INTRODUCTION TO TAGUCHI METHODS.

Abstract

The methods of quality improvement developed by Genichi Taguchi have already found widespread acceptance in Japan and the US. Based on a different way of thinking about quality, they use statistical analysis to ensure high product quality. Taguchi's thinking on quality is based on two fundamental concepts: that any loss in quality is defined as a deviation from a target, not a failure to conform to an arbitrary specification; and that high quality can only be achieved economically by being designed in from the start, not by inspection and screening. Taguchi's definition of quality is customer-oriented. Quality is the characteristic that avoids loss to society after the product is shipped. A loss of quality can therefore be measured in pounds, dollars or yen. His philosophy is that adding features is not a way of improving the quality of a given product, only of varying its price and the market segment it is aimed at.