An Application of Computer Simulation to Quality Control in Manufacturing

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Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to report on a successful application of computer simulation to quality control for a large multi-national firm. The company was using a standard skip lot procedure with a single sampling by attributes plan at the initiation of this study. An analysis of the situation revealed that the complex skip lot procedure was inappropriate and that the use of multi-stage attribute sampling plans could improve inspector productivity by lowering the average sample number per lot undergoing inspection. To demonstrate these proposals to management, a computer simulation model was developed which simulated the system in use by the company and a variety of other possible systems. Based on the simulation results, the management decided to implement a system employing uniform skipping between lot inspections and multi-stage attribute sampling plans. The system resulted in marked improvements in operating performance as measured by six months' actual results. A detailed description of the analyses performed along with implementation principles used to guide the project are reported.

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