Statistics and Quality: It's Only a Beginning – Spring 1989 Mini-Paper

Abstract: Quality is the key to enhancement of productivity, competitive advantage, and profits. The present and future role of statisticians in the design, manufacture, and use of industrial products is discussed. In fact, the successful enhancement of the quality of manufactured products directly involves technology. That is why accomplishing the design of a better product requires simultaneous engineering. This offers unusual opportunities for the present application and future development of statistical methods, and thus it constitutes a role for the statistician to fulfill. Education is another important aspect where we see this melding of statistics and engineering. In fact, efforts to make statistics an integral part of the undergraduate education of every engineer are needed. Lastly, industrial and applied statisticians are challenged to create their own professional society, and get the recognition they deserve.

Keywords: Concurrent engineering - Designed experiments - Fall Technical Conference - Simultaneous engineering