Title: Quality information management for improving productivity in Japan

Authors: Masaki lijima, Kin'ichi Hasegawa

Addresses: Yokkaichi University, Mie, Japan. ' Matsushita Seiko Co., Aichi, Japan

Abstract: This paper investigates the development of Japanese quality information management (QIM) to satisfy consumer needs and to make good products by means of the design review (DR) technique for quality assurance (QA) and using information networks with the support of a database. The application of quality control (QC) techniques is drastically changing with the development of computer systems. The first QC stage was the in-process system, which was followed by the |market-in| system of QA, the concept of which was presented by Professor H.L. Hansen of Harvard University in the 1950s, and which is now an integrated information technology system. We present DR procedures which have proved useful in improving productivity, and consider the relationship between DR and Taguchi|s loss function by means of a case study.

Keywords: information technology; Japan; productivity; quality information management; strategic information systems; total quality control; TQC; design review; quality assurance; QA; integrated information; Taguchi mthods; loss function.

DOI: 10.1504/IJTM.1992.025718

International Journal of Technology Management, 1992 Vol.7 No.4/5, pp.225 - 234

Published online: 24 May 2009 *

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