Progress in Quality Control and the Evolution to TQM : from the late 1940s to the 1990s(The Commemorative Issue on the Retirement of Prof. Masayoshi KAMEI)

概要

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While until the mid-1990s there was little consensus on the content and the definition of total quality control (TQC) and total quality management (TQM) in Japan as well as in the West, it seems that a reasonable one was reached in the both regions in the late 1990s. In this paper, the author first discusses a four-stage development process of quality control (QC) and quality management (QM). He next investigates the concepts, elements, and practices of TQM, the majority of firms and many QC/QM professionals recognized it to be, which promoted from QC and TQC. Then he refers to the effect of TQM and proposes an idea on the structure of TQM. Finally, it is argued that a synergy between TQM and JIT production system will be required to reap full benefit from TQM.