Name

Junaid Khan

BBA 6th Semester

Assignment

Operation Management

Submitted To

Sir Shahbaz

31-Oct-19
?What Is the Taguchi Method of Quality Control
Taguchi Method of Quality Control
The Taguchi method of quality control is an approach to engineering that emphasizes the roles of
research and development (R&D), product design and development in reducing the occurrence of
defects and failures in manufactured goods.
This method, developed by Japanese engineer and statistician Genichi Taguchi, considers design to be
more important than the manufacturing process in quality control, aiming to eliminate variances in
production before they can occur.

Key Takeaways
In engineering, the Taguchi method of quality control focuses on design and development to create
efficient, reliable products.
Its founder, Genichi Taguchi, considers design to be more important than the manufacturing process
in quality control, seeking to eliminate variances in production before they can occur.
Companies such as Toyota, Ford, Boeing, and Xerox have adopted this method.

Understanding the Taguchi Method of Quality Control

The Taguchi method gauges quality as a calculation of loss to society associated with a product. In
particular, loss in a product is defined by variations and deviations in its function as well as detrimental
side effects that result from the product.
Loss from variation in function is a comparison of how much each unit of the product differs in the
way it operates. The greater that variance, the more significant the loss in function and quality. This
could be represented as a monetary figure denoting how usage has been impacted by defects in the
product.
Example of the Taguchi Method of Quality Control
For instance, if the product is a precision drill that must consistently drill holes of an exact size in all
materials it is used on, part of its quality is determined by how much the units of the product differ
from those standards. With the Taguchi method of quality control, the focus is to use research and
design to ensure that every unit of the product will closely match those design specifications and
perform exactly as designed.

Special Considerations
Loss from detrimental side effects on society speaks to whether or not the design of the product could
inherently lead to an adverse impact. For example, if operating the precision drill could cause injury to
the operator because of how it is designed, there is a loss of quality in the product.
Under the Taguchi method, work done during the design stage of creation would aim to minimize the
possibility that the drill would be crafted in a way that its use could cause injuries to the operator.
From a higher perspective, the Taguchi method would also strive to reduce the cost to society to use
the product, such as designing goods to be more efficient in their operation rather than generate waste.
For instance, the drill could be designed to minimize the need for regular maintenance.

History of the Taguchi Method of Quality Control

Genichi Taguchi, a Japanese engineer and statistician, began formulating the Taguchi method while
developing a telephone-switching system for Electrical Communication Laboratory, a Japanese
company, in the 1950s. Using statistics, he aimed to improve the quality of manufactured goods.
By the 1980s, Taguchi's ideas began gaining prominence in the Western world, leading him to become
well-known in the United States, having already enjoyed success in his native Japan. Big-name global
companies such as Toyota Motor Corp. (TM), Ford Motor Co. (F), Boeing Co. (BA) and Xerox
Holdings Corp. (XRX) have adopted his methods.

Criticism of the Taguchi Method of Quality Control

Taguchi’s methods have not always been well received by Western statisticians. One of the biggest
accusations against his quality control methodology is that it is unnecessarily complicated. In fact,
some skeptics even claim that a doctorate in mathematics is required to understand

What is the Kano Model?

The Kano Model is an insightful way of understanding, categorizing, and prioritizing 5 types of
Customer Requirements (or potential Features) for new products and services.
Kaizen: A Japanese term that means gradual, unending improvement by doing little things better and
setting and achieving increasingly higher standards. Masaaki Imai made the term famous in his book,
Kaizen: The Key to Japan’s Competitive Success.
Kanban: A method for providing material/product to a succeeding operation by signaling the
preceding operation when more material/product is needed. This “pull” type of process control
employs a kanban, a card or signboard, attached to a lot of material/product in a production line
signifying the delivery of a given quantity. When all of the material/product has been processed, the
card/sign is returned to its source, where it becomes an order to replenish.
New! Kano model: Three classes of customer requirements, as described by Noriaki Kano: satisfiers—
what customers say they want; dissatisfiers—what customers expect and what results in dissatisfaction
when not present; and delighters/exciters—new or unexpected features that customers do not expect.
Key performance indicator (KPI): A statistical measure of how well an organization is doing in a
particular area. A KPI could measure an organization’s financial performance or how it is holding up
against customer requirements.
Key process: A major system level process that supports the mission and satisfies major consumer
requirements.
Key process characteristic: A process parameter that can affect safety or compliance with regulations,
fit, function, performance or subsequent processing of product.
Key product characteristic: A product characteristic that can affect safety or compliance with
regulations, fit, function, performance or subsequent processing of product.
Key results area: Customer requirements that are critical for the organization’s success.
Kitting: A process in which assemblers are supplied with kits—a box of parts, fittings and tools—for
each task they perform. This eliminates time-consuming trips from one parts bin, tool crib or supply
center to another to get necessary materials.
Kruskal-Wallis test: A nonparametric test to compare three or more samples. It tests the null
hypothesis that all populations have identical distribution functions against the alternative hypothesis
that at least one of the samples differs only with respect to location (median), if at all. It is the
analogue to the F-test used in analysis of variance. While analysis of variance tests depend on the
assumption that all populations under comparison are normally distributed, the Kruskal-Wallis test
places no such restriction on the comparison. It is a logical extension of the Wilcoxon Mann-Whitney
Test (see listing).
It's commonly believed that customers don’t really know what they want; they have to be told.
The truth is customers do know what they want, but they may not be proficient at describing their
needs. By understanding the three types of customer needs and how to reveal them, you’ll better know
your customers' true needs and how to address them.
The Kano model is useful in gaining a thorough understanding of a customer’s needs. You can
translate and transform the resulting verbatims using the voice of the customer table that,
subsequently, becomes an excellent input as the whatsin a quality function deployment (QFD) House
of Quality.

The model involves two dimensions:

1)Achievement (the horizontal axis), which goes from the supplier didn’t do it at all to the
supplier did it very well.
2)Satisfaction (the vertical axis), which goes from total dissatisfaction with the product or service to
total satisfaction with the product or service.
Dr. Noriaki Kano isolated and identified three levels of customer expectations: that is, what it takes to
positively impact customer satisfaction. The figure below portrays the three levels of need: expected,
normal, and exciting.

Expected Needs
Fully satisfying the customer at this level simply gets a supplier into the market. The entry level
expectations are the must level qualities, properties, or attributes.
These expectations are also known as the dissatisfiers because by themselves they cannot fully satisfy a
customer. However, failure to provide these basic expectations will cause dissatisfaction.
Examples include attributes relative to safety, latest generation automotive components such as a self-
starter, and the use of all new parts if a product is offered for sale as previously unused or new. The
musts include customer assumptions, expected qualities, expected functions, and other unspoken
expectations.

Normal Needs
These are the qualities, attributes, and characteristics that keep a supplier in the market. These next
higher level expectations are known as the wants or the satisfiers because they are the ones that
customers will specify as though from a list. They can either satisfy or dissatisfy the customer
depending on their presence or absence.
The wants include voice of the customer requirements and other spoken expectations (see table below).

Exciting Needs
These are features and properties that make a supplier a leader in the market. The highest level of
customer expectations, as described by Kano, is termed the wow level qualities, properties, or
attributes.
These expectations are also known as the delighters or exciters because they go well beyond anything
the customer might imagine and ask for. Their absence does nothing to hurt a possible sale, but their
presence improves the likelihood of purchase.
Wows not only excite customers to make on-the-spot purchases but make them return for future
purchases. These are unspoken ways of delighting the customer. Examples include heads-up display in
a front windshield, forward- and rear-facing radars, and a 100,000 mile warranty.
Over time, as demonstrated by the arrow going from top left to bottom right in the Kano model, wows
become wants become musts. For example, automobile self-starters and automatic transmissions.
The organization that gets ahead and stays ahead constantly pulses its customers to identify the next
wows. The best wows, plenty of wants, and all the musts are what it takes to become and remain an
industry leader.

Kano Model Example: Home Buyers' Needs

Kano Model: Types of customer requirements

Level of customer need Example related to home buyers
· Expected quality I assume it meets all federal, state, and local building codes.
· Normal quality—spokens Three-car garage, three bedrooms, two baths …
· Normal quality—unspokens I'll know it when I see it!
· Exciting quality Wow – a lifetime warranty on the roof!