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Assured
Quality was
founded in 1994 in response to the hundreds of inquiries regarding Dr.
Hinckley's research.
Working with a wide range of companies and quality organizations, he found
that the defects per unit were strongly correlated with assembly
complexity. In contrast, there is no consistent relationship between
defect rates and Process Capability – a measure of variation control.
These observations eventually lead to the conclusion that mistakes must be
the dominant source of defects in modern production. Furthermore, the most
powerful and cost effective mistake-proofing techniques were not being
exploited in the US. This opportunity has been missed because of an
excessive dependence on Statistical Quality Control (SQC) and a weak
understanding of the role of mistakes in conformance quality.
The president of
Assured
Quality, C. Martin Hinckley,
has a broad background of design experience on projects requiring the
highest levels of quality and reliability. As a "Distinguished Member of
the Technical Staff" and manager he has lead major projects at Sandia
National Laboratories including the X-Ray Laser Project, the Short Range
Attack Missile (SRAM II) warhead, and Warhead Protection Program. Under
Dr. Hinckley’s leadership, new products have been developed at a fraction
of traditional costs. To illustrate the effectiveness of the
simplification and mistake-proofing methods, the first prototype of a
major subsystem was assembled virtually defect free in one seventh the
time initially projected by the production organization. Part counts were,
dramatically reduced, and many of the parts were procured at one tenth the
cost of original estimates. Most fixtures were eliminated, and among those
that were not, the cost of some fixtures was reduced a hundred fold.
Elements of these projects have required the highest level of quality
control achievable.
Dr. Hinckley received a Ph.D. from Stanford University in Mechanical
Engineering in 1994. His research on the link between design concept and
product quality involved the participation of major automotive
manufacturers, Malcolm Baldridge award winners, and nationally recognized
leaders in quality control.
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