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The aim of this article is to show how Taguchi methods can be applied to health care.

The quadratic loss function is at the heart of Taguchi methods. It is a powerful motivator for a quality strategy and can be used to adequately model the loss to society in health care. It also establishes a relationship between cost and variability. Therefore, it can be integrated with the performance and parameters of the design of medical applications. Signal‐to‐noise ratios give a sense of how close is the performance to the ideal. By maximizing the signal‐to‐noise ratio, quality‐engineering activities can be aimed at identifying near‐optimum levels of factors and making quality equal to zero.

This article shows that, when the patients' requirements are consistently met, lower losses can provide an impetus to improve patient satisfaction.

The article outlines areas in health care where Taguchi methods can easily be applied.

The process capability indices have been widely used to measure process capability and performance. In this paper, we proposed a new process capability index which is based on an actual dollar loss by defects. The new index is similar to the Taguchi’s loss function and fully incorporates the distribution of quality attribute in a process. The strength of the index is to apply itself to non‐normal or asymmetric distributions. Numerical examples were presented to show superiority of the new index against Cp, Cpk, and Cpm which are the most widely used process capability indices.

Quality improvement decisions are the catalyst for substantial technological improvements being made in the manufacturing sector. The new technology, however, has developed faster than techniques for evaluating capital investments in such improvements. This is largely because the benefits of quality improvement technology are difficult to quantify. The Taguchi loss function is incorporated into a net present value capital budgeting technique to provide an estimate of these benefits. Describes the loss function in relation to key quality costs: appraisal and prevention costs, and internal and external failure costs. External failure cost savings are generated by reducing variability in the manufacturing process. These savings are then compared with the cost of the quality improving technology. Results indicate that these savings can be substantial, depending on the achieved reduction in the process variability, the cost of capital, and on the estimate of the cost of processing a customer’s return of the product.

Micro-EDM is an important process in the field of micro-machining. Especially, the μEDM is one of the technologies widely used for manufacture of micro-parts, micro-tools and micro-components, etc. The accuracy and repeatability of the μEDM process is still highly dependent on the μWEDG process. The electrode generation and regeneration is considered a key enabling technology for improving the performance of the μEDM process. Many engineers considered the Taguchi technique as engineering judgment during multiple response optimizations. This paper aims to focus on the use of micro-WEDG process to generate a micro-tool (electrode) with minimum surface roughness and higher metal removal rate (MRR).

In this research work, the Taguchi quality loss function analysis is used to examine and explain the influences of three process parameters (feed rate, capacitance and voltage) on the output responses such as MRR and surface roughness. Further, the optimized machining parameters were determined considering the multiple response objective using Taguchi multi-response signal-to-noise ratio.

Based on the experimental result, it was concluded that the Taguchi technique is suitable for the optimization of multi-response problem.

This paper presents an alternative approach using Taguchi's quality loss function. In most of the modern technological situations, more than one response variable is pertinent to the success of an industrial process. In this research work, the influence of feed rate, capacitance and voltage on the MRR and surface roughness (multiple responses) is investigated.

Reviews the global status of total quality management (TQM). Emphasizes continuous quality improvement as one of the main pillars of TQM. Illustrates a part of the research that was carried out to examine Taguchi′s on‐line quality control (TOLQC) methods as the means to effect continuous quality improve‐ment. Describes a case study that was carried out to study the implementation feasibilities of TOLQC methods. Highlights the inferences drawn from this case study which assert the need for managerial approach rather than mere technical computations for successful implementation. Insists on intensified training and awareness programmes on the implementation strategies of these methods to attain the ultimate goals of TQM.

The purpose of this paper is to develop a method to evaluate the quality of service delivery process designs, based on how closely they meet process requirements of key stakeholders while taking variability into account.

A Monte Carlo computer simulation of the flowchart of the service delivery process is used to capture the effects of multiple types of variabilities and parametric uncertainties on process variables of interest, and the Taguchi quality loss framework is applied to estimate overall process quality. As an example, a proposed modification to a patient‐treatment process in a hospital emergency department is evaluated.

This paper demonstrated a method that service managers can use to evaluate the quality of service delivery process designs.

This method can evaluate modifications to various aspects of a service delivery process, and can assist managers to fail‐safe the entire process. Furthermore, it characterises process quality using a range of probable values instead of a single value, such as the process mean, and thus provides a more realistic representation of quality.

This paper contributes to service engineering in two ways: by adapting the Taguchi quality loss approach, commonly used to assess manufacturing process quality, to a service delivery process; and by incorporating uncertainty, due to imprecise knowledge of process parameters, into the quality assessment.

The Taguchi method is the conventional approach used in off‐line quality control. However, most previous Taguchi method applications have dealt only with a single‐response problem. The multi‐response problem has received only limited attention. Proposes an effective procedure on the basis of the quality loss of each response so as to achieve the optimization on multi‐response problems in the Taguchi method. The procedure is a universal approach which can simultaneously deal with continuous and discrete data. Evaluates a plasma‐enhanced chemical vapour deposition (PECVD) process experiment and a case study, indicating that the proposed procedure yields a satisfactory result.

The performance of technical institutions in India is reflected through the level of campus placements. It is vital for them to have efficient, effective and robust placement policies. Selective assembly is a technique used in manufacturing industry in improving the quality of assemblies from relatively low-quality components. The purpose of this paper is to develop a methodology using selective assembly approach to improve the quality of placements of technical institutions in India.

The paper presents a conceptual model for campus placement process by integrating Selective Assembly, Taguchi’s quality loss function (QLF) and analytic network process (ANP). The data used in the study was taken through surveys and expert opinions. In this paper, for “Selective Assembly” the terminology, “Selective Recruitment” has been used at appropriate places in the context of technical education.

Selective matching of students’ skills done through ANP minimizes the total loss in terms of opportunity cost. Taguchi’s QLF concept was used to evaluate the total loss, in terms of opportunity cost, and to validate the superiority of selective assembly technique over the conventional selection process.

The paper outlines measures that can help policy makers to successfully implement the suggested methodology to improve the quality of placements.

The application of selective recruitment in the campus placement process is a unique feature in the area of technical education in India. The role of ANP in selective recruitment and assessment of the process through Taguchi’s QLF, illustrate the importance of integrated approach adopted in the selection process.

Taguchi’s quality loss function is here proposed as a tool to evaluate costs connected to non conformity in manufacturing industries. First of all, Taguchi’s quadratic cost function is compared with the traditionally adopted zero defects cost function, and the differential effects of either function are analysed. Conceptual issues as well as practical ones are considered in this analysis. Results provided match in suggesting that the quadratic cost function, as compared with zero defects, is conceptually more consistent with the most advanced definitions of industrial quality and practically more suitable to support continuous improvement processes with a long‐term, customer‐oriented and profit‐oriented perspective. Yet, in order to provide for a full utilisation of this tool inside quality costs reporting systems, a number of problems have still to be resolved. These problems too are highlighted and brought to the attention of researchers of this field.

The purpose of this research is to provide a new loss function‐based risk assessment method so the likelihood and consequence resulting from the failure of a manufacturing or environmental system can be evaluated simultaneously.

Instead of using risk matrices of the occurrence and consequence separately for evaluating manufacturing and environmental risks, an integrated approach by exploring the relationship between process capability indices: C_p, C_pk and C_pm, and three different loss functions: Taguchi's loss function; Inverted normal loss function (INLF); and Revised inverted normal loss function (RINLF) is proposed.

The new method of quantitative risk assessment linking the likelihood and expected loss of failure is illustrated by two numeric examples. The results suggest that the revised inverted normal loss function (RINLF) be used in assessing manufacturing and environmental risks.

It gives decision‐makers a concrete tool to assess the likelihood and consequence of their processes. Linking the process capability indices and loss functions is particularly promising, as this provides a useful risk assessment tool for practitioners who want to reduce hazardous waste and manufacturing losses from their facilities.

The manufacturing and environmental risks are determined by paring the process capability indices and loss function. From the loss function‐based estimation, one can quantify the consequence of a manufacturing loss and get the severity rating in an objective way.