipments should be supervised every time to ascertain their functionality. The effective functioning of total quality in the organization, it is imperative for the management team to show commitment and support to the total quality campaign.

Conclusions and recommendations

The whole assembly business requires the parts for example pin cotter and the shackles to be assembled before supplied further. This will reduce the chances of defects and incompatibilities. This is the one of the best options through which total quality can be achieved. Total Quality management illustrates the cultural need of an organization or a company to provide their clients with quality goods and services that suits their consumption needs. The culture emphasizes on maintaining high quality in all endeavours and operations of the company, with an aim of eliminating chances of repetition and wastage of its resources (Gilbert, 2002). Total Quality Management, has been used as tool of integration between management and the subordinates in the on going production of revised top quality goods and services. It is an integration of quality and tools of management driven towards boosting the business and increasing profits due to controlled operational practices of the company. The tolerance and reliability of spare parts can only be guaranteed through proper monitoring and inspection.

As can be witnessed from the diagrams above, I can recommend that the institution uses suppliers that have the least possible margin of errors. This is because it will considerably reduce the losses attributed to use of highly defective parts. For shackles I can recommend supplier D and G while for pins supplier A and C.

References

Creswell, W., 2008, Educational Research: Planning, conducting, and evaluating, CA: Sage

Garvin, A., 2008, Managing quality, N Y, The Free Press.

Gilbert, G., 2002, Quality Improvement in a Defence Organization, N Y, Harper & Bros.

Godfrey, G., Dale, B., Marchington, M. & Wilkinson, A., 2007, “Control: a contested concept in TQM research”, International Journal of Operations & Production Management. Volume 6.

Hackman, J., & Wageman, R., 2005, “Total quality management: Empirical, conceptual, and practical issues”, Administrative Science Quarterly.

Hofstede, G., 2001, Culture’s consequences, 2nd Ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage

Ishikawa, K., 2005, What is total quality control? The Japanese way, New York, Prentice-Hall.

Ishikawa, K., 2009, “How to apply companywide quality control in foreign countries”, Quality Progress.

Maslow, A., 2004, Motivation and personality, New York, Harper and Bros.

Maylor, H., 2006, The Project Management, London, Prentice Hall Publishing.

Nofal Al A., Omaim Al N. & Zairi M., 2005, “Critical Factors of TQM: An Update on the Literature.” Bradford University School of Management, Working Paper No 05/23.