(SPC Press: Knoxville, TN) -- On July 12, SPC Press released the third edition of the classic SPC textbook, Understanding Statistical Process Control, by Donald J. Wheeler and David S. Chambers.

This internationally acclaimed textbook (often called the blue book) is widely used for teaching SPC and continual improvement techniques to those who work in manufacturing and process industries.

Authors Wheeler and Chambers distilled more than 60 years of practical experience into this book. W. Edwards Deming wrote in his foreword, “It is fitting to add my deep appreciation for the mathematical achievements of Dr. Wheeler. His understanding of theory, and its application, is guided by mathematical knowledge.”

Why read this new edition?

While retaining the superb examples and case histories of the original, the third edition of this classic text includes new material on several important topics:

• An expanded definition of world-class quality, including excess cost of production
• A pattern detection guideline now included
• New material on how the Western Electric zone tests look for different sized signals
• A completely new chapter on capability, predictability, and world -class quality
• Better ways to interpret and use the capability and performance indexes
• An updated discussion of estimating the fraction nonconforming
• “The myth of long-term capability” explained and illustrated
• New material on converting capabilities into effective costs of production and use
• New section on the nature of assignable causes and common causes
• Revised material on charts for count-based data
• New section on the transformation of data
• Updated bibliography
• 70 examples, 49 tables, 37 exercises with answers
• Published with a soft cover to hold the line on rising printing prices
 

This new edition will be used in Statistical Process Controls Inc.’s public seminar in September. Call (865) 584-5005  for more information about  the seminar.