Journal of Quality in Maintenance Engineering

An application of TQM tools at a maintenance division of a large aerospace company

E. Vassilakis G. Besseris

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E. Vassilakis G. Besseris, (2009),"An application of TQM tools at a maintenance division of a large
aerospace company", Journal of Quality in Maintenance Engineering, Vol. 15 Iss 1 pp. 31 - 46
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METHODOLOGY AND THEORY

An application of TQM tools at a

maintenance division of a large
aerospace company

An application of
TQM tools

31

E. Vassilakis
Downloaded by University of New Brunswick At 15:23 01 December 2014 (PT)

Technological Educational Institute of Piraeus, Athens, Greece, and

G. Besseris
Technological Educational Institute of Piraeus, Athens, Greece, and
Kingston University, London, UK

Abstract
Purpose Devoted to a description and evaluation of a selected maintenance process (assembly) at
the aero-engines maintenance unit of a large aerospace company by implementation of TQM tools, this
paper attempts to identify the causes behind the defect observed and form the scientific platform for
initiatives in a TQM-governed enterprise and to broaden the principles of TQM for the selected
process, prior to moving to a more structured plan that will include the entire unit.
Design/methodology/approach Process monitoring and evaluation are organised by an
application of control charts in order to provide vital information regarding the level of control in
the selected process. Quality control data are contrasted with component specifications by employing
control charts to provide a metric for the level of the process capability index. As a result a Fishbone
diagram is constructed to identify existing interrelations between the causes responsible for the defect
observed.
Findings The maintenance process selected was the assembly process of an aero-engine module
(exhaust nozzle unit) at the aero-engines maintenance unit of a large aerospace company. Process
evaluation by means of multivariate control charts and tolerance analysis exhibited poor results. It
was observed that certain measurement stations were out of control, whilst low actual capability index
values were exhibited in others..
Research limitations/implications Process monitoring and evaluation carried out for the
purposes of the present study had the form of an off-line tool. The paper shows that the aero-engines
maintenance unit had no infrastructure for an online process control and monitoring system.
Consequently, performed analysis indicated that the implied assembly process was inadequately
implemented. As a result, the maintained assembly units were out of stated specifications limits.
Originality/value The study contributes to the literature on TQM in the aerospace maintenance
business.
Keywords Aerospace engineering, Statistical process control, Aerospace engineering,
Total quality management
Paper type Case study

The authors would like to thank the Editor-in-Chief, Professor S.O. Duffuaa and the reviewers for
their constructive comments. They are especially thankful to Dr Leo Kounis for his critical
comments.

Journal of Quality in Maintenance

Engineering
Vol. 15 No. 1, 2009
pp. 31-46
q Emerald Group Publishing Limited
1355-2511
DOI 10.1108/13552510910943877

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Introduction
For more than a century, aerospace industry leads process developments in shaping-up
complex products to high safety standards (Kumar, 1999). Many tools utilised by modern
business initiatives such as Six Sigma have been tested and adopted primarily in this
industry (Bhuiyan et al., 2006). There are landmark case studies on the application of
TQM principles on aerospace manufacturing companies. Cheng (1994) has provided a
fundamental problem arising in ABC Aerospace in attaining high-level consistency
levels of a heat-treating process. Goh and Lim (1996) focused their efforts to applying
TQM principles to an aerospace maintenance company. Only recently there was a report
stating that the authors had managed to unify the predictive maintainability offered by
TPM to the product-trait forecasting espoused by QFD (Pramod et al., 2006). Failure
mode and effect analysis (FMEA) has its origin in aircraft prevention documented
control charts. It remains until today a basic tool in TQM implementation projects (Ravi
and Prabhu, 2001). A modern exposition of statistical tools for continuous improvement
may be found in the treatise of Montgomery (2005). The connection of modelling
optimised maintenance schemes has been well described in Ben-Daya et al. (2000). Being
capable to direct basic SPC tools and other mainstream quality methodologies for use in
the maintenance function proved to be an insurmountable task for those practitioners
that should have available this knowledge in their workplace). This was identified for the
first time by Ben-Daya and Duffuaa (1995). The same team advanced an informative
study on the application of SPC in maintenance operations (Duffuaa and Ben-Daya,
1995). While there are several studies dedicated to hardcore reliability analysis problems
in aircraft components, the number of published case studies is not commensurate of the
criticality of quality improvement in maintainability (Al-Garni et al., 1999; Sohn et al.,
2006; Wong et al., 2006; Leung et al., 2007).
Maintenance has become an engineering discipline in its own right, shifting from
the rather simplistic approach of setting up and adjusting production machinery to a
discipline that works in parallel to production and as a matter of fact aiding production
to keep up with the newly adopted philosophies like flexible/lean manufacturing, just
in time, etc. (Arajou et al., 1996). Since maintenance no longer serves as a secondary
function within a manufacturing organisation, the demands from maintenance units
have been increased (Crocker, 1999). It is worth mentioning at this point that the
capacity of production heavily depends on the quality of maintenance activities
(Knotts, 1999). Despite the tangible benefits manifesting from the implementation of
TQM in aerospace maintenance, there are still companies who are ineffective in
introducing TQM-related tools in their respective maintenance units. This is attributed
due to lack of management support, trained personnel and absence of a focused
business plan (Rungasamy et al., 2002). This resistance to change is active even when a
problem in a maintenance process is identified. It is the authors view that a key
ingredient in encouraging more companies to devote their maintenance operations to
quality oriented techniques is to supply current technical literature with as many case
studies as possible. This in turn will unequivocally induce more aerospace
maintenance companies to rely on modern TQM methods for performing their
quality assessment, monitoring and improvement schemes. This may be attained by
directly mimicking their problem solving approaches by those offered in the technical
literature as success stories (Krumwiede and Sheu, 1996). Overall, industrial and
manufacturing operations have greatly benefited by this tactic (Booker, 2003).

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It is anticipated that due to the nature of the works undertaken, aerospace

maintenance (either focused on aero-engines or the planes themselves), requires high
levels of professionalism, quality standards and zero-tolerance in delays (Luxhj,
1999). Low quality of services will inadvertently lead to safety compromises that may
have a detrimental impact on air-travel safety. This act may equally diminish the
performance and consequently alter the flight characteristics of an aeroplane (Endsley
and Robertson, 2000). Since maintenance has a rather large share in the operating costs
of an airline or an air force, there is an increasing demand for cost-effective and reliable
maintenance units with the ability to provide efficient services. An interesting
exposition on SAAB Gripen may aid to envision this (Sandberg and Stromberg, 1999).
In addition, aero-engines maintenance has a distinctive characteristic since it can work
as an independent unit within an aerospace industry, yet being an integral part of it
(Hunt and Hebden, 2001). Modern aero-engines can be separated from the airplanes
main body and receive all necessary services without forcing the plane to be grounded
(Solodilova-Whiteley and Johnson, 2006). Modular aero-engine design philosophy
facilitates the ability of machinery to utilise other modules (engines, engine parts,
aero-structure parts etc.) whilst the equivalent parts are being serviced (Sachon and
Pate-Cornell, 2000). The latter is based on the fact that the customer has the necessary
stock in aero-engines to keep its fleet airborne, while the services take place. However,
although there is a practice to maintain stock of critical components, the declining
profitability faced by a large number of airliners, drives them to reduce their inventory.
Depending on their strategic plans, a minimum or large stock of working aero-engines
is kept by air forces around the world to ensure that in case of an emergency their
planes will have the means to achieve the turnaround times needed for completing their
missions. Overall, a modern airspace maintenance organisation ought to be created by
the same philosophy that has necessitated its existence. This is the core area of TQM
and maintainability (Van de Water, 2000). Nonetheless, for maintainability to be
effectively applied an amount of information needs to be processed either with modern
expert systems (Cheung et al., 2005) or by applying selectively simple but powerful
data mining tools (Komorowski, 2003). Informed maintenance is particularly important
for organizations supporting ageing aircraft fleets around the globe. This is especially
true now that costs for acquiring new planes have become a fiscal burden for either
private or national carriers (Fox and Gormley, 2001; Horst and Trey, 1999).
Methodology
While the emphasis in quality improvement methodology varies greatly among
companies, focusing on the product key performances rates always very high in the
customers list (Oakland, 1999, Wisner, 1999). Installing a continuous improvement
mentality in an aircraft maintenance company, a comprehensive multi-functional
approach is required. This approach necessitates encompassing all information
technical and operational regarding specific product utilisation (Murthy et al., 2002).
Therefore, the methodology should incorporate cost-effective models for gathering
relevant data to fuel problem solving techniques (Basim and Kans, 2006). Even though
the implementation strategy and the tools selection has been standardised through
the application of modern business initiatives such as Six Sigma, maintenance may be
benefited by more explicit methodology proposals always assorted with an

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appropriate case study (Pyzdek, 2000). A methodology suitable for maintenance

operations is outlined at this point:
Step 1: Collect and organize data
Aircraft maintenance units are usually required to keep extensive records from
maintenance sessions as specified by any particular aircraft manufacturer they service.
This is a good source of data that should be stored in a dedicated information system
for convenient referral and retrieval capabilities leading to extensive presentation and
printing options. Customarily, these records are also expected to be created, maintained
and reviewed by certified aerospace maintenance companies to international standard
management systems that either constitutes a generic quality or to more sector-specific
management systems. However, in due course each maintenance unit should be
versatile to adding extra data collection stations as required per situation. This is
particularly true when identification of a problematic component or system or
sub-system functioning require data at a lower level than that collected during routine
inspections. The reproducibility and repeatability of the data gathered should be
examined before statistical inference methods are utilised to summarise any
component, system and sub-system performance. Measurement system analysis,
also known as Gauge R & R analysis, will confirm the usability of the data at hand.
When direct data flow received by instituted inspection and control points are not
sufficient in providing a performance standing for a component, system or subsystem,
while existing organisational experience or an intensive literature search produces no
result in capturing the investigated phenomenon, then data collection should follow a
Design of Experiments (DOE) protocol.
Step 2: Identify problematic components or maintenance processes
Being able to decipher a root cause relies on teamwork that involves maintenance
technicians and foremen as well as middle level managers. But before addressing and
quantifying the occurrence and detection of the problem, it is adamant that the team
understands thoroughly the maintenance process and the practical significance of the
appointed inspection points in conjunction with the ultimate aircraft functionality.
Only then the team will be able to prioritize the mechanisms that may induce the fault
occurrence. This step is assisted by the seven old and the seven new quality
management tools well espoused in TQM philosophy (Pyzdek, 2000; Montgomery,
2005). For example, depictions of trends obtained from existing Statistical
Process/Quality Control (SPC/SQC) monitoring, in combination with process failure
mode and effect analysis (FMEA) documentation should be assisted by intensive
brainstorming sessions in examining the impact the current system at hand has on the
overall performance of the aircraft. The team organised to resolve such complicated
issues would detect prioritisation of faults. This act would be enabled through the
implementation of Pareto analysis aided by the corresponding affinity diagram, which
is registered by aircraft logs as an efficient method to zero-in quickly in the root cause.
Step 3: Analyse data after maintenance process monitoring
Maintenance personnel should be trained in basic statistical methods covering
reliability and robust inference techniques. The presence of a quality practitioner
dedicating sufficient time to problem-solving projects, which arise in the maintenance

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operations is imperative in solidifying data handling and manipulation. The use of

inference statistics tabulated as either descriptive statistics or correlation analysis may
be useful when the fleet is not comprised by a sufficiently large count to discriminate
the inherent distribution behind the investigated phenomenon. In this part,
non-parametrics provide agile statistical inference, if applicable, to more technical
minded engineers that find in-depth statistical analysis an overall difficult process. It is
important that the techniques employed retain a trivial nature such that the results
gained provide unequivocally insight to problem resolution.
Step 4: Action plan
After the analysis of maintenance operations data, the emphasis ought to be placed on
developing feasibility studies for overcoming the problem. Therefore, an action plan
ought to be initiated to facilitate the implementation of the solution followed by an
evaluation of the installed solution through a final process review.
Case study
The main objective of the present study is to implement the basic principles of TQM by
means of statistical process control (SPC) quality tools and Cause and Effect (fishbone)
diagram into the environment of a maintenance unit of large aerospace company. The
idea to perform such an analysis is not innovative monitoring of quality processes
has been in the business for more than 50 years, yet it is well known that it is difficult
to implement TQM principles in a maintenance unit on the assumption that the latter
does not share the virtues of a production line; managerial and engineering staff
working in maintenance units believe that products dismissed (rather then
produced) from a maintenance unit are either working or not working,
acceptable or not acceptable. For example, an aero-engine assembled after periodic
service or overhaul, is either working within the manufacturers specified limits, or not.
The problem behind this misconception has its roots in the way people view
maintenance activities. Although practice in modern industries has proven the
opposite, maintenance activities are considered as secondary or supportive to the
main activities. Maintenance is a process and it has to be dealt in that manner. In fact
it is a much-organised process that in no means defers from a production line. In view
of the previously mentioned, maintenance:
.
requires understanding;
.
possesses variation;
.
must be controlled;
.
has a capability indication; and
.
needs continuing improvement.
These reasons enhance the presence of modern tools for assessing quality such as SPC,
which should be viewed not merely addressing topics about statistics or mathematics
but they are valuable tools for reinforcing competitiveness. In a sensitive area such as
the aero-engines maintenance business unit of a large aerospace company, one must be
in a position to satisfactorily answer the question, if the performed job has been done
correctly. Additionally, one must be able to support his answer with concrete evidence.
This evidence in the engineering profession is usually provided with numerical data

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and charts. This is the area where SPC and other quality tools find their place into the
maintenance process. SPC transforms the continuous quest for monitoring if a job
has been done correctly to a strategy of prevention and detection of problems in the
early stages of any process that seeks its way to achieving excellence.
The aerospace company housing the aero-engines maintenance plant is one of
Europes largest and most experienced aeronautical companies, with a work force of
2,900 skilled and experienced technical and administrative employees. Quality
assurance procedures within the company are covered in full detail in the quality
assurance manual. Since 1999, a plant dedicated on delivering quality assurance
services has been developed specifically for the aero-engines division to be used as a
pilot by all personnel involved with the works undertaken in the unit. The quality plan
contains in brief the processes, the work flow and the engines manufacturer and
customers requirements during the periodic inspections, major or minor repairs,
modifications and overhaul procedures. In addition, the quality assurance plan covers
the calibration of instruments or other measuring devices used for the inspection or
maintenance of engines and engines accessories. All production is fully monitored by a
quality management system, which has been developed in strict compliance with the
International Quality Standards and Aviation Regulations applied in the aeronautical
company and has been approved by nearly every major aircraft manufacturer in the
world, regulatory authorities, certifying agencies and accreditation councils.
Process description and analysis
The process chosen for the implementation of SPC tools was the assembly of an
engines exhaust nozzle. The quality characteristic was the diameter of the nozzle
measured in sixteen different places in two nozzle positions: fully open and fully closed.
Since the engines design is modular, the nozzle assembly process is performed
independently of other engines parts (see Figure 1).
The nozzles main body is attached on a rotating assembly fixture and measured
for correct attachment using an analogue adjustment gauge. The latter is a fixed
part of the circular ring that can rotate at 360 degrees. Once this process is
completed, the nozzle is fully assembled to permit the beginning of inner flaps

Figure 1.
The nozzle assembly
maintenance schematic

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measurement-adjustment and hydraulic pressure testing. The nozzle is set to the

fully open position by supplying a pressure of 8,000kPa (80 bars) using the nozzle
hydraulic test rig. The hydraulic rig pumps fuel through high pressure elastic tubes
attached to the nozzle in order to allow the operator to control the flaps movement
between the open and close positions. The same device is used for performing the
hydraulic test: This is done to ensure that no leakages occur after the completion of
the nozzle assembly process is completed. A nozzle-position checking box is used to
ensure that the flaps are in the correct position. The checking box is an electronic
device attached to two transducers on the nozzle. Each transducer (one after the
other) is supplied with a 5v voltage and a 1,000 Hz RMS frequency. The output
voltage shown on the checking box has to be in the range of 2,990 and 2,980v to
validate the correct flaps position. Should this does not happen an adjustment is
performed by fine-tuning the respective links on the nozzle. Once set in the fully
open position, the analogue adjustment gauge is used to measure the nozzles inner
diameter in 16 different places (that is, on each inner flap). The readings have to be
between 424.25 and 424.75 mm (424.25 0.5 mm). The same procedure is repeated
with the nozzle in the fully closed position. This time the readings have to be
between 309.00 and 311.00 mm (310 ^ 1 mm).
Data gathered from the assembly of the exhaust nozzle span over a period of three
years and correspond to the nozzle modules assembled and distributed. The
multivariate T2-generalized variance chart (T2GVC) method (subgroup size 1) was
employed for assessing the status of the exhaust nozzle assembly process based on the
data collected from previous works. The selection of the T2GVC method was
additionally supported by the observation that the time entered to maintenance and the
respective delivery rate of assembled nozzles were slow and random; the number of
nozzles assembled per month was variable and unknown.
Using the data collected, the number of samples for the analysis were m 37
assembled exhaust nozzles, which roughly corresponded to a time period of three
years. Charts using the T2GVC method were plotted for all measurement stations in
both the fully open and the fully closed positions. This resulted in two control charts,
one for monitoring T2 and one for the generalized variance. The procedure required
that 16 inspection points be monitored symmetrically around the flap. These inspection
points form the multi-response simultaneous tracking for the T2GVC method. Upon
plotting the control charts, the process control status was examined. The statistical
analysis was carried out in MINITAB (version 15).
The mathematical relations describing the control limits for the T2GVC control
chart are given in equation (1) (Montgomery, 2005):
 0 S 21 X 2 X

T 2 X 2 X
n
X
X j n1
x
i1

Si

1
2m21

m
21
X

1
V iV i

i1

V i X i1 2 X i

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Where n and m are the numbers of the responses and observations respectively
(n 16, m 37 in the case studied), is the individual data point xij X j and is the sample
mean vector, Si is the sample covariance matrix.
The results obtained from the application of multivariate SPC revealed an assembly
process that was not in control (Figure 2) in the closed nozzle position. Measurements
in 22 per cent of the samples (samples 1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 13, 32 and 37) were out of control
(Table I). However, only 8 per cent were due to instabilities of the generalized variance
behaviour alone (samples 2, 6 and 37). On the contrary, in the open flap position,
generalised variance chart demonstrates that the joint variability of the flap gauges
were in control, while samples 13 and 15 reveal special-cause instability to the values of
T2. Stations that were responsible for inducing statistically significant discrepancies in
the estimation of T2 are shown in Table I for either of the two monitored flap positions.

Figure 2.
Multivariate charts
(T2-generalized variance)
of gauge measurements in
16 inspection points
around the nozzle flaps
for: a) closed, and b) open
position (data based on 37
jet-fighter nozzle gauge
readings)

Process status
fully closed
position

Process T2

Generalised
variance

Out of control

Special

2
4

Out of control
Out of control

Special

Out of control

Special

Special

7
13

Out of control
Out of control

Special
Special

32

Out of control

Special

37

Out of control

Special

Special

13

Out of control

Special

15

Out of control

Special

Sample
point

Table I.
Flap monitoring
performance in 16
sampling positions taken
for 37 exhaust nozzles

Special

Reason for non-conformance

Stations: 5, 9, 10, 14 (p , 0:05)
Present technical inability for fine tuning
Measurement inconsistency
Stations: 2, 8, 15, 16 (p , 0:05)
Present technical inability for fine tuning
Stations: 9, 10, 16 (p , 0:05)
Measurement inconsistency
Station: 2, 3, 4, 9 (p , 0:05)
Station: 2, 4, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16 (p , 0:05)
Present technical inability for fine tuning
Station: 1, 7, 8, 14 (p , 0:05)
Present technical inability for fine tuning
Station: 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 16 (p , 0:05)
Measurement inconsistency
Stations: 1, 3, 6, 14, 15 (p , 0:05)
Present technical inability for fine tuning
Stations: 1, 3, 5, 8, 9, 11, 12, 14, 15 (p , 0:05)
Present technical inability for fine tuning

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The sample points where the special causes were identified was also included in
Table I.
Analysis of causes of poor nozzle assembly process
Reviewing the nozzle assembly process for more than six months at the aero-engines
maintenance unit revealed a number of inefficiency causes in the assembly process,
which are summarised in the cause and effect diagram (see Figure 3). Usually two
technicians are charged with a nozzles assembly under the supervision of an
appointed inspector. Supervision is not continuous since the inspector has to be
present in other assembly points as well, yet the inspector is present during the
validation of the measurements and validates them prior the dismissal of the
completed assembly. The working environment is typical for an industrial area: harsh,
noisy and unclean, adding to the adverse working conditions that are typical for an
industrial maintenance unit. Most technical teams working in the aero-engines
maintenance unit consist of highly experienced personnel usually qualified to work on
at least two or three different engines types. In a number of occasions deviation from
the technical instructions was observed due to a feeling of over-confidence and a
consolidate idea that in some cases experience gained from practice overcomes
technical orders. Measurements on the designated stations are taken using an analogue
adjustment gauge. In all assembly processes that were completed during a six-month
period a feeling of reluctance was present by the person who was taking the
instruments readings.
In Table I, it is tabulated the nature of the special causes which essential are
confined to two kinds:
(1) Measurement inconsistency.
(2) Technical inability to fine-tune nozzle assembly stations.
The former cause, was thought to be investigated through a measurement systems
analysis. Gage repeatability and reproducibility (R&R) analysis on the present study
would reveal the acceptability of the measuring process. It would furthermore
enable to investigate possible sources of measurement error. Therefore, a gage R&R
complete study was carried out to assess the measuring capability of the three
indicated operators on the 16 inspection assembly points. The study was duplicated
to strengthen reproducibility concerns, thus in total 96 measurements were
rendered. The corresponding gage R&R run-chart is depicted on Figure 4. It is seen
immediately that operator number 2 contributes the most in blurring the measuring
capability of the system while inconsistencies are allowed sparingly by operator
number 1 which are mostly directed towards reproducibility concerns. This
behaviour is confirmed by the Gage R&R (Xbar and R) analysis in Figure 4. The
part-to-part variation relating to the 16 inspection points has been well contained at
a contribution of 19.2 per cent. However, while the measuring system is not
acceptable at large, it is the measuring devices that cause the largest percentage in
variation and it is estimated at 56.3 per cent whilst all three operators affect
measurement variation by 24.5 per cent for a total R&R of 80.8 per cent. The
significant difference in executing efficient readings by the third operator is well
discerned in the two subplots of Xbar and R for operators in Figure 4. Clearly, the
second operator needs additional instructions and experience in carrying out such

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Figure 3.
Cause and effect diagram
for a poor nozzle assembly
process

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Figure 4.
Gage R&R study for
nozzle assembly
dimension: a) run-chart, b)
Xbar/R

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important measurements. Regarding the first operator, it may be necessitated that

there would be an improvement in obtaining readings via specialised training and
more practicing sessions. Overall, it is advisable to comment on the performance
achieved by the repeatability and reproducibility indications with respect to the
tolerance assigned which was set at 0.5 mm. It is observed that each of these two
components is greater than 100 per cent while in combination reaching 200 per cent.
This signifies the enormous effort required to bring the measurement system within
acceptable performance levels.
The replacement of the analogue adjustment gauge with a digital one would
increase the inherent precision of the instrument itself, making initial settings and
readings easier. In addition, the provision to use optical signals i.e. green and red
lights to indicate whether the measurement taken is within the specified tolerance
limits or not, would further increase the measurements easiness and add to the
precision of the whole assembly process. The latter is considered a cost effective
and acceptable solution towards the improvement of the nozzle assembly process.
Finally the adjustment of the nozzle radius in all measurement stations is achieved
by moving each actuators piston rod in the vertical direction using a special tool
called adjusting wrench. The pistons rod movement is achieved by turning its end
fitting clockwise or counter clockwise with the wrench. The minimum turn available
is 1/6th of a turn. However, even with minimum attainable adjustments, the
corresponding radius change is 50 to 60 tens of a mm, when in most cases the final
adjustment requires 10 to 20 tens of a millimetre. Thus the existing design is
inadequate for fine radius tuning and needs improvement; a possible improvement
is to reduce the minimum turn from 1/6th to 1/8th of a turn, thus allowing for finer
radial adjustments.
Conclusion
The aerospace company studied was one of the first companies in its host country that
has implemented a quality assurance system. This resulted in a gained experience of
over 30 years in documentation, implementation and continuous assessment of the
quality system both from internal and external auditors. Despite the accumulated
experience, the nature of the products and the sound quality system documentation,
the aero-engines maintenance unit is far from the implementation of a working total
quality management system. The quality assurance system implemented in the
aerospace company includes a large number of process floworks for all divisions,
indicating an effort to create and implement a potentially viable and dependable
methodology for product quality.
Relevant studies on the subject of quality and reliability management reveal that
the largest proportion of faults (75 per cent typically) originates in the development and
planning stage and approximately 80 per cent of problems remain undetected until the
final tests, or when the product is already in use. SPC can provide the tools to avoid
such defects at the early production phase and save both money and time. However,
SPC and the respective control engineering divisions are absent from the majority of
the companys divisions that are not considered production lines including the
aero-engines maintenance unit. The term used for the latter is maintenance zones,
hence SPC-free zones. This practice does not allow even the sensitive by-nature
maintenance work to be preventive and problem solving during its early stages. The

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brief period of SPC tools implementation at the aero-engines maintenance unit

revealed:
.
the necessity for implementing and propagating such tools in all maintenance
phases;
.
an assembly process that was out of control and presented poor capability
indexes; a problem that could have been solved, had an SPC process control and
monitor been implemented; and
.
maintenance is a process in its own right, thus it requires understanding, control
and needs improvement.
The process selected at the aero-engines maintenance unit for implementation of the
SPC principles was the assembly of an engines exhaust nozzle. Data were collected
from existing measurements over a period of three years and the respective control
charts using the moving average method were plotted. Results showed that 50 per
cent of the measurement stations (eight out of 16) in the open position were out of
control and 25 per cent of the measurement stations (four out 16) in the close
position exhibited the same behaviour. The statistical control analysis that followed
provided graphical means for detecting special causes by utilising multi-response
monitoring considering the 16 inspection points as independent quality
characteristics. Repetition of the analysis for increased sensitivity showed no
better results. In view of the previously mentioned, the results from the present
study indicated and showed that by using widely accepted statistical tools the
aero-engines maintenance unit required a change in its TQM policy and
quality-related strategies. Financial considerations have to be set aside from the
companys management and the deployment of a statistical quality control program
together with:
.
a group of well trained engineers; and
.
state-of-the-art facilities that will allow for an on-line process control.
Based on the outcomes observed it is the authors view that on-line process control
ought to be initiated as soon as possible. Modern quality management ideas emphasise
on continuous improvement in all aspects of the business in order to improve its
services to the customer. These equally include both the production lines and the
maintenance units.
The deployment of the new quality scheme at the aero-engines maintenance
division has to be done in well defined and planned stages. It is suggested that an
initial phase may commence with the re-organisation of material flow and elimination
of the large queues created within the plant. This could be followed by an in-house
training course aimed at providing the engineering team and the inspection units with
the necessary knowledge for working within a quality assurance environment. The
latter would require the use of SPC tools. Training would include data collection, tool
implementation and results interpretation. The creation of a data network with
electronic measuring devices for on-line data acquisition and manipulation is deemed
as comprising of the next successive step. Finally, a pilot program of process
monitoring using SPC tools will provide the know-how and the means for the
propagation of SQC in the building. The management can further aid this effort by
periodically publishing the obtained results (control charts, capability indices) of

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44

various processes. Management may imply a rewarding scheme to reward the group of
people that participate in processes that either show improvement or remain at high
quality levels over a long period of time. The pilot program mentioned in the previous
paragraph may commence from the out of control exhaust nozzle assembly process
that was discussed and evaluated in this study. Results obtained can form the basis for
a mini 6s project that will expose the possible defects in the assembly process and
demonstrate ideas for further improvement. Once this is done and improvement
solutions have been implemented, monitoring of the assembly line by means of control
charts and capability analysis will indicate whether the assembly process was
improved or not. The combination of the companys intention to apply the SQC as part
of a 6s scheme in conjunction with an aim for continuous quality improvements will
empower the plans for implementation and continuous presence of a TQM culture in
the company studied.
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46

Further reading
Thornton, J. (2001), Maintainability drives Fort Worths joint strike fighter design, Assembly
Automation, Vol. 21 No. 3, pp. 204-9.

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