The Productivity and Quality Connection

We cannot afford the present balance of trade and we cannot afford protectionism. What we can afford and must provide is a fair, open market and American products that set the world standards for quality and value. This paper reviews today´s need for imoroved quality and productivity; it shows how they work together to complement each other, not contradict each other. It discusses the following key strategies required for continuous improvement: 1) setting the directions 2) setting the stage for an attitude and personality change 3) providing quality-related education 4) developing an in-house improvement process 5) establishing improvement goals 6) developing supplier improvement programs 7) establishing an annual and long-range improvement plan.