A Framework for Integrated Analysis of Quality Defects in Supply Chain

Abstract

Studies reported in supply chain literature have focused on demonstrating the benefits of information sharing, knowledge transfer, and collaborative efforts. The present study carries forward these fundamentals into the quality domain. A methodology is developed for quality defects information sharing among supply chain partners, and analysis of the shared data is structured using correspondence analysis of two-way contingency tables. The model presents a unique opportunity in identifying the underlying phenomenon causing defects by exploiting the associations and differences among the supply chain partners based on defect occurrences and then analyzing the process similarities/differences among them. This saves time and effort spent on finding root causes and designing solutions, as one will have an opportunity to adopt a proven process from a better supplier. This distinguishes the proposed methodology from other conventional quality tools and root cause analysis techniques. The proposed methodology is empirically validated through a case study on a multinational medical equipment manufacturer's supply chain. The application helped identify technical and nontechnical root causes driving defects. The methodology developed in this study is generic and can be applied to analyze quality defects in any supply chain.