Sebastian Schmitt

Lifecycle Oriented Ramp-Up - Conception of a Quality-Oriented Process Model

The ramp-up phase is a central point in the life cycle of a product. Numerous interdependent sections of a company link for the first time within this phase. There are many interdependent decisions in a dynamic and interdisciplinary environment, and turbulences emerge expressed by insufficient or inaccurate information about the current project status. Many identified problems cannot be analysed in detail regarding their causes or relevance, because one lacks a deep understanding of the system and suitable analysis tools. Instead of proactive problem prevention there do evolve spontaneous and unsecured actions. Studies demand future research to focus on developing systematic problem solving processes and explicit action schemes, increasing transparency and information flow by deriving quality-oriented approaches, a methodical organization of the ramp-up phase, holistic integration and connection of supporting methods. To face these challenges a process model is required, which allows for a holistic organization of the production ramp-up in terms of proactive quality management. This model enables companies to visualize, harmonize and align their projects and processes to reach and facilitate production systems’ efficiency. Hence, the focus of this paper is on a process model for a quality-oriented production ramp-up containing three essential modules: system planning, evaluation and control.

Technical complaint management from a quality perspective

Technical complaint management (TCM) comprises the processes of reception, handling, analysis and use of customer complaints. Its focus lies on the continuous improvement of products and processes based on customer complaints. This paper presents research on this quality-oriented perspective on CM. The approach is structured in four steps. Firstly, the state of the art in CM research is briefly described and analysed for its quality orientation. In order to set a base for the research to be carried out, a target system for quality-oriented CM is presented. The target system combines the customer relationship and quality management perspectives of CM. In accordance with the presented target system a reference model for quality-oriented TCM is developed and presented in detail. The model comprehends the requirements for the internal organisation of TCM in a process model. Its scope reaches from the reception of a complaint to the long-term use of complaint information in new product development. In order to evaluate the relevance of the described reference model for TCM an empirical study was carried out. In the last step, results of the study are discussed and findings are summarised.

Design and implementation of quality control loops

Purpose – Business processes have an open and dynamic character and are influenced by internal an external disturbances. Without an adequate use of feedback mechanisms, those processes become unstable and do not achieve the expected performance. The purpose of this paper is to face the challenge and to ensure a competitive quality level, a framework for entrepreneurial quality management is given. Design/methodology/approach – Using the method of analogy formation the transfer of cybernetic approaches to business processes is shown. Especially quality control loops are analysed in order to find appropriate solutions for their design and implementation in enterprises. Findings – As a core element of the paper an approach for the systematic implementation of control loops is given. This approach offers a framework and a description for an operative implementation of quality control loops for stable business processes. Originality/value – The idea to use closed quality control loops for the design of several...

Model for a Decision Theory Based Inspection Planning

Within the framework of inspection planning, quality inspections for the entire production process from goods receipt to dispatch are established. As the quality inspections ensure that the manufactured product corresponds to the quality demands derived from the customer requirements, they have a significant influence on customer satisfaction and resulting economic success.

A decision model for cost-optimized inspection planning

Inspection planning organizes quality inspections during the production process from incoming goods to delivery. As inspections assess the conformity of product characteristics with their specifications they have a significant influence on guaranteeing product quality and, thus, customer satisfaction. This paper analyses decision situations in inspection planning. The aim is to develop a model for inspection planning which takes use of basic decision theoretical rules The overall evaluation of an inspection plan is based on a trade-off of costs. Thus, the model is provided with an underlying cost structure. The consideration of the whole inspection planning process with all its interdependencies is an extension to existing scientific approaches, which basically focus on the mathematical optimization of one single inspection task rather than taking in a holistic view.