No / A course in statistical engineering has recently been added to the Ford Motor Company's Technical Education Program. The aim was to produce materials suitable for use by Ford but which could also be promoted by the UK's Royal Statistical Society within the university sector. The course is built around a sequence of realistic tasks dictated by the flow of the product creation process. Its structure and content is thus driven by engineering need rather than statistical method, promoting constructivist learning. Before describing the course content we review the changing role of the engineer and comment on the relationships between Systems Engineering, Design for Six Sigma and Statistical Engineering. We give details of a case study which plays a crucial role in the course. We focus on some important features of the development process and conclude with a discussion of the approach we have taken and possible future developments.

This research focuses on developing a comprehensive framework for designing and modeling experiments in the presence of multiple sources of competing prior knowledge. In particular, methodology is proposed for process optimization in high-cost, low-resource experimental settings where the underlying response function can be highly non-linear. In the first part of this research, an initial experimental design criteria is proposed for optimization problems by combining multiple, potentially competing, sources of prior information--engineering models, expert opinion, and data from past experimentation on similar, non-identical systems. New methodology is provided for incorporating and combining conjectured models and data into both the initial modeling and design stages. The second part of this research focuses on the development of a batch sequential design procedure for optimizing high-cost, low-resource experiments with complicated response surfaces. The success in the proposed approach lies in melding a flexible, sequential design algorithm with a powerful local modeling approach. Batch experiments are designed sequentially to adapt to balance space-filling properties and the search for the optimal operating condition. Local model calibration and averaging techniques are introduced to easily allow incorporation of statistical models and engineering knowledge, even if such knowledge pertains to only subregions of the complete design space. The overall process iterates between adapting designs, adapting models, and updating engineering knowledge over time. Applications to nanomanufacturing are provided throughout.

Submitted by Livia Mello (liviacmello@yahoo.com.br) on 2016-09-28T19:01:15Z No. of bitstreams: 1 DissNGC.pdf: 2769660 bytes, checksum: fed4a63a83c3d31c36b783f9c91ef798 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Marina Freitas (marinapf@ufscar.br) on 2016-10-04T18:57:37Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 DissNGC.pdf: 2769660 bytes, checksum: fed4a63a83c3d31c36b783f9c91ef798 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Marina Freitas (marinapf@ufscar.br) on 2016-10-04T18:57:44Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 DissNGC.pdf: 2769660 bytes, checksum: fed4a63a83c3d31c36b783f9c91ef798 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-10-04T18:57:51Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 DissNGC.pdf: 2769660 bytes, checksum: fed4a63a83c3d31c36b783f9c91ef798 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-10-16 / Não recebi financiamento / With more advanced marketing relations, various changes are taking place in regard to competitive factor markets, among which, the importance of quality processes and goods supplied to the society, stand out. Therefore, diverse programs and methods have been developed to monitor indicators of production processes and the characteristics of roduct quality, many of which are supported by statistical concepts. This process encourages understanding and the use of Statistical Thinking (ST), Statistical Engineering (SE), and Statistical Techniques (STe) in businesses, highlighting their importance to quality management and the efficiency of organizational processes. This thesis’s aim was to analyze the use of ST and STe in a sample of industries in the sector of serial capital goods located in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. For that, an exploratory-descriptive survey was conducted with 42 medium and large companies from different segments of the sector. Data were statistically analyzed using descriptive and multivariate methods (cluster analysis, association and correlation). These analyses revealed there is considerable space to diffuse Statistical Thinking and Statistical Techniques in these companies, as well as revealed a lack of training in statistical principles and techniques, the main obstacles to the systematic application of these techniques, and the lack of support on the part of top management. There is evidence that the successful implementation of Total Quality Management (TQM) and Total Productive Maintenance in the industries of sector significantly influences the diffusion of ST and the application of STe; while the use of Six Sigma program especially impacts the application of more complex STe; and ST has the potential to promote the application of STe. / Com a evolução das relações mercadológicas, diversas mudanças vêm ocorrendo a respeito dos fatores competitivos do mercado, dentre os quais se destaca a importância da qualidade dos processos e produtos disponibilizados à sociedade. Dessa maneira, diversos programas e métodos têm sido desenvolvidos com o objetivo de acompanhar os indicadores dos processos produtivos e monitorar as características da qualidade do produto, utilizando para isso técnicas, muitas delas suportadas por conceitos estatísticos, o que, consequentemente, estimula a compreensão e uso do Pensamento Estatístico (PE), da Engenharia Estatística (EE) e das Técnicas Estatísticas (TE) nas empresas e destaca sua importância para a gestão da qualidade e eficiência de processos organizacionais. Essa dissertação tem por objetivo analisar o uso do PE e de TE em uma amostra de empresas industriais do setor de bens de capital seriados, localizadas no estado de São Paulo. Para isso, foi conduzida uma survey exploratória-descritiva em 42 empresas de médio e grande porte de diferentes segmentos do setor. Os dados obtidos foram analisados estatisticamente por métodos descritivos e multivariados (análise de cluster, associação e correlação). Tais análises revelaram a existência de um grande espaço para difusão do Pensamento Estatístico e das Técnicas Estatísticas nessas empresas, bem como a ausência de treinamentos em princípios e técnicas estatísticas, os principais obstáculos para a aplicação sistemática dessas técnicas e a falta de suporte da alta administração. Há evidências de que a implantação bem-sucedida dos programas TQM (Total Quality Management) e TPM (Total Productive Maintenance) nas empresas o setor exerceu significativa influência sobre a difusão do PE e aplicação das TE; de que o Programa Seis Sigma impacta especialmente na aplicação das TE de maior complexidade; e de que o uso do PE tem potencial para promover maior aplicação das TE.