Abstract

Quality in the chemical industry has come to encompass three areas: (1) quality control, (2) quality assurance, and, (3) quality systems. The importance of quality to the chemical industry is in its use as a competitive tool in domestic and international trade. Industrial quality in the late twentieth century emphasized competition with Japan due to Japanese quality improvement efforts. Quality in the twenty-first century is driven by competition from low wage countries particularly in the Far East causing the need for our industries to reduce costs while maintaining or improving product quality. Quality improvement activities not only provide corporations with economic gain, but save jobs.

Quality control responsibilities involve issues, such as sampling plans, calibration, and replicate analyses. Statistical quality control and laboratory information management systems are often employed. Quality assurance, which encompasses quality control, covers such activities as employee training, quality system documentation, preparation and transfer of test methods, the application of the tools of quality, performing quality audits, and addressing customer complaints.

Different quality systems are compared. The corporate quality initiative for the beginning of this century is Six Sigma, while the product quality system Good Manufacturing Practices, the quality system ISO 9000 standard, and quality performance recognition by the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award are also widely used.