INFORMATION SYSTEM AND PRODUCTION PROCESS CONTROL

Abstract

We start with the definition of experimental data. First place we consider the controllable variables, whose levels are established by technical production experts with regard to a theoretic “model” defining the production components, their connections and working rules in sight of the envisaged achievements. Then, the responses or results of production activities, which typically show random variability. The controllable variables are used to regulate the means of their distributions and aspects of variability (Taguchi approach). An information system represents a data collection, which is directed to specific purposes like: financial control, accounting control, personnel control, business control, production control, framed around production programs, control of production lines and related maintenance, quality control, framed around control of nonconformities regarding some specification limits and ensuring product good quality over time. Qualitative guidelines for choosing the data for a quality control information system are that it must be as near as possible to a sufficient system which means that it is capable of explaining any nonconformity in a product characteristic, as well as being complete, that is, such that it is also capable of suggesting how to remove them. In a natural way quality control implies a dynamic approach based on a systematic improvement of production activities, starting from specific reference conditions. We consider two examples appropriated to explain the fundamentals of a methodology useful to cope with this complex subject. The first example refers to a real industrial application regarding the process control of polyvinyl chloride production, found in literature [9]. The second example concerns the distribution process of perishable goods, which is considered to be an innovation. In this case we suppose that there is a finite set of operating situations (points of sale) and that we can define an indicator Q=Q₁ /c = Quality of a reference product/a corresponding economic quantity (cost or earning). In the case considered, by means of the ordering of the ratios total cost/total earning, we come to the most profitable situation.