-
- News
- Books
Featured Books
- pcb007 Magazine
Latest Issues
Current IssueThe Sustainability Issue
Sustainability is one of the most widely used terms in business today, especially for electronics and manufacturing but what does it mean to you? We explore the environmental, business, and economic impacts.
The Fabricator’s Guide to IPC APEX EXPO
This issue previews many of the important events taking place at this year's show and highlights some changes and opportunities. So, buckle up. We are counting down to IPC APEX EXPO 2024.
Getting to Know Your Designer
In this issue, we examine how fabs work with their design customers, educating them on the critical elements of fabrication needed to be successful, as well as the many tradeoffs involved. How well do you really know your customer? What makes for a closer, more synchronized working relationship?
- Articles
- Columns
Search Console
- Links
- Events
||| MENU - pcb007 Magazine
Quality and Continuous Improvement
February 24, 2021 | Patrick Valentine, UYEMURA USAEstimated reading time: 2 minutes
Introduction
Quality and continuous improvement are an integral part of the electronics industry. Poor quality is costly. Remediation costs of poor quality can cost a company 25% of its annual sales. Poor quality and the need for high reliability are the catalysts driving continuous improvement today. An in-depth review of quality and continuous improvement is presented.
The History of Quality
The concern for quality control and reduced product variation can be traced back centuries. Archaic quality control methods were used by the Xia Dynasty in 2100 BC in ancient China. During the late 1290s in medieval Europe, guilds—the pre-cursor to unions—were responsible for product and service quality. From 1700 to 1900, product quality was determined by the individual craftsman’s efforts. At the close of the 19th century, Eli Whitney introduced standardized, interchangeable parts to simplify assembly. In 1875, Frederick W. Taylor introduced the scientific management principles, which divided work into smaller, more easily accomplished tasks. Taylor believed the key to productivity and improved quality was knowledge, organization, and leadership. In 1903, Karol Adamiecki developed the harmonograph, a chart depicting workers’ movements and actions indicating the causes of low productivity and potential quality issues. Quality principles were accelerating at the beginning of the 20th century as manufacturers began to shift from purely focusing on their production economy to balancing the number of products produced while meeting increased consumer demands for quality.
In 1901, the Engineering Standards Committee was formed in Great Britain to establish imperial standards in all fields. In 1906, the International Electro-Technical Committee was created to prepare and publish international standards for all electrical, electronic, and related technologies. By 1930, most industrialized countries had established national standards organizations. Most of these national standards organizations were linked to the International Federation of the National Standardizing Association, formed between 1926 and 1928. Global standard settings were stifled during the Great Depression of the 1930s and were furthered hampered in 1939 with the beginning of World War II.
In 1941, the United States entered World War II. The U.S. government enacted legislation to switch the civilian economy to military production. During this time, military contracts were typically awarded to the lowest bidding manufacturer. Product quality was determined by inspection after delivery. This quality inspection method consumed copious amounts of human resources and led to recruiting and retaining problems. With the help of Bell Labs and Dr. Walter Shewhart, the military adopted sampling inspection techniques to save time and resources.
To read this entire article, which appeared in the February 2021 issue of PCB007 Magazine, click here.
Suggested Items
Arlon EMC Receives IPC-4101 QPL Recertification
03/20/2024 | Arlon Electronic MaterialsArlon Electronic Materials has successfully completed an intensive two-day recertification audit by IPC Validation Services that examined Arlon’s manufacturing processes and testing procedures to assure that they are in conformance to the requirements of IPC-4101E-WAM1, the Specification for Base Materials for Rigid and Multilayer Printed Boards.
Orbit International Electronics Group Reports Bookings for February 2024 in Excess of $2,000,000
03/14/2024 | Globe NewswireOrbit International Corp., an electronics manufacturer and software solution provider, announced that its Electronics Group (OEG) reported bookings for the month of February 2024 in excess of $2,000,000.
U.S. Space Force Awards Boeing WGS-12 Communications Satellite Production Contract
03/07/2024 | BoeingBoeing received a $439.6 million contract to build the 12th Wideband Global SATCOM (WGS) communications satellite for U.S. Space Force's Space Systems Command.
IPC Releases Newest List of Standards Updates, Revisions
02/20/2024 | IPCEach quarter, IPC releases a list of standards that are new or have been updated. To view a complete list of newly published standards and standards revisions, translations, proposed standards for ballot, final drafts for industry review, working drafts, and project approvals, visit ipc.org/status.
Triumph Wins Contract To Upgrade U.S. Army Chinook Helicopters
02/07/2024 | PRNewswireTriumph Group, Inc. announced that its Systems, Electronics and Controls business in West Hartford, Connecticut has been awarded a five-year contract with the United States Army to provide an upgrade of the EMC32T Hydraulic Metering Assembly (HMA) fuel control on the T55 engines, supporting the CH-47 Chinook helicopter fleet.