[ARSCLIST] OT, was stereo records

[phillip holmes <insuranceman@xxxxxxxxxx>]

About SPC, Western Electric, Japan, etc.:
 
Statistical Process Control

Statistical process control, or SPC, is a fundamental approach to quality control  and improvement that is based on objective data and analysis. The origin of PC dates back to the 1920s and 1930s at the Western Electric Company and Bell Telephone Laboratories. Walter Shewhart (1891-1967) recognized that variation in a production process can be understood and controlled through the use of statistical methods. He pioneered the use of statistical methods as a tool to manage and control production. Over the next several decades, these tools were taught to engineers and production personnel throughout American industry. The need for higher-quality production to support the defense industry during World War II gave a boost to the use of SPC.

One of Shewhart's disciples, W. Edwards Deming (1900-1993), was a strong advocate of SPC and trained many engineers in the concept during the war years. However, he was never able to convince upper management in the U.S. of SPC's benefits and importance. When Deming was invited to train Japanese engineers in statistical methods after the war, he realized that quality improvement efforts could never be sustained without top management support. It was not difficult for him to gain the attention of every level of worker-from maintenance to CEO, since Japan was rebuilding from complete devastation. The Japanese were eager to learn and apply new tools that would help them rebuild their economy. And the rest, as they say, is history. Statistical methods, combined with strong programs in human resources and a focus on continuous improvement to better respond to customer needs, enabled Japanese companies to emerge as powerful global competitors within only a few decades.

When Deming's contributions to Japan became recognized in America 

around 1980, the modern quality movement began. Many major corporations began to experiment with quality improvement techniques, such as statistical process control. Ford Motor Company and other U.S. automobile manufacturers  began to require their suppliers to show statistical evidence of the quality of their products as part of their Q 101 Quality System Standard. Ford insisted that statistical process control be used as an integral part of suppliers' processes to assure quality and provide accurate information for continuous quality and productivity improvement (Chaudhry and Higbie, 1990). As these requirements spread throughout the logistics chain, the use of SPC became  widespread throughout American industry. SPC consists of three words: statistical, process, and control. Understanding each of these is crucial to using SPC effectively. Let's start with process.

http://www.flexstudy.com/certification/courseDetail.cfm?template=index&location=sch&coursenum=9561a

Note: To protect against computer viruses, e-mail programs may prevent sending or receiving certain types of file attachments.  Check your e-mail security settings to determine how attachments are handled.