Katarzyna Midor

Innovative Use of Quality Management Methods for Product Improvement

Abstract Organisations constantly look for new, innovative solutions and methods which could be used to improve their efficiency and increase the quality of their products. Identifying the causes for returns is an important issue for modern companies, as returns are the cause for the increase in production costs and, most importantly, the loss of credibility in the eyes of the client. Therefore, for the company to be able to sustain or strengthen its position on the market, it has to follow the rules of quality management. Especially important is the rule of constant improvement. This rule is primarily connected with preventing errors and defects from occurring at all the stages of the production process. To achieve that, one must, among other things, use quality management tools. The article presents an analysis of causes for returns of a vibrating screen produced by a company which manufactures machinery and equipment for the extractive industry, using quality management tools such as the Ishikawa diagram and Pareto analysis. The analysis allowed for the identification of the causes of client returns which could not be previously identified, and proposing solutions for them.

INNOVATIVE APPLICATION OF QUALITY MANAGEMENT TOOLS IN A HARD COAL MINE

Hard coal mines in Poland are more and more frequently implementing quality management systems, which obliges them to apply the principle of continuous improvement of both major and ancillary processes. Continuous improvement in an organisation can be implemented by means of a number of quality management methods and tools, which increase the effectiveness of processes in an organisation. However, in Polish hard coal mines the tools of quality management are very seldom used. The authors of the article want to show the possibility of using selected quality management methods in a hard coal mine, which are innovative for this enterprise and introduce a new quality of the processes. One of the major ancillary processes in a hard coal mine is maintenance. The effectiveness of this process depends on many factors, such as: keeping the technical equipment always ready, effective removal of failures and reducing the duration of downtimes caused by failures to minimum. The priority of the maintenance process is to keep the machines and equipment included in the mining system ready for production. High readiness can be maintained among others by shortening the time of failure removal. This is all the more important that the mining line is a serial system of machines - a failure of one machine prevents other machines from working. For this reason, implementation of a selected method of quality management will be proposed in this article to improve the effectiveness of the maintenance process in a hard coal mine. This will allow identifying the major causes of prolonged downtimes and finding an optimal solution to this problem.

Monitoring the Quality of Laser Cutting

Abstract In engineering industry the production of components begins with separation of the base material and this technological operation can be time consuming, especially in large-scale production. Such production can be made more efficient by means of laser technology focusing on material cutting. Efficiency of cutting is determined not only by shortening of working time or energy saving, but also by the required cutting quality. In the paper we compare the impact of cutting speed changing and laser beam performance on the cutting edge quality. Based on requirements of dimensional accuracy and preset roughness of the cutting edge, we evaluated the cutting quality of laser in samples of different materials. Measured values of sample dimensions and roughness are compared in conclusions of the paper, where we estimate whether the samples meet specified requirements of dimensional accuracy and roughness of the cutting edge in order to make the production process more efficient.

Improving the Service with the Servqual Method

Abstract At the time when economy is growing, there is strong competition in the market, and customers have increasingly higher expectations as regards quality of service and products. Under such conditions, organizations need to improve. One of the areas of improvement for an organization is to research the level of customer satisfaction. The article presents results of customer satisfaction surveys conducted by the Servqual method in a pharmaceutical service company. Use of this method allowed to improve the services provided by that pharmaceutical wholesaler, identify areas that need to be improved as soon as possible in order to improve the level of service provided.

Statistical Process Control as a Failure Removal Improvement Tool

Abstract Continuous improvement should be a part of the strategy of every modern company that wishes to meet the requirements posed by the demanding, competitive market. The article presents a concept of applying a tool known from quality engineering, i.e. Shewhart control charts, for the improvement of the maintenance process in a small company providing services for the agricultural and construction industries. The improvement of the process included the reducing of the downtime of belt conveyors due to failures. Using control charts allowed the detection of interferences in the process and defining of their nature. Using other tools such as 5 WHY allowed the identification of the root causes of overly long downtimes and, consequently, formulation and implementation of improvements and preventive measures that were optimal for the organisation. The verification of actions taken has shown their positive impact on the process, which was reflected in the shortening of downtime and, subsequently, streamlining the failure removal process. The paper presents a possibility and validity of utilising quality engineering tools, such as Shewhart’s charts, 5 WHY or Ishikawa diagram, for improving the maintenance processes.

A Concept of an IT Tool for Supporting Knowledge Transfer Among Facility Maintenance Employees as Part of Intelligent Organization

The article presents a concept of an IT tool, supporting knowledge transfer among people working in a facility maintenance department. The developed assumptions of the tool are a continuation of the previously conducted investigations into the current status and expectations regarding the transfer of knowledge among the employees of such a department in an international enterprise producing pre–insulated steel pipes. The presented concept includes a description of the functionality and a data structure which enables ensuring this functionality. The tool’s functionality has been presented by means of use case diagrams. Particular cases have been characterized in detail in scenarios presented in tables. To increase the clarity of the description in the study, also systems of windows used to present the scenarios have been shown. The data structure which allows obtaining the pre–defined functionality of the tool has been presented by means of a model compliant with IDEF1x.

The effect of balanced development idea on the quality of life of inhabitants in selected municipalities of the Silesian province

The article presents the effect of balanced development on the quality of life of Silesian Province inhabitants. The aim of the surveys was to determine the attitude of local governments to the idea of balanced development, as well as to present instruments and the extent of balanced development idea implementation in particular municipalities. The conducted studies have revealed that most municipalities claim they follow balanced development principles and declare a wish to improve the quality of life of its inhabitants. However, the above actions are merely theoretical. As a matter of fact, greater awareness of the authorities and a change in the model of particular municipalities’ management is needed so that the balanced development concept can be practically implemented.