AVOIDING CRISES: STRATEGIC QUALITY PLANNING.

There is a list of familiar products which have something alarming in common. Foreign imports of each of these now constitute from 25% to more than 50% of the U. S. market. A major contributor to this invasion is superior quality. A model of quality trends in the West compared to Japan is presented. The model shows that several decades ago we had clear quality superiority. By about the mid 1970s, the Japanese had closed that gap. and proceed to become superior in quality causing the 25% market loss of U. S. companies to foreign imports, mostly Japanese. An integrated approach to quality leadership, the author says, is imperative for American industry if it expects to remain competitive with Japan.