SPC: Practical Understanding of Capability by Implementing Statistical Process Control, third edition (Walkabout) - Hardcover

James C. Abbott

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1887355030 ISBN 13: 9781887355032

Publisher: Robert Houston Smith Publishers, 1999

Synopsis

Statistical Process Control, or SPC, is one of the most misunderstood and underused tools in modern business practice. SPC: Practical Understanding of Capability by Implementing Statistical Process Control, third edition debunks the myth that SPC is only for engineers or technical managers. In fact, SPC is the proper set of tools for any operation where a product is created using a continuously repeated process. This is true for both manufacturing and service industries (sometimes the "product" is actually a service to people.) Author James Abbott uses everyday language to explain WHAT makes SPC work, WHY it will work for every situation, and HOW it fits into the overall decision-making process. This third edition of SPC is the result of years of feedback and refinement. An expanded appendix provides complete glossaries of terms, constants, formulas, and a practice question and answer section.

About this title

About the Author

James Abbott is a professional engineer and the president of Abbott Associates Inc., a corporate education firm based in Greenville, South Carolina.

From the Back Cover

Statistical Process Control provides the knowledge base that assures your company or process is running consistently and at maximum capability. This knowledge base is your firm's most valuable asset. SPC will help you to; * Speed your delivery time * Cut your scrap and rework rates * Make sound decisions based on accurate, reliable data * Save money by running existing machines and processes to their full potential In SPC; Practical Understanding of Capability by Implementing Statistical Process Control, third edition you will find answers to questions like, * Am I analyzing properly grouped data? (Read Chapter Three to find out.) * Where do we start if we want to implement SPC? (Chapter Five explains the answer.) * How do I determine if we are operating at our maximum capability? (You can find out by constructing a capability study - see Chapter Ten.)

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Statistical Quality Control (SQC) is the major umbrella that all the statistical tools fall under. A toolbox that we use in our household holds a variety of tools. A hammer is intended to put nails in a wall. A saw is intended to cut wood. A wrench will tighten and loosen nuts from bolts. We could use a hammer to attempt to remove a bolt, but how effective would this tool (the hammer) be at this job? Each tool is intended for a particular function and a particular set of problems. As we understand the problems, we will learn which tools are appropriate and how each works. Then we will see how to apply the appropriate tool to each problem. Many books on preparing information, reports, or statistics focus all of their attention on the analytical tool. Our purpose here is to reverse the classic approach and focus on the situations we will encounter. For each situation, we will examine the specific tools that can be used. Once the appropriate tool has been identified for each situation, we can begin to learn about the tool. Each analytical tool was devised for a particular situation or problem. This book will focus on monitoring any continuous process through the use of Statistical Process Control (SPC - control charts and capability studies). SPC is a razor sharp tool to monitor continuous machines/systems/operations, product or process consistency, detection and notation of changes, and assessment of capability. Just as a saw from our household toolbox has specific uses, the SPC components of control charts and capability studies are the objective assessment tools for a continuous operation. The control chart detects any changes in the process. Once a change is detected, the capability study is used to assess the impact to the customer. Since change can be either deterioration or improvement, capability studies and control charts must work as a team.

Edition details

• Publisher: Robert Houston Smith Publishers
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 1887355030
• ISBN 13: 9781887355032
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 3
• Number of pages: 406