Controle de qualidade na indústria de processos: um estudo de caso aplicado à indústria do tabaco

Abstract

According to the international standard ISO 9001:2015, which specifies the requirements for a quality management system, industrial products and their manufacturing processes must be designed to meet customer expectations through the specifications and critical characteristics of the product. Industries always aim for exceptional performance, be it in terms of reliability, sustainability, flexibility and productivity. Thus, the analysis of the level of productivity is an indispensable parameter for the analysis and management of the quality of an organization. Literature offers several approaches to the use of mathematical tools for the analysis of industrial processes. Among these, the so-called Statistical Process Control (SPC) methods stand out. Some authors emphasize that without the use of adequate quality tools, there is no successful implementation of any quality assurance systems. A Japanese scientist, Kaoru Ishikawa, determined seven basic quality tools that should be implemented in all companies: Pareto Diagram, Histogram, Cause and Effect Diagram, Check Sheet, Charts and Control Charts, and Flowcharts. The cigarette industry has a strong focus on quality control. As it is a controversial product, in the last 20 years, tobacco products have been banned from being linked to advertising and the industry has been heavily taxed with the aim of discouraging the sale of the product. Thus, the concept of quality in cigarette manufacturing has gained a new dimension due to the increasing sophistication between the smoker's taste, the growing automation in the industry and the need to make a profit in an unfavorable environment. This work addresses the statistical quality control in one of the cigarette brands produced in an industry located in the state of Minas Gerais, which has problems related to standard deviation in one of the physical parameters controlled by the company's quality sector.