>It really is time for this statistics industry to wake up and insist on
>involvement. The recent proposal for a BS Six Sigma standard is a step in
>the right direction and the RSS will I hope be fully engaged there. (Don't
>be afraid of Six Sigma - it is only a name and doesn't mean what it says
>on the tin but does contain some good processes). We need to look at the
>way in which sematech pulled the US chip industry back - every chip plant
>in the US must have a statistician and many have a department. Intel
>alone employs over 100 statisticians.
About twenty years ago American colleagues told me that the US space
programme used Japanese chips because they were more reliable. Evidence
published at that time confirmed substantially greater reliabily of Japanese
chips. Has Intel now caught up with Japan?
The Japanese organised the world's first international quality control
conference in about 1969. The underlying message of the conference seemed
to be 'we have transformed ourselves from being makers of shoddy goods into
the manufacturers achieving higher levels of quality of conformance than
have previously been achieved in human history - and this conference will
tell you how we did it'. I don't think that Western observers believed
that message.
There was a lot about statistics in the conference but not so much about
statisticians. The message seemed to be that it is important to have the
relevant knowledge at the *foreman* level where quality control is
exercised. Does Sigma Six limit itself to statisticians and statistical
departments?
The RSS makes noises about education the public about statistics - something
that it does not seem to be very good at. But has the training of shop
floor workers in quality control methods ever been on its agenda?
Ray Thomas
35 Passmore, Tinkers Bridge, Milton Keynes MK6 3DY
Email: [log in to unmask]
Tel/Fax 01908 679081
******************************************************
Please note that if you press the 'Reply' button your
message will go only to the sender of this message.
If you want to reply to the whole list, use your mailer's
'Reply-to-All' button to send your message automatically
to [log in to unmask]
*******************************************************
|