Title: Quality and reliability improvement in new product development - a case study in a pneumatic filter manufacturing company

Authors: M. Natarajan; N. Vijay Mohan; S.R. Devadasan; V.M.M. Thilak

Addresses: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Adithya Institute of Technology, Coimbatore – 641107, India ' R&D Department, Lakshmi Machine Works Limited, Coimbatore – 641 020, India ' Department of Production Engineering, PSG College of Technology, Coimbatore-641004, Tamilnadu, India ' Department of Mechanical Engineering, Nehru Institute of Engineering and Technology, Coimbatore-641105, India

Abstract: The objective of the research reported in this paper was to develop a methodology for developing new products with high degree of quality and reliability. In order to attain this objective, a model named QUA stands for quality, R stands for reliability, NEW stands for new product and SS stands for Six Sigma (QUARNEWSS) was developed while pursuing the research. QUARNEWSS was designed by amalgamating new product development (NPD) process with the two pillars of the Six Sigma concept namely belt based training infrastructure and stands for define, measure, analyse, improve and control (DMAIC) improvement methodology. After designing, QUARNEWSS was subjected to implementation in a pneumatic filter manufacturing company situated in India. QUARNEWSS was applied on a new product called micro filter in this company. At the end of conducting this case study, the sigma level of micro filter was found to increase from 2.585 to 6 and reliability from 65% to 100%. This paper is concluded by suggesting the conduct of many more case studies on QUARNEWSS involving indigenous development of new products.

Keywords: Six Sigma; quality function deployment; QFD; statistical process control; SPC; new product development; NPD; DMAIC; black belt; quality and reliability.

DOI: 10.1504/IJBEX.2018.093873

International Journal of Business Excellence, 2018 Vol.15 No.4, pp.483 - 501

Received: 12 Nov 2016
Accepted: 17 Apr 2017
Published online: 08 Aug 2018 *

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