A comparative study of the prioritization matrix method and the analytic hierarchy process technique in quality function deployment

Algorithm for Designing Reconfigurable Equipment to Enable Industry 4.0 and Circular Economy-Driven Manufacturing Systems

In the paradigm of industry 4.0, manufacturing enterprises need a high level of agility to adapt fast and with low costs to small batches of diversified products. They also need to reduce the environmental impact and adopt the paradigm of the circular economy. In the configuration space defined by this duality, manufacturing systems must embed a high level of reconfigurability at the level of their equipment. Finding the most appropriate concept of each reconfigurable equipment that composes an eco-smart manufacturing system is challenging because every system is unique in the context of an enterprise’s business model and technological focus. To reduce the entropy and to minimize the loss function in the design process of reconfigurable equipment, an evolutionary algorithm is proposed in this paper. It combines the particle swarm optimization (PSO) method with the theory of inventive problem-solving (TRIZ) to systematically guide the creative potential of design engineers towards the definition of the optimal concept over equipment’s lifecycle: what and when you need, no more, no less. The algorithm reduces the number of iterations in designing the optimal solution. An example for configuration design of a reconfigurable machine tool with adjustable functionality is included to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.

Application of Quality Function Deployment for Product Design Concept Selection

For business-to-business (B2B) companies, selecting new product concepts is vital to new product development (NPD), since it significantly contributes to the ultimate success and reputation of the product in terms of quality and function. The research problem is defining the best solution of new product’s design concept selection within high competition and resources’ limitation by mathematical approaches. The main objective of this study is developing an integrated analytical approach, combining quality function deployment (QFD) and analytic hierarchy process (AHP) approach, and data envelopment analysis (DEA) to enhance the effectiveness of design product decisions. The proposed approach focuses on mathematical methods to comprehensively evaluate and strategically select the best new product concept while considering the features of the B2B product and the available information during concept selection. The best new concept is selected by the combined scores derived from the concept competitiveness (quality function deployment—analytic hierarchy process) and the design development efficiency (data envelopment analysis). Finally, the design alternatives are classified into four categories by quadrant analysis for design concept management. The benefit of this approach—combining three mathematical models together for the best concept’s solution.

Improving the weight of Technical Attributes in Quality Function Deployment by the Integration of Techniques for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution method

Purpose

This study aims to integrate the Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) method with quality function deployment (QFD) which helps to improve the weight of technical attributes by calculating the closeness of particular attributes with the best attributes and farthest from the worst technical attributes simultaneously.

Design/methodology/approach

For the fulfilment of the aim of the study, detailed literature is reviewed and a suitable tool for score calculation has been selected. Further, the proposed methodology is applied in a literature-based case study, and a new weight is calculated and compared with the previous weight.

Findings

The finding of the study suggests that higher weightage is assigned to those technical attributes which is very close to the best technical attribute, and lower weightage is assigned to the technical attributes which are very close to worst technical attributes. Therefore, the weight calculated with the help of the proposed methodology will suggest to optimally invest the resources on technical attributes so that the maximum customer satisfaction is achieved.

Practical implications

The proposed method will help in better score calculation of QFD. Therefore, the use of the proposed method will help in better product and service design for maximum customer satisfaction.

Social implications

Proposed methodology aims to help managers, administrators, QFD practitioners and product/service designers to design a new product/service or mange the quality of existing product/services in an effective way.

Originality/value

This is the first kind of study, in which modification in score calculation has been proposed. This modification will help in the better assignment of resources for maximum customer satisfaction.

Enhancing voice of customer prioritisation in QFD by integrating the competitor matrix

Purpose

Quality function deployment (QFD) is a quality improvement methodology using a system of interrelated matrices, where the influence of any one matrix may meaningfully change the concluding outcomes. In these interconnected matrices, the voice of customer (VOC) matrix and competitor matrix have a strong relationship. The current practice of finding improvement ratios (IRs) does not incorporate competitors' rating in a way that fully utilises competitors' rating information. The aim of this article to enhance VOC importance ratings by utilising the application of analytic hierarchy process (AHP) combined with the geometric mean (GM).

Design/methodology/approach

The current practice of computing IRs may divert QFD practitioners' attention from a potentially important VOC to less important VOC. In the first step using the existing competitors' ratings, a matrix of multiple comparisons is generated for all competitors. In the second step GM for each VOC is integrated with present VOC importance ratings to set new ratings.

Findings

A QFD case study from the published literature is used to illustrate the application of new method. It is described how the existing results of the case study may divert to flawed decisions. It is further corroborated that in this way re-ranking of existing VOCs better achieve the goal of customer satisfaction in relation to VOC ratings and competitors' rankings.

Originality/value

By employing this method, competitor rating can be transformed to two dimensional results, which provide a better picture to practitioners in observing their company's position and in improving VOC rating as well.

Classification and positioning of TQM practices for implementation in steel industries

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to classify the total quality management (TQM) practices and position them based on their importance in the implementation of TQM in steel industries for obtaining improved business performance and customer satisfaction.

Design/methodology/approach

The study undergoes a deep literature review to recognise the TQM practices necessary for the implementation of TQM in the steel industry. The identified 17 practices were grouped under three activities such as “breakthrough activities”, “improvement activities” and “routine operational and maintenance activities” with experts’ suggestion. The positioning of 17 TQM practices and 3 activities of TQM was done using an analytical hierarchy process (AHP) technique as per their relevance in TQM implementation.

Findings

The findings of the research show that though all the 17 practices and 3 activities of TQM play a vital role in the successful implementation of TQM in steel industries, breakthrough activities have gained more weightage as compared to the other two activities. Top management commitment, quality system and continuous improvement are relatively more important than the other practices.

Research limitations/implications

The research has limitation analogous to the AHP technique. The technique considers all the sub-sets of each nod to be independent from each other, whereas in real world this does not stand true.

Practical implications

The study positions the TQM practices and activities on the basis of their relevance in TQM implementation in the steel industry, thus helping the managers in understanding which practice has to give how much importance for TQM implementation in steel industries. By following the practices according to the weights, the managers can achieve the results desired from TQM implementation.

Originality/value

The study gives the implementation priorities of TQM practices in the steel industry. To the best knowledge of researcher, it is the first study in the steel sector for TQM implementation. The lacuna was reported by the literature, and the researcher has made an attempt to fill that gap.

Quality improvement initiatives based on customer and service provider perspectives in shopping malls

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to optimize and improve service delivery configurations by integrating both customers’ and service providers’ perspectives into service delivery design processes using quality function deployment (QFD) methodology at shopping malls.

Design/methodology/approach

QFD is used to determine and close the gap between the most important customer needs and expectations and the opinions of service providers using a unique platform.

Findings

On customer side, the highest relative weight was given to “prompt response to customer concerns”, “not being crowded and loud”, “providing services for disabled customers” and “security of mall” customer expectations. On engineering side, “employees’ attributes, the size of parking area, reliable service, the time to find a product, the size of mall, disabled friendly infrastructure and the number of elevators and escalators” were determined to be the most important technical requirements.

Originality/value

Integrating the voice of customer into the voice of engineering, this study is the first attempt to describe how QFD methodology could be used to holistically optimize service delivery configurations in the mall industry. Unlike conventional QFD that ignores the cost perspective, this study has implications for operations managers with regard to solving resource allocation problems.

Environmental sustainability of logistics service provider: an ANP-QFD approach

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to propose a methodology with systematic metrics for logistics service providers (LSPs) to develop their environmental sustainability performance in the context of green supply chain management.

Design/methodology/approach

– An integrated analytical approach which combines analytical network process (ANP) with quality function deployment (QFD) is proposed to develop LSPs’ environmental sustainability performance. In the approach, QFD is used to translate customer requirements (CRs) for “green” concerns into multiple criteria for LSP’s design requirements (DRs). ANP is used to analyze the inter-relationships among the various CRs and DRs.

Findings

– The effectiveness of the proposed approach is demonstrated by applying it to a global LSP. A case study shows how the proposed “ANP-QFD” technique can be deployed to understand customers’ expectation for environment management and develop tactics and measures with the aim to achieve the desirable outcome for LSPs’ environmental sustainability performance.

Practical implications

– Firms that emphasize sustainability as a competitive priority will benefit by communicating sustainability efforts to customers. Therefore, “ANP-QFD” is an integrative method which helps develop LSPs’ environmental sustainability performance by enabling logistics managers incorporate the “voice” of customers for environmental concerns into their decision-making process. The study demonstrates how to develop LSPs to be greener in order to realize the requirements of green supply chains. The proposed integrated approach can also be applied in other decision-making scenarios for effective green supply chain management.

Originality/value

– Various approaches that can deal with multiple and conflicting criteria have been adopted for LSP assessment in the literature. However, they fail to include the impact of business objectives and the requirements of company stakeholders (customer in this study) in the identification of performance criteria for LSP. They also did not incorporate the environmental sustainability perspective. This paper contributes to the emerging research topic of environmental sustainability in logistics and supply chains by tackling these inadequacies in the literature. The study facilitates LSPs and the supply chains they serve in achieving better economic and environmental performance, thus leading to truly sustainable outcomes.

Statistical comparison of final weight scores in quality function deployment (QFD) studies

Purpose

– Quality function deployment (QFD) is a methodology to translate the “voice of the customer” into engineering/technical specifications (HOWs) to be followed in designing of products or services. For the method to be effective, QFD practitioners need to be able to accurately differentiate between the final weights (FWs) that have been assigned to HOWs in the house of quality matrix. The paper aims to introduce a statistical testing procedure to determine whether the FWs of HOWs are significantly different and investigate the robustness of different rating scales used in QFD practice in contributing to these differences.

Design/methodology/approach

– Using a range of published QFD examples, the paper uses a parametric bootstrap testing procedure to test the significance of the differences between the FWs by generating simulated random samples based on a theoretical probability model. The paper then determines the significance or otherwise of the differences between: the two most extreme FWs and all pairs of FWs. Finally, the paper checks the robustness of different attribute rating scales (linear vs non-linear) in the context of these testing procedures.

Findings

– The paper demonstrates that not all of the differences that exist between the FWs of HOW attributes are in fact significant. In the absence of such a procedure, there is no reliable analytical basis for QFD practitioners to determine whether FWs are significantly different, and they may wrongly prioritise one engineering attribute over another.

Originality/value

– This is the first article to test the significance of the differences between FWs of HOWs and to determine the robustness of different strength of scales used in relationship matrix.