Culture continuous improvement

Total Quality Management. Total quahty management (TQM) is the term which encompasses all of the continuous improvement activities with the goal of world class quahty. This corporate culture sets up the conditions for a climate favorable to companywide improvement. 

Commercial use of cell and tissue culture continues to expand. Improvement of organisms through recombinant nucleic acid techniques has become commonplace. Formerly, a few laboratories were well ahead of most others, but now the methods have been perfected for routine use. Another technique that is widely practiced is culturing of cells that excrete high concentrations of just one antibody protein. The specificity of antibodies and antigens is exploited in medical testing procedures using these pure monoclonal antibodies. 

What do executives need to do to really change the performance culture towards a continuous improvement process ... 

An SCM improvement program should create momentum, break down the scope into manageable pieces, and explicitly manage the cultural and skill change necessary to ensure sustainability and continuous improvement. In addition, top management conviction and support are unshirkable prerequisites for success. 

Penicillin G is produced on a scale of > 20 kt a-1 via fermentation in Penicillium chrysogenum there is no competition from chemistry as production by chemical means would be far too elaborate. A relentless competition has driven the continuous improvement of penicillin G production [120]. Performance figures of the penicillin G culture are well-kept secrets but can be estimated at 15-20 g L-1 d-1. 

Computer validation should not be undertaken unless fundamental validation controls have been fully understood and implemented within the pharmaceutical or healthcare company s organization. Here we allude to properly qualified personnel, effective document management and change control systems, internal audit procedures, methods of managing the deviations from standard practice thereby exposed, and a culture of continuous improvement (see Chapter 4 for more details). Senior management must not fall into the trap of assuming through complacency or idleness that these controls have been fully instituted In most firms there is usually much that still needs to be done in these areas. Let us examine these controls a little more closely. 

Chemical players with the very best productivity increases, firms like Nalco, National Starch, or AlliedSignal, have several elements in common. Our research shows that companies with effective continuous improvement processes share one overall characteristic they have embedded entrepreneurship at aU the various levels of their enterprises to estabhsh a performance culture. 

Different metrics may be used to describe past performance, predict future performance, and encourage behavioral change. They are a means to evaluate the overall system performance and to develop a path toward superior process safety performance. This is accomplished by identifying where the current performance falls within a spectrum of excellent-to-poor performance. Such information will allow executives and site management to develop plans to address the specific improvement opportunities that could lead to measurable improvement in process safety. Good process safety metrics reinforce a process safety culture that promotes the belief that process safety incidents are preventable, that improvement is continuous, and that policies and procedures are necessary and will be followed. Continuous improvement is necessary and any improvement program will be based on measurable elements. Therefore, to continuously improve performance, organizations must develop and implement effective process safety metrics. 

Good process safety metrics will reinforce a process safety culture promoting a belief that process safety incidents are preventable, that improvement is continuous, and that policies and procedures are necessary and will be followed. Continuous improvement is necessary and any improvement program must be based on... 

Visibly supporting a continuous improvement culture that benefits everyone is an effective strategy to sustain process safety performance. Improvement efforts are often cast as a program with a definite beginning and presumptive end point. Driving to zero process safety incidents will require a sustained effort with evolving focus over the life of the process operations. 

The link between quality planning and quality improvement is execution. The continuous improvement cycle (Fig. 5) starts with benchmarking and internal assessment to arrive at a gap analysis. From the gap analysis an action plan with assigned leadership, resources, timelines, and metrics is developed. From this quality plan, the plant s human resources must successfully execute the plan for improvement to occur. It is the leadership s responsibility to assure that the plan is do-able, appropriate and adequate resources are assigned, and that the culture of the plant supports change. This starts with the project leaders who must have not only the technical skills, but also the project... 

Establish in the total organization a quality culture of customer focus, continuous improvement, and accountability for quality. 

To foster a partnership to manage continuous improvement in quality by focusing on processes, people, and culture. 

The information strategy will normally be implemented over a number of years. If the culture is oriented toward continuous improvement, the strategy will continue to evolve. 

Ramifications of Process Viewpoint Understood PDR as Continuous Improvement Understood Upper Management Commitment Location and Magnitude of Expected Gains Known Current Measures for Targeted Processes Corporate Culture Capable of Required Change... 

The continuous improvement of the eight pillars of quality and the implementation of the TQL system and process enable organizations to move from a tradition-based culture to a customer-driven organization culture. Table 2 summarizes the major differences between traditional and customer-driven organizations. 

Toyota s former President Watanabe, interviewed by Stewart and Raman (2007), reaffirmed the two main pillars of the Toyota Way continuous improvement and respect for people which includes critical stakeholders, the employees, the supply partners and the customers. These operational and cultural tenets have been systemized within the Toyota Production System (TPS). Initially, TPS was conceived of as the "3P model of Purpose, Process and People. However, Liker (2004) refined and extended this to the"4P model of the Toyota Way, Philosophy, Processes, People and Partners, and Problem Solving, represented in Figure 4-1. 

A culture of quahty and continuous improvement may be associated with a similar ethos of assurance and risk management... 

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