Improving the quality of covers for soft furniture manufacturing process

Abstract

The paper presents a case study regarding the analysis of the quality of the manufacturing process of soft furniture covers within the company "Z" Ltd, which operates on the territory of the Republic of Moldova. Starting from the fact that the products are destined for export to the EU, USA, Canada, China and the Russian Federation, it is obvious that their quality must be ensured at the highest level. The research methodology included the application of Shewhart p-type statistical control charts for the quality indicator - the percentage of the defective products, identified at the final control of manufactured products for a period of two consecutive years. It was found that the manufacturing process is organized at a high level, being equipped with high performance equipment. The company has implemented a Quality Management System according to ISO 9001, but its efficient capitalization is diminished by staff turnover. The research results indicate that overall, the manufacturing process is not kept under statistical control, because the variation of the analyzed quality indicator exceeds the calculated control limits of the process. It is recommended to develop measures to improve the quality of processes and products through actions aimed at directly productive staff and methods of work organisation.