By: Douglas C. Fair, Scott A. Hindle
10/25/2023
Today’s manufacturing systems have become more automated, data-driven, and sophisticated than ever before. Visit any modern shop floor and you’ll find a plethora of IT systems, HMIs, PLC data streams, machine controllers, engineering support, and other digital initiatives, all vying to improve manufacturing quality and efficiencies.
That begs these questions: With all this technology, is statistical process control (SPC) still relevant? Is SPC even needed anymore? Some believe manufacturing sophistication trumps SPC technologies that were invented 100 years ago. But is that true?
We the authors believe that SPC is indeed relevant today and can be a vitally important aid to manufacturing. (SPC can be used outside of manufacturing, and to great benefit, but we keep our focus on manufacturing.)
As quality professionals and statisticians, are we biased in our view? Possibly. After visiting hundreds of manufacturing plants around the globe, though, and witnessing their unending manufacturing challenges and opportunities, the evidence is overwhelming: SPC is an important strategic tool in the quest for improved quality and reduced costs. We also postulate that SPC has more potential uses and benefits today than ever before.