| (1900
- 1993) |
| Inducted: |
1994 |
| Region: |
MidWest |
| Industry: |
Manufacturing
|
|
W. Edwards Deming helped create statistical process control, a technique for continually upgrading quality in goods and services. In most companies, quality control meant inspecting finished goods. Deming thought that was too expensive and provided little incentive to do things better. He recommended monitoring the product on the assembly line to discover chronic problems. Deming’s teachings were a key element in the rise of Japanese industry. Japanese companies listened to him and transformed their reputation for manufacturing. U.S. corporations discovered Deming’s principles in the 1980s and used them to stage a comeback. |
