RE: Deming Philosophy Tie-in with Environmental Quality

["John McConnell" <wysowl@msn.com.au>]

Max Roberts wrote,

Can anyone out there offer a crumb of hope that market-competitive, low-cost
mass production is POSSIBLE? OR can anyone offer specific evidence (as with
a certain factory or certain, known, currently existing certain style of
mass-production) that market-competitive, low-cost manufacturing now exists?
*********************

ICI at Port Botany near Sydney demonstrated that we need not always pollute
our environment about 15 years ago.  The first work to improve quality
(reduce variation) there was focused on reducing mercury in effluent.  The
mercury levels fell from about 60ppb to about 15ppb in a few months.
Control charts told us where to look and what to look for.
A later project dropped the level of hexachlorobenzene in effluent from
about 6 to about 1.5 (I think that is ppm, but am not sure).
Both plants simultaneously improved quality and reduced cost per unit. This
should not surprise us.  Any process working with very low levels of
variation will be easier to control or improve.  I still have the charts for
mercury and HCB levels.  If you want them, yell.
They did what Deming advised.  First understand and reduce variation
(stabilize the process), then improve the process.
Have fun!
John