Abstract

[This abstract is based on the author's abstract.]

When Boeing's Military Aircraft and Missile Systems Group (A&M) made the decision to focus on its main business of assembling aircraft and missiles, they decided to outsource a large portion of the assembly process. A key element in the success of their strategy was the availability of cost competitive parts with on-time delivery. The supplier management and procurement department took on the challenge and initiated the preferred supplier certification program, which was intended to motivate suppliers to deploy initiatives that would result in the continuous improvement of their products and processes. Although suppliers were encouraged to use statistical process control (SPC) to predict long-term quality, traditional methods of SPC were not appropriate to the complex conditions that the company faced. As a result, the company set about developing appropriate methods for monitoring processes and evaluating process capability.