Elisabeth Viles

Practical applications of design of experiments in the field of engineering: a bibliographical review

The design of experiments (DoE) methodology is a technique that has been applied for many years in industry to improve quality. In this study, a summary of 77 cases of practical DoE application in the field of engineering is presented. All of the cases were published in important scientific journals between 2001 and 2005. The type of design that is applied, the size of the experiment, the number of factors that influence the response variable, and the sector of application of the design are analyzed. In addition, the increasing use of these designs over time is demonstrated. Copyright

Components of sustainable improvement systems: theory and practice

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is twofold: to evaluate the importance of the factors reported in the literature as enablers of Continuous Improvement (CI) programmes and to determine the perception of managers of different companies in the Basque Country and Navarre (Spain) regarding the relevance of these factors to their improvement programmes.Design/methodology/approach – In total, 15 elements have been considered to be key issues for the sustainability of CI programmes. Semi‐structured interviews were conducted with 36 companies in order to assess how the companies value the factors and how the factors are applied and measured.Findings – The findings regarding the application and evaluation of such factors have revealed that companies are focused on the agents associated with the achievement of results. Other factors, such as management commitment or the promotion of team working, are highly scored and applied, but few companies evaluate them or take actions to improve their application.Originali...

Learning 5S principles from Japanese best practitioners: case studies of five manufacturing companies

The 5S methodology is a very appropriate way to initiate and achieve the process of continuous improvement. This paper studies management practices in successful Japanese companies in order to determine what 5S principles are behind them. After visiting and conducting interviews at five different plants, a multi-case study analysis was developed to identify the key aspects of the success of the implementation of 5S in Japan. Although each of the companies studied is different, there are commonalities that provide for interesting learning. As a result, best managerial practices based on 5S principles are explained, and the most important principles associated with the success of the 5S method are described and discussed.

Lean thinking with improvement teams in retail distribution: a case study

Sectors associated with the distribution of products and goods have become more and more important in recent years. Globalisation and changing market demands are increasing competitiveness in these sectors, and as a result many companies have adopted new improvement methods to assure their survival. The adoption of improvement philosophies and a lean culture offer new opportunities to improve the quality and service of distribution networks and activities related with transport and warehousing. The application of these philosophies, widely used in industrial companies, has been little documented in distribution centres. However, these methods are difficult to implement in companies from the distribution sector due to the volatility of customer demand, the high degree of human participation and the demanding mechanical and repetitive activities in retail and storage activities. This paper presents a methodology for change management to adopt lean practices in distribution centres. The presented case study has been used to develop, test and refine the methodology. Results show that the methodology was suitable for establishing a lean culture in the company and it resulted in good outcomes in terms of productivity, employee attitudes and participation.

Is design of experiments really used? A survey of Basque industries

A new survey is presented concerning the knowledge and use of the design of experiments technique (DoE) within industry in the Basque Country, a region recognised throughout Europe for its quality management. The survey was carried out within manufacturing companies, yielding a response rate of 18%. Results show that 94% of companies undertake experimentation; most of them use one-factor-at-a-time strategies, and only 20% of those follow a pre-established statistical methodology. Survey results show that research and development and manufacturing make up 85% of DoE use. Furthermore, results show that lack of knowledge about general statistics is commonplace and only 31% of companies claim to be knowledgeable about DoE. In addition, although Taguchi methods are well known among companies, only 7% apply this method. Despite every effort by specialists in quality and statistics, DoE has yet to be applied as widely as it could and should be.

Barriers faced by engineers when applying design of experiments

Purpose – The purpose of this article is to provide an extensive review of the barriers faced by engineers when applying design of experiments (DoE). The aim is to help new practitioners learn from the past and avoid possible barriers that they may encounter when applying DoE in industry.Design/methodology/approach – An exhaustive literary review was carried out to find articles in which hindrances to the application of DoE were mentioned. The information is organised and grouped into 16 barriers with this end in mind.Findings – The 16 barriers can be classified into three different groups: business barriers; educational barriers; and technical barriers. It is shown that DoE can be successfully applied without overcoming every barrier, although it is inconvenient to do so.Practical implications – Although DoE is commonly found in statistics and quality literature, it is clearly underused in industry. The paper brings together ideas from those with experience in DoE to detect the reasons behind this anomal...

How is experimentation carried out by companies? A survey of three European regions

A survey was carried out to characterize experimentation in three different European regions: the Baden-Wurttemberg region, The Basque Country and the rest of Spain. Results of the survey show that even though experimentation is a frequent activity, almost 95% of companies conduct experiments; the strategies used to carry them out are primitive. The one-factor-at-a-time strategy is used by 75% of companies far more than the 23%, which apply design of experiments (DoE). Results show that this may be due to the current lack of knowledge of DoE in these regions, where only 33% are familiar with the technique. Finally, the rate of applications of DoE among Six Sigma users is 40%, twice that of non-users, which stands at 19%. Copyright

Do companies with greater deployment of participation systems use Visual Management more extensively? An exploratory study

One of the most important enablers of continuous improvement sustainability is ease of communication, and doing so in a way that can be understood by all employees and allows information to flow rapidly throughout the company. Visual Management (VM) provides significant benefits in communication and standardisation which boosts the effectiveness of improvement systems. This article presents an in-depth literature review about the concept of VM and its benefits, and provides results from an exploratory study carried out in the Basque Country that aims to ascertain the usage of VM in 52 companies. Based on a literature review, 20 different VM elements were identified for improving the workplace. The implementation of these elements was studied, as was the relationship of VM with employee participation systems. The results of this study show a general moderate implementation of VM tools in companies with implementation levels differing according to company size. Some of the lowest scores are detected in the areas of visual control of quality, the displaying of indicators and process visibility. Moreover, statistical differences were identified between the implementation of suggestion systems and improvement teams and the implementation level of VM tools.

Healthcare teamwork best practices: lessons for industry

Purpose – Since the field of healthcare was a latecomer to the quality movement, knowledge transfer has generally flowed in one direction, from industry to healthcare. However, organisations can also be enriched by healthcare. In particular, this paper aims to show industry that important lessons can be learned regarding how teamwork is generally managed within healthcare.Design/methodology/approach – To identify the useful lessons that healthcare can teach industry, the authors started with a brainstorming session among the members of the research team to pin‐point the lessons based on their experience with healthcare and industrial environments. Afterwards, an exhaustive review of the relevant literature from the last ten years was carried out.Findings – Industrial organisations need to develop teamwork frameworks focused on involving every employee in cross‐disciplinary, empowered and trained teams. Moreover, from a team perspective, special care must be shown when defining clear roles, focusing on end...

Why is not design of experiments widely used by engineers in Europe

An extensive literature review was carried out to detect why design of experiments (DoE) is not widely used among engineers in Europe. Once 16 main barriers were identified, a survey was carried out to obtain first-hand information about the significance of each. We obtained 101 responses from academics, consultants and practitioners interested in DoE. A statistical analysis of the survey is introduced, including: (a) a ranking of the barriers, (b) grouping of barriers using factorial analysis, (c) differences between characteristics of respondents. This exploratory analysis showed that the main barriers that hinder the widespread use of DoE are low managerial commitment and engineers’ general weakness in statistics. Once the barriers were classified, the most important resultant group was that related to business barriers.