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Contents
TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT
Acquiring ISO Quality Management and Total Quality Management 4
Introduction
Sirius Minerals plans to build UK’s largest potash mine of around £1.5bn along the North Yorkshire coast. The mine is expected to produce 13m tons per year of polyhalite, a type of potash, used as fertilizer. He and the company had to go out of their way to get approval for the project as it falls under the North York Moors National Park area protected by the government. The mine is aimed at boosting the economy of North Yorkshire by up to 10pc and generate export revenue for British economy of around £1.2bn per year. Therefore to prove that the project would be beneficial for the people and country the company needs to ensure that its product quality and processes accumulate into best outcomes.
Process Types
According to Slack (2015), process classification is based on the nature of the product and its volume to be produced. There are basically six different types of processes for manufacturing products:-
- Projects: This focuses on producing an output of one, where the location of the product is stationary and the process is to be carried out at a specific destination.
Example: Building a bridge or organizing a conference at a hotel.
- Job shops: This focuses on producing customized products in small quantities. The process follows different steps according to specific customer requirements.
Example: Bakery items for special events.
- Batch shops: Process follows more or less the same flow for producing slightly different products.
Example: Garments factory producing jeans of different sizes and colours for men, women and children.
- Flow lines: This process involves independent stations producing more or less similar products. The process is similar to the process of batch shops.
- Assembly lines: This process is used to produce products which require different parts to be combined in a very well-defined way. The flow has to be timed very efficiently for smooth flow of the process ensuring product quality.
Example: Vehicle manufacturing plants.
- Continuous flow process: This process involves producing one product continuously along a highly automated system.
Example: Refineries, plants, electricity generations etc. (Greasley, 2007; Handfield and Bozarth, 2012).
UK’s potash mine will follow the continuous flow process, ensuring low flexibility but high standardization and volume. As they need to ensure that their product potash stands up as a unique product meeting the local and international demands.
Acquiring ISO Quality Management and Total Quality Management
ISO 9001 certifications have been awarded to over one million companies and organizations across 170 countries. The standard provides essential tools and guidance to firms who want to ensure continuous product improvement meeting changing customer needs and requirements (Singels, Ruël and Van De Water, 2001).
Sirius Mineral’s potash company’s plan of acquiring ISO quality management system will help the company to stand out and establish its position in the market. ISO certification for quality management is based on seven quality management principles. These include customer focus, leadership, and engagement of people, process approach, improvement, evidence-based decision making, and relationship management (Guinée, 2002). These principles will provide the basis for establishing quality management system based on the specific nature and challenges of the Potash producing firm.
Total Quality Management approach is focused on achieving long-term success through continuous improvement in all functions of the organization like manufacturing, marketing, planning, development, employment, human resource etc. (Peratec Ltd, 1994).
In the view of Oakland (2014), integrating TQM in the company involves the following steps:
Preparation: As Board of Directors have decided on pursuing TQM, next they need sort out the necessary resources required for undergoing…
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