Before World War II, pioneers of quality control (QC) were all from Japanese companies such as Toshiba and NEC Corporation. For example, Yasushi Ishida, working for the Toshiba Corporation in the early 1930s, developed control charts for increasing the life span of light bulbs and reducing errors in their production. Unfortunately, because of the highly competitive nature of the business, the company kept his charts secret. Even today, the details of his works are not widely known; but the seed of QC was planted.
Until 1949, there was no organisation to promote QC and no incentive encouraging people to achieve it. That year, just after the devastating World War II, the Union of Japanese Scientists and Engineers (JUSE) was established to educate people about QC. To build the war-torn nation, they emphasised quality. Primarily, it conducted a workshop called ‘The Basic Course’ which is still offered today. JUSE gradually increased the number of seminars it offered. The Japan Standard Association (JSA), which was established in 1945, also began promoting QC in order to establish well being and happiness in society. And that was the beginning of a journey to strive for quality and excellence.
Bangladesh Society for Total Quality Management (BSTQM) started its journey on the similar path on May 04, 1996 becoming a member of international convention. The organisation is actively promoting quality in production and service sectors across the country. Its main endeavour includes integration of people and organisations on a unique platform regarding better quality in all walks of life.
The 45th International Convention on Quality Control Circle 2020, which was held on December 03 in Pan Pacific Sonargaon, Dhaka, was organised by BSTQM. The theme of the convention was ‘Unlocking Imagination through QCC.’ The keynote speaker, Professor Dr Noriaki Kano-- one of the top quality experts in the world-- presented the core theme of the convention which is “Kano Model as a Method for Unlocking Imagination through quality.”
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina gave message as the chief guest for this convention. She mentioned that the Father of the nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahaman adopted various development plans in order to build a poverty and hunger-free prosperous Golden Bangladesh immediately after the War of Liberation. To materialise this dream, he underscored the need for ensuring quality and standards in every sphere of life.
Around 2,000 delegates participated in the convention and 269 case studies on various topics including Kizen, Total Quality Management, Six Sigma, Lean Manufacturing, Creativity Management, Cross Function Development, etc. were presented. 14 countries including Bangladesh took part in the convention virtually as well as physically.
A quality circle is a management technique based on voluntary participation of the employees in one designated area. Such circles are formed with the aim to identify the problems encountered during the manufacturing process in an industry and improve the quality of products. Such QC initiatives are not only improving the production efficiency of the system, but also improving the problem solving skills, involvement and thought process of team members.
Currently, QC Circle activities are running in 72 countries. BSTQM, after having membership of 23 years, has been playing a vital role silently to promote a quality culture in every sphere of life in order to bring peace and happiness in society.
The writer is a faculty member at Green University of Bangladesh. He can be reached at writertamiz@gmail.com