Study on the Implementation of Quality Control Charts in the Drinking Water Industry , A Case Study :(Dajla Water Plant)

Abstract

Statistical process control (SPC) is a set of methods and tools that use statistical techniques to monitor and control the quality of a process or a product. SPC can help to identify the sources of variation, reduce the variability, improve the process capability, detect out-of-control situations, and take corrective actions. This study aimed to implement SPC control charts in drinking water and to evaluate their effectiveness in improving the quality of drinking water. The study focused on one type of control chart: an x-bar chart. The study used data from a bottled Dajla water plant and applied the x-bar chart to one quality characteristic, the pH of water. The results showed that the pH of water was out of control and that several sources of variation affected the quality of water. The possible causes of variation were identified by examining the out-of-control points or patterns, and by investigating the production process and conditions. The improvement actions were suggested by eliminating or reducing the assignable causes of variation and adjusting or optimizing the production process and parameters. The limitations of this study are that it only used data from one production line and one company, and it only considered one quality characteristic.