Quality Control (QC) may be defined as a system that is used to maintain a desired level of quality in a product or service. It is a systematic control of various factors that affect the quality of the product. It depends on materials, tools, machines, type of labour, working conditions etc.
Types of Quality Control
QC is not a function of any single department or a person. It is the primary responsibility of any supervisor to turn out work of acceptable quality. Quality control can be divided into three main sub-areas, those are:
1. Off-line quality control,
2.Statistical process control, and
3. Acceptance sampling plans.
1. Off-line quality control: Its procedure deal with measures to select and choose
controllable product and process parameters in such a way that the deviation between the product or process output and the standard will be minimized. Much of this task is accomplished through product and process design. Example: Taguchi method, principles of experimental design etc.
2. Statistical process control: SPC involves comparing the output of a process or a service with a standard and taking remedial actions in case of a discrepancy between the two. It also involves determining whether a process can produce a product that meets desired
specification or requirements. On-line SPC means that information is gathered about the product, process, or service while it is functional. The corrective action is taken in that operational phase. This is real-time basis.
3. Acceptance sampling plans: A plan that determines the number of items to sample and the acceptance criteria of the lot, based on meeting certain stipulated conditions (such as the risk of rejecting a good lot or accepting a bad lot) is known as an acceptance sampling plan.
Steps in Quality Control
Following are the steps in quality control process:
1. Formulate quality policy.
2. Set the standards or specifications on the basis of customer‘s preference, cost and profit.
3. Select inspection plan and set up procedure for checking.
4. Detect deviations from set standards of specifications.
5. Take corrective actions or necessary changes to achieve standards.
6. Decide on salvage method i.e., to decide how the defective parts are disposed of, entire scrap or rework.
7. Coordination of quality problems.
8. Developing quality consciousness both within and outside the organization.
9. Developing procedures for good vendor-vendee relations.
Objectives of Quality Control
Following are the objectives of quality control:
1. To improve the companies income by making the production more acceptable to the customers, i.e., by providing long life, greater usefulness, maintainability etc.
2. To reduce companies cost through reduction of losses due to defects.
3. To achieve interchange ability of manufacture in large scale production.
4. To produce optimal quality at reduced price.
5. To ensure satisfaction of customers with productions or services or high quality level, to build customer goodwill, confidence and reputation of manufacturer.
6. To make inspection prompt to ensure quality control.
7. To check the variation during manufacturing.
The broad areas of application of quality control are incoming material control, process control and product control.
Benefits of Quality Control
- Improving the quality of products and services
- Increasing the productivity of manufacturing processes, commercial business, and corporations.
- Reducing manufacturing and corporate costs.
- Determining and improving the marketability of products and services
- Reducing consumer prices of products and services.
- Improving and/or assuring on time deliveries and availability.
- Assisting in the management of an enterprise.
