Ethiopian Institute Of Textile & Fashion

Technology (Eitex)

Apparel Quality Management

Program: BSc in Fashion Design
Course: Apparel Quality Management
Prepared by: Jemal Assres

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Chapter 1
Introduction to Quality Control
Chapter out line:
Definition of Quality
Importance of Quality
Importance of quality assurance & quality control
Quality expectations in contemporary market place

DEFINING QUALITY
The official definition of quality by the American National
Standards Institute (ANSI) and the American Society for
Quality Control (ASQC) in 1978, is "The totality of features
and characteristics of a product or service that bears on its
ability to satisfy given needs."
The definition given by ISO9001:2000 is Quality is the
degree to which a series of inherent characteristics meet the
requirements .
But there exists no single and universal definition of Quality.
Why???????

 Quality needs to be defined firstly in terms of parameters or

characteristics, which vary from product to product.
Think of quality parameters for the following items:
Automobile.
Electronics.
Textile product.
Pharmaceutical product.
Food product.

A state of affairs in which customer feels

that their expectation have been met by
the product features.

For purposes of discussion we define the term quality to mean

the total level of customer satisfaction with the
organizations product or service.
Defined in this manner, we can decompose the notion of
quality into two broad components: features and performance.
Features refers to whether the characteristics, attributes, or
functionality of the product or service is compatible with
customer expectationsin short, design quality .
Performance quality can be defined as the difference
between the design specifications of the product and the actual
performance of the product.

Quality as a Function of Time and Methods

Total Quality
Management
(TQM)

Quality

Quality
Through
Design

Inspection

1920
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0

Statistica
l
Process
Control
(SPC)

1960

Improve
d
Design

1980

2000
6

 During the evolution of quality, six principal approaches to

defining quality have been tried. These are:
1. Transcendent: I know it when I see it.
2. Product-based: Quality of product ingredient or attributes,
such as performance, features, reliability, durability,
serviceability and aesthetics.
3. User-based: Ability to satisfy wants.
4. Manufacturing-based: Conformance to specification.
5. Value-based: Quality at an acceptable price.
6. Psychological criteria: subjective definition that focuses on
the judgmental evaluation of what constitutes product or
service quality.

 The pressure from globalization has made manufacturing

organizations moving towards three major competitive arenas:
QUALITY, COST, AND RESPONSIVENESS.
Quality is a universal value and has become a global issue.
A product is said to be high in quality if it is functioning as
expected and reliable.
Quality now represents a philosophy, a system of
methodologies and practices, and an ongoing commitment to
business excellence that encompasses all issues and engages
all individuals within an organization.

Benefits of Better Quality Product

Competitive advantage(a firms ability to achieve
market superiority over its competitors).
More satisfied customers.
Increased market share(it makes the products salable).
Increase in profit(provide sales income).
Increased loyal customers.
Improvement in the overall business performance.

Economical Advantages Secured Through

Quality Improvements:
1. Reduction in the cost of inspection & testing.
2. Reduction in the cost of rejection
3. Attainment of maximum benefit from
quantity production
4. Reduction in customer dissatisfaction(interms
of products returns ,warranty claims &
complaint handling expenses)

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Benefits of Better Quality System

Avoid the fire fighting mode of problem
solving at the production stage .
Greater productivity and
Much better profit.
Manufacturing performance, and business
performance enhancement.
Eliminating almost all defects from products,
processes, and transactions.

Quality Control Vs Quality Assurance

Quality control refers to activities to ensure that
produced items are fulfilling the highest possible
quality with minimum cost & if not act on the
difference.
Quality Assurance refers to the Set of (implemented)
predefined and systematic activities necessary to give
confidence in the process quality.

Quality Control:
Prime purpose:
To serve those who are directly involved in conducting
operations.
To help them regulate operations.
Reduce the amount of bad work being made

Quality Assurance:
Prime purpose:
To serve those who are not directly involved in
conducting operations, but have a need to
know.
To help them to be informed as to the state of
affairs,& to be assured that all is well.
The essence of good QA is an effective
communication.

Similarities Between QC & QA

Each evaluates the actual quality.
Each compares actual quality with the quality
goal.
Each stimulates corrective actions as needed.

Quality Requirements in Contemporary

Market Place
A strong competitive advantage has six fundamental
characteristics:
It is externally driven by customer wants and needs.
Responding to the needs and expectations of the modern society
Valuing employees
It provides significant leverage in contributing to the success of
the business.
It is durable, lasting, and difficult for competitors to copy.
It provides a basis for further improvement.
It provides direction and motivation to the entire organization.

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