The contemporary market for products and services is an arena of dynamically developing economic processes carried out both internationally and globally. Economic entities, while conducting their business, must meet the requirements of this market and at the same time be competitive in terms of the products and services offered that meet the expectations of their customers. This is related not only to customer requirements but also, among others, to legal and technical requirements. A universally recognized factor and a determinant of an entity’s competitiveness in the market is quality.
Quality is the totality of features of a product or service that determine their ability to satisfy stated and potential needs. It refers to both products and services. The meaning of this concept is accurately reflected by the presentation of the basic dimensions determining the quality of a specific product or service, which include: performance (in terms of the main features characterizing the operation of the product-service), features (basic characteristics of the product-service operation), reliability, conformance, durability, serviceability, aesthetics, and perceived quality in the customer’s assessment.
According to the European Organization for Quality, quality is the degree to which a product meets customer requirements. Quality is also a combination of design quality and manufacturing quality. Design quality is a measure of a product’s excellence in relation to the requirements set by the buyer. It is generally identified with the modernity of the product and evaluated using various parameters defining the product’s ability to fulfill its tasks. Manufacturing quality is a measure of the conformity of the manufactured product to the design at the time of acceptance. It is evaluated by the magnitude of deviations of individual parameters from the expected values, which allows for determining the grade of the product or classifying it as defective. Quality should also be perceived in connection with such concepts as: reliability and durability (failure rate and lifespan).
Product reliability is the probability of maintaining its efficiency, i.e., the ability to meet the requirements placed upon it within a specified time interval.
Product durability is the ability to maintain essential properties within specified limits (utility) and under specified conditions of its use. (…)
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Source: Logistyka Magazine 4/2012