Benchmarking QFD application for developing packaging products

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to report case studies conducted in a company in Italy that produces packaging systems, in comparison with a Brazilian company within a similar industrial sector. The paper compares those two cases in terms of quality function deployment (QFD) usage and discusses the lessons learned from the cases. Design/methodology/approach Case‐based research was employed. Data were mostly gathered through semi‐structured interviews with engineers and managers involved with product development. Direct observation and archival data were also used to extract more evidence towards triangulation. Then, the aggregation of results was done a posteriori. Findings QFD implementation process was found to be similar in both companies but with some differences in terms of managerial aspects of product development, e.g. gathering the voice of customer and a more extensive use of other matrices besides the “house of quality”. Research limitations/implications The study was limited in two companies. Although one of the purposes was to analyse if there are contextual differences between those two cases, this study was unable of verifying the context of QFD application. In addition, the study findings are not generalisable to other similar plants. Practical implications The research shows the importance of QFD implementation and similarities between the cases, in addition to contributing to application by identifying relevant aspects of its introduction. It enables practitioners to use the findings on factors that should be taken into consideration when applying QFD. Originality/value Besides the comparison between two companies, the paper discusses the innovation on QFD projects in one of the companies. In addition, the empirical results found grounding in existing theory to some extent.

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