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  • July 1987
  • Case
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Altoona Corp.: Computer Products Division

By: Roger E. Bohn and Robert H. Hayes
  • Format:Print
  • | Pages:17
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Abstract

A relatively small manufacturer of computer memory disks has achieved a major market position through the use of its statistical quality control (SQC) program. It is now expanding the production of a new line of disks and is encountering problems getting the process yield to improve as rapidly as it has with previous products. Invites the student to grapple with such issues as: 1) What can the plant manager do to eliminate the apparent "stickiness" in the yield? 2) What changes should be made in the way the SQC program is managed? and 3) Is an SQC program ultimately viable in an industry which is changing (products and processes) so rapidly?

Keywords

Factories, Labs, and Plants; Volatility; Performance Consistency; Performance Improvement; Performance Productivity; Quality; Mathematical Methods; Hardware; Manufacturing Industry

Citation

Bohn, Roger E., and Robert H. Hayes. "Altoona Corp.: Computer Products Division." Harvard Business School Case 688-010, July 1987.
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About The Author

Robert H. Hayes

→More Publications

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    • July 2007
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    Kristen's Cookie Company (A) (Abridged)

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    Operations, Strategy, and Technology: Pursuing the Competitive Edge

    By: Robert H. Hayes, Gary P. Pisano, David M. Upton and S. C. Wheelwright
    • May 1999
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    By: Robert H. Hayes
More from the Authors
  • Kristen's Cookie Company (A) (Abridged) By: Roger E. Bohn and Janice H. Hammond
  • Operations, Strategy, and Technology: Pursuing the Competitive Edge By: Robert H. Hayes, Gary P. Pisano, David M. Upton and S. C. Wheelwright
  • Allied Connector Company By: Robert H. Hayes
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