Making total quality management work for the manufacturers and users of semiconductors

The authors highlight the underlying principles which govern total quality management (TQM) and how these principles would be successfully applied towards the manufacture and deployment of semiconductors in electronic applications. It is pointed out that no concerted attempt has been made to synergize TQM methodologies into a workable hands-on approach to revitalizing a manufacturing operation. It is argued that in order to make this synergism possible and develop a workable approach towards TQM it is essential to ascertain some of the primary root causes as to why TQM has not worked in Western economies thus far, and to teach management with real quantifiable examples which are specific to that branch of industry. The authors highlight some of these root causes and discuss the integration of these TQM principles in order to present a workable and simple approach towards the effective implementation of TQM. The discussion is substantiated with application-related experiences and illustrative examples