On the relationship between continuous improvement programmes and their effect on quality defects: An automotive case study

Abstract

By means of a case study of an automotive manufacturer, this paper aims to study the impact of a continuous improvement (CI) programme on quality defects. The analysis aims to ascertain if several independent variables such as production, CIs, and shifts are correlated to each of two dependent variables: internal quality defects and auditor quality defects (detected in the line). We gathered daily data for each shift of internal quality and auditor quality in a 12-month period. The defects considered and analysed through this study amounted to more than 68,000. This analysis could be useful as a methodology to evaluate the CI programmes of other manufacturers, since there is very little literature in terms of case studies or examples that focus on the daily struggle that manufacturers face when transforming these strategies into working practices.

Keywords:

• continuous improvement
• defects
• quality outcomes
• assembly lines