Quality Management in Engineering

A Scientific and Systematic Approach

Jong S. Lim

• Publisher: CRC Press
• Year: 2019
• ISBN:
  9781000458589
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Tecnología e ingeniería
• Subtopic: Control de calidad en ingeniería

This book introduces fundamental, advanced, and future-oriented scientific quality management methods for the engineering and manufacturing industries. It presents new knowledge and experiences in the manufacturing industry with real world case studies. It introduces Quality 4.0 with Industry 4.0, including quality engineering tools for software quality and offers lean quality management methods for lean manufacturing. It also bridges the gap between quality management and quality engineering, and offers a scientific methodology for problem solving and prevention. The methods, techniques, templates, and processes introduced in this book can be utilized in various areas in industry, from product engineering to manufacturing and shop floor management. This book will be of interest to manufacturing industry leaders and managers, who do not require in-depth engineering knowledge. It will also be helpful to engineers in design and suppliers in management and manufacturing, all who have daily concerns with project and quality management. Students in business and engineering programs may also find this book useful as they prepare for careers in the engineering and manufacturing industries.

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• Presents new knowledge and experiences in the manufacturing industry with real world case studies

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• Introduces quality engineering methods for software development

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• Introduces Quality 4.0 with Industry 4.0

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• Offers lean quality management methods for lean manufacturing

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• Bridges the gap between quality management methods and quality engineering

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• Provides scientific methodology for product planning, problem solving and prevention management

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• Includes forms, templates, and tools that can be used conveniently in the field

1

Fundamentals of Manufacturing and Engineering

Through the Industrial Revolution in the 18th century, humans began to use a different source of energy other than animal or human power. The machines transformed fossil energy into work energy. Such technological power was able to provide efficient methods and means to improve the productivity of the most primary industry, agriculture, by producing useful tools and machines.

This manufacturing power produced many different functional and mechanical tools, increasing their versatility, quality, and quantity. By harnessing this power, we were able to get more things for less money. Henry Ford was able to make cars much cheaper, allowing them to be available to the ordinary citizen. This democratization of the automobile was possible not because of Ford's genius, but thanks to America's accumulated manufacturing power. This accumulated manufacturing power and technology became the backbone of the second industrial revolution.

The success of manufacturing relies on engineering power that produces ideas, designs, and methods to realize a tangible product. Manufacturing and engineering share the same fundamental elements to grow and succeed against the competition: cost, productivity, technology, and quality. To develop these elements in a competitive environment requires innovative thinking based on reality and practicality.

In this chapter, we analyze and discuss the fundamental elements of the successful development of the manufacturing and engineering industry in society.

1. The Effects of Manufacturing on a Nation's Power
2. The Elements of Manufacturing Competitiveness
3. The Impact of Engineering on Manufacturing

1.1 The Effects of Manufacturing on a Nation's Power

Throughout history, countries that own better-structured power and advanced weapons have prevailed in hegemony and in becoming a global power because they were in a better position to win battles effectively.¹ For example, in 1532, Francisco Pizarro with 168 Spanish soldiers conquered the 12 million inhabitants of Aztec and Inca: “Pizarro's military advantages lay in the Spaniards' steel swords, steel armor, guns, and horse.”² Throughout modern history, it is clear that the nations with more advanced technology and manufacturing power came to have a stronger military and political power than other nations.

The power of manufacturing has been demonstrated through the First and Second World Wars. Germany, Japan, and the United States built trucks, vessels, tanks, planes, and weapons by maximizing their industrial manufacturing powers. During the war, they focused not only on killing enemy soldiers but also on destroying the enemy's industrial power—in particular, their manufacturing facilities and factories.

In the modern era, China opened its doors to foreign investment. When foreign companies opened manufacturing factories in China to utilize the local cheap human resources, China began to earn stable and significant income, empowering it to come out of poverty, and China soon became the world's second largest economy, mainly thanks to its manufacturing power.³

Despite some side effects, such as pollution by manufacturing plants, the advantage and benefits are clear and significant to the prosperity of the nations and human society.

There are four major significant effects on a nation's power created by the manufacturing industry: social, economic, industrial, and political.

1.1.1 Social Effect

Without employment, no country or society can sustain stability or provide happiness to its people. In developing countries, a reasonable amount of excess workforce can be an opportunity for economic growth of society when they are appropriately used to produce wealth.

Typically, in developing countries, automation is recognized as expensive and difficult due to capital and technological limitations, whereas manual handling and processing is still economical and flexible. Hence, the manufacturing sector can absorb the excess workforce in a relatively flexible way; if the labor cost is cheap, one can hire more human resources instead of investing in equipment or automation.

When people are hired to work, wealth is provided to them in the form of their compensation, which they can then use to support themselves and their family. This economic factor is fundamental for life quality and stability of society. Manufacturing brings jobs and income for better life quality.

1.1.2 Economic Effect

The purpose of economic activity is the creation of wealth. Manufacturing activity creates absolute wealth that we can see, touch, and use to improve the quality of our daily life.

The causes of wealth are something totally different from wealth itself. A person may possess wealth, i.e., exchangeable value; if, however, he does not possess the power of producing objects of more value than he consumes, he will become poorer. A person may be poor; if he, however, possesses the power of producing a larger amount of valuable articles than he consumes, he becomes rich.⁴

From an economic viewpoint, manufacturing power creates a virtuous economic cycle; the creation of jobs and generation of income for individuals, the increase of purchasing power, and GDP growth of the nation. Such a cycle leads to the hiring of more human resources and investment in manufacturing factories.

Manufactured products can be readily tradable. The fundamental structure of global trading is based on goods, not services.⁵ Manufactured goods and products are easy to ship and tradable. Since we can export and trade with other countries, we can boost the economy by bringing in foreign currency and goods needed for the nation.

1.1.3 Industry Structural Effect

To make the manufacturing process and the outputs more productive, we need better technologies or systems. For example, we need better equipment or machinery to produce highly innovative industrial goods via mass production.

Highly technological products like semiconductors, smartphones, robots, and biomedicines require innovative manufacturing processes and technologies. Many high-tech companies like Apple, Samsung, Google, and Huawei rely on advanced manufacturing technologies to manifest their innovative engineering design concepts into tangible products.

Necessity is the mother of invention. A desire to grow motivates the companies to develop higher industrial hierarchical technologies. The companies that have a strong foundation of engineering and manufacturing can have a chance to evolve into a more complex and advanced industry, capturing the future opportunity of making more sophisticated products. This evolution process will bring in higher profitable businesses through the company's technological and structural innovations, adopting more and more high-end technologies.

In this perspective, the countries that have a versatile manufacturing infrastructure can leverage this power to move to the production of more advanced technological products like new materials, new automated equipment, smart robots, and AI products in the coming era.

1.1.4 Political Effect

When the nation becomes mature in securing manufacturing technology and product know-how, the nation expands into the realm of science and technology more deeply. Necessity for innovative manufacturing technologies can generate stronger motivation and momentum for more advanced science and technology as we have seen throughout history.

Advanced science and technology can help develop further innovative products in return. The capability of science and technology can be transformed into political power in the form of economic and military power. Historically, the nations that dominated technology dominated other nations. In modern history, during the Second World War, Germany and the U.S.A. competed to secure new technologies and produce new weapons like tanks, submarines, rockets, and nuclear weapons.

Securing the power of manufacturing, science, and technology puts a nation in a better position in trade negotiations or the settling of political disputes. For example, the United States controls certain technological products such as advanced airplanes, nuclear technologies, and high-tech semiconductors, and can use these as a negotiation tool with other countries. China also controls the...