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As the basis to continuously improve equipment production, an analysis of case-study data concerning problems during equipment utilization is viewed as the fundamental tenet in total quality management. It also serves as one of the key strategies towards a more profitable equipment production.
Our study was started from the concepts of systems thinking, namely, a problem-solving process to understand how things influence one another within a whole and to identify the determining factors in a complex situation. This approach effectively eliminates the problem of “can't see the forest for the trees”. In this study, the method of root cause analysis can be used to synthesize data and related information from equipment-maintenance cases. Next, the grounded theory is applied with the qualitative data analysis software (N Vivo 8) to make coding to identify the preliminary root causes of the problems. And a Yin-Yang Five Elements Model (5E Model) is introduced to simplify five major categories first. And we continue to discover and review their intrinsic and explicit characteristics as the Yin-Yang base to build up the 5x2 core model. Finally, 5E Quality Model is achieved in term of quantity of the equipment-maintenance cases, accompanied by the quantitative relationship of a radar map calculation.
In this thesis, we analyzed equipment malfunction case-study data in 2009 associated with the utilization in Taiwan of equipment from overseas equipment vendor. Our study constructed a real 5E Quality Model that consists of five major core categories: manufacturing, assembly, setting, application, and design. It provides both qualitative and quantitative judgment and interpretation of root causes. Therefore, the model would help equipment vendor to discover deeply the origin faults and hidden causes of problems in their equipment production process. Our study concluded that it is possible to eliminate the hidden sources of those problems during the initial design and production stages based on the systems thinking methodology and our proposed 5E Model.
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