ABSTRACT
This study was designed to examine the problems and prospects of quality control in manufacturing firms the various techniques of quality control used in the firms and to assess the effectiveness and efficiency of their application. This study is also set to find out what manufacturing firms seek to achieve through quality control practice.
To achieve this objective, a case study of Nigeria Breweries PLC Enugu was carried out. A review of related literature was also undertaken. Data were collected through the distribution of questionnaires and the use of textbooks and company journals magazines.
Form the study, it was discovered that through quality control practice helps to ensure high quality control techniques, inability to understand consumers needs, management attitudes etc.
It was also discovered that manufacturing firms have some quality objectives they want to achieve through quality control practice those include: to create a good corporate image, to meet consumers needs and create consumers satisfaction , to achieve lower costs in production. Etc .
Base on the findings, it was recommended that training and seminars should be organized for the entire staff at all times, strict compliance to established standards must be ensured and that job description is properly done to help every staff know and understand his| her role towards the achievement of the firms quality goals.
INTRODUCTION
1.1BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
According to Crosby (1979) “quality is conformance to requirement and those requirement must be defined in measurable and clearly stated terms.”
Quality is one of the goals or objectives organization seek to achieve. But often times this gal is not achieved due to some problems in the firms. The quality of any firms products or services, determines its position in the market.
Its success to a larger extent depends. This is quality of goods or services it produces and sells to consumers. “this is because consumers desire to get the best value for their money. The quality of product or service can only be defined by the customers.” (Deming, 1986.) This means that for a firm to be satisfied with the quality of its goods or services, it customers must first be satisfied with it.
Quality is a complex concept that has become one of the most appealing in al of management theory. This is to say that every business today wants to produce quality products or services that are acceptable to consumers, which are also affordable.
Quality control is a functional management discipline, which is responsible for defining quality purpose. The prerequisite for effective quality control are freedom from deficiency and minimum or reduced cost. Non – conformance is therefore not acceptable in reducing running costs. Some of these costs include, waste,re-work, replacement and inspection costs.
All these are manufacturing problems that should not only be detected and corrected at the earliest time but prevented if possible.
Quality control ,can therefore be achieve by establishing a standard for effective and efficient quality in the following areas:.
1.In the factory building, machinery and equipment design and installation, manufacturing system and process as well as product identification system.
2.In product design.
3.In the market by way of intensive consumers response program which gives the needed feedback.
In addition to the established standards tolerance limits are set for every important quality. These tolerance limits are limits of variations beyond which the variations will not be accepted. The firms must determine what quality’s are needed by their customers and must try as much as possible to satisfy these needs.
Meeting these quality needs of consumers, should be a collective responsibility of everybody in an organization. The market research division will find out what these needs are, products development division will create a design to equate with the needs. Planning division will devise a process for executing the product desire and the production units will regulate the process to achieve the desired product quality.