Quality and Reliability Research Center (QRRC)
Policy
Topics
Measurement Science and Technology
Physical reliability
Planned developments
Quality and Productivity
Certifications for Conformity to Reference Documents
Hebrew Version of Guidelines OSH Management, ILO 2001
It is the policy of the Centre for Quality & Reliability Research in Engineering to be the Centre of Excellence in the Quality Discipline.
The development and research at the Centre is conducted by a staff team facilitating postgraduate projects for M.Sc. and D.Sc. programs of study in Quality Assurance and Reliability. Leading edge work is being continually updated in strategic, international quality, measurement theory, reliability, Taguchi methodology and other areas of technology.
The developments at the Centre are practical problems-oriented.
Major efforts are dedicated at the Centre to the development of
quantitative "tools" acquired to realize the ideas and concepts of the
Integrated Quality philosophy. The "tools" are aimed at key issues in
Quality pertinent to all technological and engineering based production
and services.
The developments conducted at the Centre are pertinent to many
different industries where processes are based on continuous flow or
batch. Presently the emphasis is mainly on precision agriculture, food,
chemical and machinery sectors.
The Centre serves also as a "greenhouse" for the absorption of new
comers (Olim). They work with us contributing from their talents and
expertise and gain a period of "incubation" in the new Country which is
so different in many aspects from the Golah they came from.
The Centre is forging strong links with Centres and Departments as other universities in Israel and abroad.
At the Centre we consider Measurement Science and Technology as the
backbone of the Quality discipline. Development of innovative
measurement technologies for on-line and in-line evaluation of
production processes is the expertise of the Centre.
The highlights achievements are in the development of the semi-
phenomenological approach which is the source for advanced modeling.
The approach leads to optimization of the measurement system and to a
workable solution of the inverse problem involved in measurements.
the approach was verified experimentally in various measurements
fields.
The insight gained by this approach led us to the development of
automatic sensitive weighing planar sensor, magnifying tomographic
system, moisture gauging systems, very fast radiography for on line
control, ultrasonic-holographic systems, 3-dimensional measurement
systems for special material safeguards, etc.
The economy of reliability is a function of the optimal allocation of
reliability over subsystems and elements, i.e. materials, components and
the various activities included in the design, production and maintenance
of the system. The theory for this allocation and budgeting of reliability
is presently under development, including the experimental-simulation
and testing, systems required for verification.
Topics
Measurement science and technology
A basic concept of the Integrated Quality System is the establishment of
a systematic improvement process at the organization. The initiation of
this process is conditioned by the quantitative characterization of the
Quality status at specified times before and after the generation of
change. The characterization is accomplished by defining relevant
representative measures and by applying appropriate measurement
techniques.
Physical Reliability of components and systems
The production of items with designed reliability is the second challenge
we cope with. The reliability is the probability that a manufactured
system will fulfill an assignnment within a certain confidence level, under
specified service or working conditions for a given time period. Physical
reliability relates to physical phenomena and mechanisms of materials
deterioration, failure and reliability dynamics prediction under certain
stress application history. Physical reliability theory was developed at the
Centre.
Planned developments
We have plans however the realization depends on the contribution of
the appropriate means. The topics, in general lines , are presented in the
following.
Measurement science
Physical reliability
Smart processing and control system
Center of Quality and Productivity
The key to global market lies in the blending of ideas about organizational behaviour, management philosophies, the area of statistics known as statistical quality control with the measurement theory. As a result, a new management philosophy often called in Deming’s nomenclature "Quality and Productivity".
Everyone is aware of the success of postware Japanese companies in a number of highly visible industries whene the American companies have traditionaly been dominant. This success is totaly related to Japanese emphsis on Quality Engineering. Reawadening of America and west of Europe interest in Quality approaches and tools can be dated from about 1980.
Presently, many of the western companies are working frantically to implement the ideas nowadays known as Total Quality Management - TQM.
The TQM philosophy combines the quality objective with "highly professional employees" and "serving the customer" (i.e. fulfillment of his expectations). TQM’s along-run goals of business is to maximize long-run profitability by continuous improvement of activities and processes. These ideas apply to all areas of a company as well as to service industries like banking, health care and even public administration.
We do not advocate a simultaneous attempt to improve all processes at once. Priorities must be set up with the goal to aim first at processes for which improvements will make the greatest contribution to the overall company profitability. Statistical thinking provides a way to improve processes by using actual data on performance to predict from past experience.
The statistical tools are powerful in reducing the ambiguity of cousal interpretations of data. Deming emphasized the need for organizational environment where application of statistical methods may flourish. To achieve it all employees should be involved in the improvement processes. Hence the new management philosophy aims at the harmonization of statistical methods and analysis of companys activities with modern developments in behavioral science and organizational behavior.
Following this philosophy better quality means higher productivity, better economic results, better business opportunities and better competency. One demon to fight with within a company is the large but invisible component of total cost: "rework", that is activity that would have been unnecessary if the process had been correctly implemented in the first place.
The customer is considered to be supremely important and Quality is defined by reference to the customer preferences. Accurate information about customers, customer preference and customer experience with the product or service is exential. How to gain from and how to understand this information is one of the most important component of marketing and future developments.
At Israel all companies should adopt this superior technology of management, otherwise our export and acceptance in the global markets will be hindered. One of the major tasks of the Center is to increase the awareness of companies to the advantages of the new Quality and Productivity approach.
The technion was a pioneer in this field, already in 1985 a program of studies was open for M.Sc. and D.Sc. At that time the academic emphasis of USA business schools has been on finance and management tools. While our Quality and Productivity approach is closely related to science and technology. Faculty trained in engineering aspects, statistic, behavioral sciences, physical and legal aspects are working together.
The Center at the Technion aims to develop methodologies and approaches focused on Quality as the overall strategy for competitiveness. Under this strategy certification of quality systems is regarded only as a first step towards a more global management of compnies.
The Center will dedicate efforts to the following initiatives:
* Providing companies with the tools required for better understanding the advantages of quality and to analyze their standing in relation to objective criteria. The aim is evaluating their operational results in the light of the strategy and policy established.
* Carrying out a campaign for public awareness, promotion and demonstration of the advantages and importance of quality for the competitiveness of Israel economy,improvement of public services and quality of life.
* Expanding the existence Program of studies to become a pre-requirement for working on the realization of the quality approach in companies. The Program’s elements will be elaborated to the level suitable for incorporation in first degree studies, as well as, for
colleges and schools.
* Elaboration of case studies, showing the way in which Israeli companies have initiated their quality approach. The case studies will identify examples of successes or of difficulties, the advantages of development and adoption of quality management systems and the basic guidelines and principles of the way towards excellence.
* Research and survey projects to assess the effects of the Quality approach implemantation on the social organisational and technological levels. The study will include enterprises, industrial associations, Government bodies, etc. The elements to study will include among others:
a. Quality policy fosters empowerment and leading to redistribution of responsibilities.
b. The effects in training.
c. Improvement of inside company dialogue.
d. Contribution to company growth.
e. The effect in increaseing employment figures.
f. The effect in increasing the emphasis on professionalism.
* Development of methodologies to evaluate and measure the degree to which customers are satisfied: a customer satisfaction index.
* Development of metholodologies to implement quality philosophy in Public services, where motivations based on success in business do not apply.
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