We Stand on the Shoulders of Giants—Pioneers of Statistics in Industry

Abstract

Industrial statistics has a rich and proud heritage. The field was initiated in the 1920s and picked up steam in the 1950s with the establishment of industrial statistics groups in several companies including American Cyanamid, DuPont, General Electric, Kodak, Western Electric, Procter and Gamble, General Foods, and 3M. It can be argued that we are in the third generation of the development of the profession. Indeed we are standing on the shoulders of giants. Several pioneering industrial statistics organizations are profiled in this article. The focus is on the roots of the organizations, the people involved and their contributions to their employers, advancements in the field and the development of the profession. Synthesis of this information provides some unique insights into who we are, what we have accomplished, and the needs and opportunities of the future.

Keywords:

• History
• Impact
• Leadership
• Needs
• Opportunities
• Organization development

Acknowledgments

The author is pleased to thank the Associate Editor and the referees for their comments and suggestions which resulted an improved version of this article.

Additional information

Funding

This article is based on the author’s acceptance speech on receiving the Gerald J. Hahn Quality and Productivity Achievement Award sponsored by the Quality and Productivity Section of the American Statistical Association at the 2017 ASQ-ASA Fall Technical Conference in Philadelphia, PA.