An integrated approach to process control

The control of production processes is the subject of several disciplines, such as statistical process control (SPC), total productive maintenance (TPM), and automated process control (APC). Although these disciplines are traditionally separated (both in science and in business practice), their goals have a great deal of overlap. Their common goal is to achieve optimal product quality, little downtime, and cost reduction, by controlling variations in the process. However, single or separated parallel applications may be not fully effective. This implies the need for an integrated approach to define, describe and improve the control of production processes. This paper discusses how controls from disciplines such as SPC, TPM and APC can be seen as a coherent set of efforts directed to the technical control of production processes. To achieve this, an integrated process control (IPC) model is introduced. The model provides a structure to get an overview of the functions of controls and their interrelations. It shows that there is no one best way to control a process: the optimal set of controls depends on the situation. The main contingencies are briefly addressed. The possibilities to use the model for prescribing, describing and improving control are illustrated. Finally, implications for business practice are discussed. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.