Assignment - 6

• Who is Deming • Why he’s great and important to Japanese Technology

Dr. W. Edward Deming, an American, a physicist, a statistician, who is well known all around the world for his theories in managerial concepts and the adaptations of Statistical Quality Control in industrial sectors, especially in manufacturing processes. He is renowned for his involvement in improving the quality of the products of Japan such that their rise in contributing to the world market.

W. Edward Deming graduated in 1921 as an electrical engineer from University of Wyoming and completed the doctorate in 1928 in mathematics and mathematical physics from Yale University in USA. During his works in industrial exposures, he gets introduced to statistics and identified that manipulation of statistics in quality control of the product.

Deming believed that statistical analysis of the processes can improve the product line of a product and its end product quality. He evolved his theories based on this. In simply, he developed the methodology of that each processes should undergo quality control rather than going only for the end product. His theories proved that his adaptation of statistical data and sampling methodologies in the manufacturing processes increased the revenue by minimizing the waste of material, labour, energy & financing costs when it is manufactured and hence the risks conveyed to the customers.

His lectures and courses on his methodologies especially Statistical process control charting and the Shewhart Cycle during the late 1930’s has admired many of the industrialists and entrepreneurs in Washington district and earned him a place to work with the government for the proceedings of the 1940 census. He used sampling techniques to great effect in the proceedings.

Deming was requested to advice on sampling techniques for a major census taken place in Japan in 1951. The main purpose of this census was to accurately assess the damage from the World War II. His endeavours with Japan began with this. During his first stay in Japan he was largely inspired by the attitude shown by the people of Japan. He was able to made friends with many of the statistician in Japan. At that time, the Japanese industrialists were had the first hand on the importance of controlling variation as well as the correlation between improving production processes and building high-quality products, the mains of Shewart cycle, which were taught by Americans as the post war reconciliation processes. But Japanese found that these lessons were difficult to understand and too technical for them. This is the time when the ‘Made in Japan’ was getting started in the industrial world but staggered to move front.

Deming was received an invitation from the Union of Japanese Scientists and Engineers (JUSE) to return to Japan and deliver lectures and teach about his ideas to the Japanese research workers, plant managers and engineers who had just started learning or taking an interest in quality control methods. Deming’s lectures have influenced many of the students, professors, government officials and politicians. His ideas were taught in a way using control charts that more understood by audience. He taught them about the quality control variations that have forgotten by the American management after ending the world war. He believed that the management is the blame for a company’s failures. He knew that to make a different in Japan, the top management has to be advocated. Soon, he met many of the most prolific top managers in Japan and the subsequent meetings and enthusiasm shown by them due to the influence made by Deming has changed well for Japanese industry. His quotes to them “You don’t need to receive the junk that comes in. You can never produce quality with that stuff. But with process controls that your engineers are learning about — consumer research, redesign of products — you can. Don’t just make it and try to sell it. But

redesign it and then again bring the process under control...with ever-increasing quality” have inspired the many of the prolific industries to change their track in Japanese economic growth.

Deming began to develop a new system that suited the Japanese industry deriving from the Shewart’s cycle and evolvement of his theories into it. In Shewart’s cyclical concept, the three steps of Specification, Productions and Inspections are repeatedly rotated. But, Deming stressed the importance of interaction among the four steps of Design (Plan), Production (Do), Sales (Check) and Research (Act). He emphasized that these steps should be interacted and rotated constantly, with quality of product and processes as the main concerns. This system is known famously as the Deming’s PDCA cycle.

Connections that Deming had with JUSE, the respects he has shown in Japanese and their culture had inspired the Japanese managers and their thriving interest to improve their exports made them to listen to Deming’s ideas and his verdicts. Deming convinced them to follow his recommendations and Japanese products were able to capture the world market. Companies like Toyota Motor Corp, Toshiba, and Sony Corp. adopted Deming’s concepts and became world-class producers in their fields. Within a short period of four years Japan became an economic force in the world.

To respect his services provided to Japan, the JUSE has established the Deming Prize, to be awarded annually to persons and companies for excellence in the research, dissemination, and application of statistical quality control methods.

Emerging of the Japan Industries to the markets that occupied by the American industries in the world have started the significance fall. This produced catastrophic loss to the economy of USA. Then only the Americans realised the Deming’s importance and the world famous brands like Ford Motor Corp., Xerox Corp., Procter & Gamble Co., AT&T Inc., and The New York Times realised the need of Deming and got assistance from him to improve their services.

Deming died in 1993 at the age of 93 in America. His theories of PDCA cycle, PDSA cycle (modification of PDCA) and 14 points for managements are still used vastly all over the world.