|
QualPro, Inc. is a Knoxville, Tennessee-based management consultancy that uses multivariable testing to simultaneously test a large number of ideas to improve business processes or performance. The firm gathers ideas from the client organization’s staff at all levels, eliminates those that don't meet its criteria, and evaluates the remaining ideas through experiments that test 20-30 variables simultaneously. The company was founded in 1982 by Dr. Charles Holland, based on his work reducing defects in urethane foam used in nuclear weapons. He was influenced by prior work by British statisticians to improve anti-aircraft shells in World War II, the book ''The Design of Experiments'', and his work supporting seminars with Edwards Deming. The company has designed experiments to determine the layout of the front page of the National Enquirer, to reduce defects and costs in DuPont's manufacturing plants and to assess the optimal format for Lowe's' newspaper advertising inserts. == History == QualPro was founded in 1982 by Dr. Charles Holland. Holland previously worked for Union Carbide in the 1960s and 1970s at the Y-12 National Security Complex. They were producing carbon foam used in atomic bombs for the Atomic Energy Commission. 85 percent of the foam was defective and they were considering re-tooling the factory at a cost of $100 million.〔〔 Instead, Holland questioned the workers and management team for ideas on how to decrease defects and tested 15 factors like the size and position of mixing blades. Holland’s multivariable experiments were based on the 1935 book ''The Design of Experiments''〔 and the work of two British statisticians that used multivariable testing to make better shells to shoot down German planes in World War II.〔〔 The success rate of foam production increased from 15 percent to 60 percent, and eventually to 99 percent.〔〔 Holland published a paper on the topic, but according to Forbes, at first it went "largely unnoticed."〔 He started helping Edwards Deming run four-day seminars on statistics in quality manufacturing. Deming was influential in the quality manufacturing movement, in particular among Japanese auto manufacturers.〔〔 Deming urged Holland to start QualPro.〔 Most of its first clients, such as Ford and Procter & Gamble,〔 were referred to Holland from Deming.〔 The firm's early work was primarily for manufacturing companies. It expanded into marketing and advertising,〔 healthcare and government in the 1990s.〔 As of 2005, 60 percent of its clients were in service industries.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「QualPro」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|