The article presents an application of QFD method in a materials industry. The intervention aimed at quality assurance of a product during its redevelopment, in order to respond to the desire of product client of having a quality characteristic enhanced without jeopardizing others. Two deployments were carried out in association: positive quality and process technology. This study was conducted by means of action-research. It also employed an intervention guide for QFD studies. The technology deployment showed how alterations in process technology affect process control parameters (a focus on internal client); whereas, the quality deployment revealed how these same alterations affect the final product quality (a focus on external client). Planning and Analysis of Experiments showed to be helpful in defining interventions in the process and in establishing correlations. The article ends by pointing out some aspects not contemplated by the QFD intervention guide, as well as topics for future studies.
Product development; QFD; quality deployment; technology deployment of manufacturing process; materials industry
