Optimising the costs of quality combination in the product life cycle by Taguchi design of experiments

This study aims to show how to optimise the combination of costs of quality in the product life cycle towards achieving robust product design. The Taguchi design of experiments and prevention, appraisal, failure (PAF) model of the costs of quality was applied for determining the optimal combination of the costs of quality in the product life cycle. Four product life cycle phases at four levels of quality cost were considered as control factors. Also, the signal to noise ratio (S/N) was calculated. Data was collected on the fridge product in a home appliance manufacturer. Findings indicated internal failure costs policy for the introduction and growth phases, prevention costs policy for the maturity phase, and appraisal costs policy for the decline phase. The proposed approach helps firms to manage their quality costs and their total costs more effectively.