Quality Control and Aviation

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses the application of Total Quality Management (TQM), the quality programs developed based on the thinking of Deming, Crosby, J.M. Juran, and others, in the avionic industry. The author points out that Rockwell Collins called its TQM program ?lean electronics?, but it was simply an ongoing process to improve productivity, reduce waste, streamline purchasing, and help the company achieve excellence in its operations. The paper relates that tough union bosses can hamper the introduction of TQM and diminish its benefits; in such settings, the way TQM is introduced and adopted is as important as the reasons it is undertaken in the first place.

From the Paper:

"Until adopting its new outlook, AlliedSignal Aerospace had been characterized by arrogance and indifference to customers, an attitude that had blossomed during the strong growth of the 1970s and 1980s. When customers began to seek alternatives and better treatment, AlliedSignal's competitors, particularly in its once-dominant market segment of auxiliary power unites, gained market share. Despite that, in 1994, the Aerospace unit was "selected as the sole supplier of auxiliary power units (APUs) for the new-generation 737X family of transports [for the military], and the company was selected by Southwest Airlines to supply wheels and brakes, including repair and overhaul services, for its new fleet of Boeing 737-700s." "

More papers on Quality Control and Aviation:

• Case Study # 91833 : "Quality of Earnings "
• Case Study # 118078 : "Quality Control Operations Management"
• Research Paper # 92969 : "Quality Control"

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