QS-9000

QS-9000 is the name for the Quality System Requirements used to increase customer
confidence in the quality of its suppliers.
The idea of QS-9000 is quite similar to ISO-9000, International Quality System Standard, but
QS-9000 applies particularly to the automotive industry for Chrysler Corporation, Ford
Motor Company, General Motors Corporation, and truck manufacturers. QS-9000 is made up
of three sections: an ISO-9000 based requirement, a sector-specific requirement, and a
customer-specific requirement. These requirements guarantee a supplier procures a good
quality product. Furthermore, by developing QS-9000, we will be able to improve our
product, customer satisfaction, and supplier relations as well.
Standards for ISO-9001 and QS-9000
____________________________________________________________________
ISO
Quality System Requirements
9001
9000

QS

-------------------------------------------------------------------Management Responsibility
X
Quality System
X
Contract Review
X
Design Control
X
Document and Data Control
X
Purchasing
X
Control of Customer-Supplied Product
X
Product Identification and Tractability
X
Process Control
X
Inspection and Testing
X
Control of Inspection, Measuring, and Test Equipment
X
Inspection and Test Status
X
Control of Non-Conforming Product
X
Corrective and Preventive Action
X
Handling, Storage, Packaging, Preservation and Delivery
X
Control of Quality Audits
X
Training
X
Servicing
X
Statistical Techniques
X

X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X

-------------------------------------------------------------------Production Parts Approval Process

Continuous Improvement
Manufacturing Capability

X
X
X

-------------------------------------------------------------------Customer-Specific Requirement

____________________________________________________________________

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Quality
Quality means a totality of characteristics of an entity that bear on its ability to satisfy stated
and implied needs. In some references, Quality is referred to as "fitness for use", "fitness for
purpose", "customer satisfaction", or "conformance to the requirements."
To achieve satisfactory quality we must concern all stages of the product or service cycle. In
the first stage quality is due to a definition of needs. In the second stage it is due to product
design and conformance. In the last stage quality is due to product support throughout its
lifetime.
There are two major aspects of quality: quality of design and quality of conformance.
Quality of design involves the variations of a product or services in grades or levels of
quality. This includes the types of materials used in construction, tolerance in manufacturing,
reliability, etc. Quality of conformance concerns how well the product conforms to the
specifications and tolerances required by the design. Quality of conformance is influenced by
the choices of manufacturing processes, training and supervision of the workforce, the type of
quality-assurance system used, and the motivation of the workforce to achieve quality.
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Quality at Source (Source Inspection)

Source inspection is a technique used to prevent product defects by controlling the conditions
that influence quality at their source. It is the performance of the supplier's facilities to
increase customer confidence with the supplier's product quality. The following elements are
essential parts of source inspection.

The quality history of suppliers.

Any possible effects that occur during purchasing, based on the performance, safety,
and reliability of the final product.

Product complexity.

The ability to measure the product quality from buyer data.

The availability of special measuring equipment at the buyer's plant to perform the
required inspection.

The product's nature and its quality.

It is important to have either external or internal company inspectors to assure adequate

product control. A sources inspection is performed to insure that the decision making is
correct and unbiased. Furthermore, source inspection can be devised into two categories as
follows;

1. Vertical source inspection inspects the process flow to identify and control external
conditions that affect quality.
2. Horizontal source inspection inspects an operation to identify and control interval
conditions that affect quality.
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SOP - Standard Operating Procedures

Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) are the instructions that cover operational parts.
Initially, an SOP is based on Armywide publications and then modified to use local operating
conditions and command policies as a guideline. The scope of SOP is extensive and varies. It
provides the major instructions for all division elements of operational features.
In general, there are two formats for an SOP to follow:

A format that publishes all comprising documents which details of the function and
the responsibilities of subordinate units.

A format that is published as a basic document which includes general instructions to

all units. This kind of format has specific instructions for each individual unit. It is
more detailed and easier to use.

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SMED - Single Minute Exchange of Die

SMED, often called "Quick Changeover", is an process that can help us to reduce downtime
due to set-ups and changeovers. Quick Changeover means we reduce time to set up a
machine or process. We use SMED as a guideline to eliminate our waste changeover time in
our production process, especially while changing a machine from one product to another.
There are six major steps that we should be concerned with :
1. Ensure that everything needed for setup is already organized and on hand to save time
finding something in the process setup.
2. It is good to move your arms but not your legs to avoid spending too much time
during adjustment or set-ups.
3. Do not remove bolts completely to save time during removing bolts and setting up the
process.

4. Regard bolts as enemies; do what ever you can to get rid of them to save time by
using some equipment that is better than bolts when changing the process.
5. Do not allow any deviation from die and jig standards to save time by using the same
standards. For example, use the same size of nut and bolts for each die and jig.
6. Adjustment is waste to make the jig or figure simple to setup and avoid wasting time
to adjust the positions.
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SPC - Statistical Process Control

Statistical Process Control (SPC) is an collection of statistical techniques that are used to
monitor critical parameters and reduce variations. We used SPC to achieve process stability
and improve the capability through reduction of variability. Often the term "Statistical
Quality Control" is used interchangeably with "Statistical Process Control."
The objective of SPC is to get a process under control. This is done by identifying and
eliminating any specific causes of variation not associated with the process itself. A process
that is in control will constantly perform within its own natural limits.
SPC can be broken into two components: process control and acceptance sampling. In
process control, SPC involves these seven tools: Histogram, Check Sheet, Parato Chart,
Cause and Effect Diagram, Defect Concentration Diagram, Scatter Diagram, and Control
Chart These tools often called "The Seven QC tools." Most of the tools help us to identify a
problem in the process. Acceptance sampling is used to reduce variation in the process by
using statistical sampling techniques to select the proper sampling size and to interpret
whether our whole product should be accepted or rejected.
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Sampling
Sampling is the process of obtaining samples from a large group of data (or called
population). There are numerous data, so it is difficult or impossible to examine the whole
group. Examining all data will expend a lot of time, so doing only a small part of entire data,
a sample, is more appropriate. Additionally, sampling theory is a study of the relationship
between the whole data and the samples. It is useful to understand whether there are
differences between two samples.
All possible samples of size n can be drawn from a given population. For each sample, we
can calculate a statistic; for example, the mean and the standard deviation of the data will
vary from sample to sample. So a sampling distribution is useful to explain the data
characteristics.

There are three types of sampling processes:

1. Single sampling is composed of selecting a specifically random sample of n items
from each group of items presented, and then condemning each group depends up on
the results. For example, chose n items from each group for inspection. We will accept
the group if the number of defects is less than or equal to d, a specific value.
Otherwise, we will reject them.
2. Double sampling is composed of selecting two specifically random samples of n1 and
n2 from data. By a technique of this type, the results of selecting a first sample (n1) are
accepting the group, rejecting, or talking another sample of n2 items. The decision
making depends on the associated results.
3. Multiple sampling is a technique of sampling that is similar to the double sampling,
but there are more than two sampling items used in decision making.
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Scatter Diagram
A scatter diagram is a graphical diagram to show the relationship between two data
variables. It is used to display the change of one variable when another changes. From a
scatter diagram, we can find a mathematical equation that relates to the variables. To create a
scatter diagram, these steps are followed:

Collect data. This is the most essential step.

Build a data sheet to show the information from the data.

Define the variable axis of the graph.

1. The horizontal axis (X axis) displays the variable's measurement values; most
are cause variables.
2. The vertical axis (Y axis) shows the measurement values of another variable;
most are effect variables.

Plot data on the graph.

Construct a mathematical equation.

From a scatter diagram, curves are tentatively devised for linear and non-linear curves. With
this, we can call two relationships between variables to linear and non-linear relationships.
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Self Inspection
Self inspection is a technique of inspection in which workers check their own work. Self
inspection provides the most immediate feedback. With this technique, the worker may
accept products that ought to be rejected. Furthermore, the worker may not notice all the
errors.
On the other hand, if the errors in decision and careless mistakes are eliminated, self
inspection would be the efficient technique. However, it could be improved by developing
tools or using devices that could automatically detect defects or mistakes. Providing new
knowledge of quality processes to workers is an efficient method to improve the self
inspection technique.
Generally, the results from inspections are reported in terms of the total percentage of defects.
With this method, inspectors will check the final products. They may find some mistakes or
product errors, but they will not know the actual error source. As mentioned, self inspection is
a method to solve this problem.
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Sensory Inspection
Inspections involve distinguishing acceptable from unacceptable goods and comparing them
with a standard. Sensory inspection is a kind of inspection, conducted by the human senses,

such as inspections of paint saturation or judgments of plating adequacy. They are different
from physical inspection, which involves the use of devices, like calipers, micrometers or
gauges, to measure.
For inspection of this kind, it is difficult to set criteria because it depends on the physical
condition of human workers, the period of work, and the skills acquired from experience.
Naturally, different people have different senses and even the same person may make
different judgments at different times. It is laborious to judge an object with a complex form
or a not-well-defined shape.
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Seven Steps or Seven QC Steps

The 7 QC Steps process is a structured problem solving approach for improving weak
processes. This approach is known as reactive improvement. The 7 QC Steps is easy to
understand and learn, easy to use, and easy to monitor.
The 7 QC steps process is structured as follows:
Step 1: Select a Theme. In this step, the weakness in the process or the problem to be solved
is clarified in a theme statement. A Flowchart, a Theme Selection Matrix, or a Cause & Effect
Diagram is used as a tool in this step.
Step 2: Collect and Analyze Data. This step focuses facts about the problem and discovers
what types of problems occur frequently. When collecting data, you must think of all possible
causes. Checksheets and Pareto Diagrams are the tools most often used.
Step 3: Analyze Causes.With sufficient data from step 2, the root cause, or fundamental
cause, is found by constructing a Cause & Effect Diagram.
Step 4: Plan and Implement Solution. In this step, you brainstorm for ideas that are causing
the problem and develop a solution that prevents the root cause from recurring. Then, you
implement an adjustment to the process. The 4W's and 1H Matrix (What, When, Where,
Who, and How Matrix) is used to develop a plan.
Step 5: Evaluate Effects.You evaluate the effects of implemented solution to make sure the
solution worked and does not have unacceptable results from the comparison of data, before
and after the implementation of the solution. In this step, comparative Pareto Charts and
Graphs are frequently used to identify the results.
Step 6: Standardize Solution. A standardized solution is confirms that the old process is
replaced with an improved process and indicates that the solution is workable. A flowchart is
most often used.
Step 7: Reflect on Process and the Next Problem. In this step, you consider what the team's
accomplishment was in the first 6 steps and recommend a weakness to work on next.

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7QC Tools
Seven QC tools are fundamental instruments to improve the quality of the product. They are
used to analyze the production process, identify the major problems, control fluctuations of
product quality, and provide solutions to avoid future defects. Statistical literacy is necessary
to effectively use the seven QC tools. These tools use statistical techniques and knowledge to
accumulate data and analyze them.
Seven QC tools are utilized to organize the collected data in a way that is easy to understand
and analyze. Moreover, from using the seven QC tools, any specific problems in a process are
identified.
7QC tools always include :

Check Sheet is used to easily collect data. Decision-making and actions are taken
from the data.

Pareto Chart is used to define problems, to set their priority, to illustrate the problems
detected, and determine their frequency in the process.

Cause-and-Effect Diagram (Fishbone Diagram) is used to figure out any possible

causes of a problem. After the major causes are known, we can solve the problem
accurately.

Histogram shows a bar chart of accumulated data and provides the easiest way to
evaluate the distribution of data.

Scatter Diagram is a graphical tool that plots many data points and shows a pattern of
correlation between two variables.

Flow Chart shows the process step by step and can sometimes identify an
unnecessary procedure.

Control Chart provides control limits which are generally three standard deviations
above and below average, whether or not our process is in control.

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