Monitoring paper production using a spectral control chart designed to detect in the presence of multiple cycles

In this paper we introduce a spectral control chart that is designed to detect the onset of cyclic behaviour in a process, even in the presence of multiple cycles. This new spectral control chart is based on the periodogram test proposed by Bølviken (1983a,b). While no more difficult to implement than the traditional spectral control based on Fisher’s test statistic, this new control chart shows improvement in detecting the presence of compound periodicity, which the chart based on Fisher’s test is not designed to handle. This is assessed using Monte Carlo simulations to estimate and compare the average run lengths of several spectral control charts. In addition, the spectral control charts are applied to paper production data, published by Pandit & Wu (1993), in which the stock flow and paper thickness are monitored. The application of the new spectral control chart to the stock flow process detects out-of-control behaviour that is not found using standard control charts. This behaviour, in turn, appears to be related to out-of-control behaviour that is observed in the paper thickness measurements later in the production proc