CONTRIBUTION OF TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT AND INSPECTION OF INCOMING MATERIAL

1.0 Introduction

1.1 Background of the Study

It has been known that over half of a company's budget is based on materials required to be purchased for a manufacturing of organization's product. As a result of large amount involved it's very important in every manufacturing industry to adopt quality and inspection of incoming materials in purchasing department in production work.

Quality is generally considered as implying high quality. The dictionary meaning of quality includes, degree of excellence, possessing high degree of excellence concerned, with maintenance of high quality (quality control). Although all these meanings according to quality can be misleading when applied to company's situation like Chellarams plc. According to Udo (2005) page quality is related to suitability and cost (not price) rattier than the intrinsic excellence. That must there fore be controlled and to ensure that they reach the users desires and continue to do so for a given period of time while avoiding excessive cost de to unnecessary high quality fear on (1967 page described incoming quality control as an activity as being responsible for measuring and reporting on the physical characteristics of those items that enter the materials system from an external source.

Measurements must be made of item characteristics, either by physical, chemical, or other tests, actual characteristics must be compared to sated standards which have been established else where within the organization, amount of variance, if any must be pinpointed and determination made frequently with advise of others on whether to accept or reject the items, notification of action must be furnished to all interested parties and records kept of quality of various suppliers to the company.

Quality is a basic concept in modern buying and selling and is taking a high degree of priority in materials requirement.

In so many processes, the performance specification is very high and therefore cells for careful quality control and inspection by both the buyer and the seller.

Quality control and inspection of materials includes among others.

1. The organization and procedure thought which a producer measures and controls the quality of the production manufactured.
2. Expediting the on-sit checking of the manufacturing process.
3. Inspecting and acceptance of incoming material and spares.
4. The assurance of compliance of incoming materials supplier with specified quality levels.

Cooperating with vendors on quality problems.

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1.2 Statement of the Problem

The implementation of strategies embracing the process of total quality management sector.

1. Commitment to total quality control training and management.
2. The management, priorities and coordination of problem solving activities.
3. The idea of total quality management (TOM) in the existing manufacturing sector of Nigeria Economy.
4. The monitoring of total quality control techniques in setting standards in organizations.
5. Continuous improvement in total quality control objectives. Polices and strategies in manufacturing sectors.
6. Commitment to total quality control training and management.

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1.3 Objectives of Study

1) To identify the challenges and benefits to total quality management in Nigerian manufacturing sector?

The handling of rejected materials. The final and accounting aspects of rejections. Quality control and inspection is the responesibility to some degree of all the user department such like purchasing department in an organization.

However, the purchaser has the basic responsibility of adequately and accurately specifying the quality needed of materials purchased mostly when materials concerned are not too technical in nature. The supplier has the basic responsibility satisfying the quality requirement in conformance with the mutually price and time schedule.

Supplier will specify the materials in away that make for easily production.

Both however, have to meet at compromise.

The company also have problems with goods purchased by customer specifications.

There problems sometimes occurs in drawing up the inspection procedures to be adopted, like CHELLARMS plc, and many other company, in terms of wasted manpower, production, transport, handling very heavy. This research paper is therefore concerned with identifying the main faults and of controlling the quality of purchased or incoming materials in CHELLARMS PLC, This will also applies to any other manufacturing companies. The researcher is therefore concerned with ensuring that good quality materials are purchased and that the number of rejecting is reduced through better sense of involvement among both management and staff.

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1.4 Purpose of the Study

The purpose of this research work is to justify the need under the purchasing function in controlling of production; industry (ies) since controlling of quality and inspection of materials is the key success of organization profitability.

It is therefore the main purpose of this project to find out

1. The department that is responsible for control of quality and inspection of incoming materials in.
2. To know how quality are determine of production.
3. To find out how quality lowers the cost of production.
4. Finally how they use of quality control and inspection of incoming materials can be used to arrest the manufacturing ills that leads the organization to loss like highly cost of materials which always result from rejection of supplier, excessive quality specification, resultant handling of rejections and replacements.

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1.5 Research Question

For the purpose of this research work the following question are formulated.

1. Which department (s) is responsible for the control of the quality of materials suppliers in the organization.
2. What methods (s) is used in the specification of the quality of materials required.
3. What is the function (s) of purchasing department as regards to controlling the quality of items required?
4. Did the firm do an inspection of incoming materials before acceptance into the store house?
5. What methods are used in selecting new suppliers for the supply of a given materials increase the old supplier is not measuring up to the exception?
6. Did the firm have an inspection department and the function of such a department?
7. What are the methods used in inspection of in controlling materials before acceptance into the storehouse?
8. What action (s) is taken if the supplied materials fails to measure up to the speculation?
9. What action(s) is taken to control the percentage of defectives in materials supplies?

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1.6 Research Hypothesis

The following hypotheses have been formulated and will be tested scientifically at the appropriate section of this work.

Hypothesis

• H0: There is no relationship between purchasing department and quality control of incoming material.
• H1: There is a relationship between purchasing department and quality control of incoming materials.
• H0: Purchasing and supply department of every organization is not responsible for quality control of all incoming materials.
• H1: Purchasing and supply department of every organization is responsible for quality control of al incoming materials.

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1.7 Significance of the Study

The study is significant to my fellow students as the information/datas. Generated would continue to be used as reference materials (secondary data) for immediate and future researcher in this topic. Potential managers in an organization who will act as a materials manager in an inspection personnel that could across this research wink are informed a the benefits of implementing or adopting total quality management and inspection of incoming materials adequately in an organization.

and also to enable I myself to know the relevant of quality also relighting me on how of wink. It will also as a purchasing manager of an organization.

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1.8 Scope and Delimitation of the Study

This research would have covered a wider range of study not only in CHELLARAMS companies but in other companies. It was above to cover only one industry in one geographical are in a port Harcourt state.

For the purpose of this paper. Quality control is meant to apply only in area of incoming materials obtained as a result of purchased made from the out side suppliers. It is not to be confused with quality control of terms produced within the buyer's own plant or business.

This research work is therefore limited to quality control and the inspection procedure carried out on incoming materials before their use for productive purchases in manufacturing industries. Quality control and the inspection of materials in not be treated as a whole because the topic is too verse and will therefore involve a lot of energy being exerted before this paper can be put to into use. Again, the topic” quality control and inspection of incoming materials” is too technical in natural and will involved the researcher going into engineering and production aspect of the study of details.

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1.9 Limitation of the Study

While carrying out this research, the researcher was faced with a number of limitations, which include lack of textbooks, financial constraints coupled with the nature and scope of the research topic.

i) Lack of Text Books:

Lack of text books related to the topic which are writhen by Nigerian authors contributed in no small measure in limiting me from going further than where stopped.

ii) Financial Constraints:

This is another factor that played a major role in the limitation of this study. There was little money to enable purchase some relevant textbooks and journals on this topic and discipline. Also, there is this problem of transportation cost encounter in the course of gathering required information for this study.

iii) Lack of Adequate Information:

I did not find it so easy to getter information in the course of carrying out this research work from the respondents. This is because staff of the chosen industry felt so reluctant in given answers so the questions due to fear of revealing the company's secret.

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1.10 Definition of Terms

The meaning of quality control have gained significance connection with modern manufacturing needs. This help in close control by necessary requirements of materials analysis dimension, make up, and performance specification.

To help us as we go on the following operational definition will apply.

1) Quality:

Acceptability of materials or components for given purpose.

2) Quality control:

The process of establishing the acceptability of materials or components fro a particular purpose.

3) Inspection:

The practice of sorting well from bad, whether 100% inspection or by sample inspection.

4) Acceptance sample scheme:

A scheme by which a batch of articles is judged to be acceptable or unacceptable on the basis of a sample.

5) Acceptance risk:

The chance that a batch of unacceptable quality will be accepted by a sampling scheme.

6) Range:

The difference between the targets and smallest measurements on a number of items.

7) Sample:

A group of items taken from a large back of item which is used to give information as to the large quality.

8) Expediting:

This is a process of reminding a suppliers producer or distributor, to deliver, supply make available, whole or substantial part of the goods or services ordered on the data and time agreed, to enable the purchaser take possession of such goods.

9) Store:

Include all movable property purchaser from public funds or otherwise acquired by government.

10) Specification:

Is a description of any object materials or process in sufficient detail to enable its manufacturing and further identical production.

11) Quality:

From the right source and at the price and delivers at the right time and good technical services.

12) Purchasing:

This is a process involving planning and its strategy to know the value for money spent.

13) Production:

This is process involves the performance of some activities designed to change raw materials to finished goods.

14) Total quality management:

This means a philosophy of management that strives to make the best use of all available resources and opportunities by constrain improvement

15) Management:

Is a branch is learning that is concerned with the aim of achieving a defined purpose or goal.

16) Total quality:

Is the statistical control of quality in application of statistical principles and techniques in all stage if design production, maintenance and satisfaction of demand.

17) Satisfaction:

Is a person's feeling of plea sun of disappointment resulting from company outcome in relation to his on her expectations