What is statistical process control (SPC)?
Q: What is statistical process control (SPC)?
A: Statistical process control (SPC) is the use of statistical methods to assess the stability of a process and the quality of its outputs.
Q: What is an example of SPC?
A: An example of SPC would be a bottling plant, where the weight of liquid content added to each bottle must be monitored and recorded in order to ensure cost control and customer satisfaction.
Q: How does SPC detect variations in a process?
A: SPC relies on quantitative and graphic analysis of measurements to evaluate observed variation. If the attributes being measured vary within an acceptable range, then the process is said to be stable. When unacceptable variation is noted, actions are typically taken to determine and correct their cause.
Q: What are some advantages of using SPC?
A: Some advantages include early detection and prevention of problems, reducing waste as well as passing problems onto customers, reduction in time required for production from end-to-end due to reduced rework, identifying bottlenecks or wait times that may delay production, cost reduction due to improved yield, and increased customer satisfaction.
Q: How does SPC differ from other quality methods such as inspection?
A: Unlike other quality methods such as inspection which apply resources after problems have occurred, SPC applies resources before problems occur in order to prevent them from happening in the first place.
Q: When was SPC introduced?
A: SPC has had broad application since its introduction in the 1920s.
