Introduction:

Quality feature deployment plays important role in the shoe industry. Because of the pressure of production and to meet the targets. The shoe industry not only tries to increase production but also tries to improve customer satisfaction.  

House of Quality

House of quality is the technique used to improve the quality of the product. Hence the main concept of it is to tie up your goals with customer satisfaction. Therefore, the objective of House of quality is to give more attention to the customer and tries to overcome their problems. For this purpose, the team leader makes the plan and shares it with the team. Therefore The keynotes of the plan must be around customer satisfaction in quality feature deployment.

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Quality Feature Deployment

House of quality is part of quality feature deployment. Therefore this means that quality, along with characteristics and deployment. While in this technique, the customer needs are translated into the company goals and objectives. QFD is used to design either product, service, or objective to satisfy the customer.

For this purpose, initially, we need to know the problems of the customer. After that, we make the plan and try to address it in our product. Furthermore, the team must take feedback from the customers. To review whether the product is successful to fulfil the need of the customer or not.

Higher product quality feature deployment

Therefore to obtain a higher product, it is critical to combine the client requests in all production degrees. Which starts with research, and layout and until the end of the production procedure. Hence one of the maximum famous methods used to boom the satisfaction of a product is Quality Feature Deployment. Therefore the new production philosophy in shoe enterprise is based on informatics technologies and products for a marketplace, and no longer for a warehouse.

Marketplace adjustment quality feature deployment

This has conditional everlasting and in-depth revitalization of the procedure and the system. While High-frequency marketplace adjustments result from global competition in apparel enterprises. Hence it has a conditional manufacturing commercial enterprise structure to set permanent production aims like a quick shipping phase. Furthermore high-quality apparel merchandise, and prices which is acceptable on market in quality feature deployment. While Achieving excellent goals and growth in PBS potential is feasible by way of the application of continuous pleasant management device improvement.

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Voice of the user quality feature deployment

The voice of the user is considered one of the maximum critical factors in the best control. Therefore software of the method of quality feature deployment (QFD). This initiates and permits the proper kind of information for suitable decision-making. Such as correctly positioning PBS on market, and creating important situations for the establishment of feed lower back and estimates of found improvement.

Therefore we make use of QFD to collect and examine the voice of consumers. After this transforms it into product necessities and pleasant warranty measures at some stage in the layout. While construction, check, commercialization, and even product retirement method.

Integration of quality feature deployment

The integration of quality function Deployment (QFD) into your product development procedure allows for growing the products that clients want and value, characterized as Quality and cost. Therefore considering fees inside the product improvement techniques is imperative trouble.

Exclusive capabilities of an item and approaches to provide it is resolved within the design level. This facilitates cautious consideration in all phases of the design sports. While even it achieves this reason by using lowering expenses and growing the value for the client. Furthermore, QFD takes under consideration all the wishes and requirements of the customers and attempts to fulfill them, which sooner or later may additionally cause growth in product and service pride of the customer. The end utility of the QFD approach in footwear is presented in this given study.

Client request about quality feature deployment

The client requests are shown with the aid of completing a questionnaire. The organization of respondents includes men and women, between 20 and 50-year-old people, who used to do exercises more than twice a week. Their reviews are inventoried and analyzed and in the end, the most crucial ones are the input information for quality houses. The end result of the study is a higher product and for the manufacturers a guiding principle to get a product consistent with consumer expectations.

Methodology:

In this study, we have two components the research of the need of the customers by using the questionnaire and then constructing a quality house. The approach used for the research of the customers’ requirements changed into a questionnaire. The quiz contained 10 objects exploring sports activities and footwear.

While the raw material they are made from, logo, rate, and overserved by means of 4 questions they are concerning demographic components. Which include gender, age, training stage, and income degree of the respondent. The pattern includes customers (male and women) who do exercises health on the fitness center. The customers had been requested to be a part of the survey and the entire survey. The sample includes 30 people, 21 males, and 9 females, ages eighteen to forty, who work out more than instances in line with week.

Step 1: Customer requirements QFD

The primary part of the survey investigates the kind of footwear used at some stages in sports activities, the material they have been using for the production of footwear, the logo, and the rate. More than 50% of the respondents were having the important element of logo and brand when they are going to purchase products and it is observed through the material used and the rate of the product.

And the remaining ones are the second part of the survey which is to discover out the hobbies of the purchaser’s concerning traits of the game for health. For health, more than 60% of the participants select fabric footwear due to its flexibility and luxury, and the remaining participants are sporting footwear crafted from textiles and leather-based. They pick textiles because of the consolation, dryness of the foot, the burden of the shoe, and the fashion. The capabilities pursued through clients are:

• More than 60% need consolation.
• 50% look up for flexibility.
• 15% look for light footwear.
• Many people were needed for easy cleaning without problems during washing.
• In terms of the lock system, 60% of the participants choose shoe laces while 30% choose elastic laces and 10% used Velcro devices.

Figure 1:  Customer requirements.

Step 2: Regulatory requirements:

The requirements of the clients are often uncertain and indistinct technically speaking. A number of those desires are not found practical. So, the QFD has to determine if they may be conventional or no longer. The wishes have been categorized as primary and secondary necessities of the customers.

Figure 2: Primary and secondary requirements.

Step 3: Customer rating:

Now we will give the rating importance with respect to each requirement. The rating will be given from 1 to 5 scaling. After then the rating will be further used in the relationship matrix.

Figure 3: Customer importance rating.

Step 4: Customer rating the competition

For each requirement, the customer suggests a variety of scales from 1 to 5 concerning the competitiveness of the product below evaluate as compared to the products of competitor A and competitor B ( one method vulnerable and five most powerful). The client additionally makes a hierarchy of those three merchandise.

This technique of assessment indicates whether the customer statement is fulfilled, on one hand, and highlights the region of the organization that wants to be changed so as to enhance the layout system alternatively. Based on this analysis, strengths and weaknesses may be identified.

The weakness may be stepped forward with the aid of remodeling. The house ‘basis’ consists of the scale and measure unit of every feature creating a technical evaluation of the product analyzed closer to the 2 competitors.

Figure 4: customers rating the competition.

Step 5: Technical descriptors:

Technical descriptors are actually the attributes that we will define to make our product meet the customers’ demands in a more satisfactory way. Here in the case of footwear, we have defined some attributes like,

• Material used.
• Color.
• Permeability of air.
• Permeability of water.
• Lock system.
• Elasticity.
• Sole material hardness.
• Density.

Technical descriptor

Figure 5: Technical descriptor

Step 6: Directional improvement:

After defining the technical descriptors, the direction of improvements must be defined to get the know-how about the end results which we get from each area of technical descriptors. We used the following symbols to show the directional improvements.

Direction of Improvement
Maximize	▲
Target	◇
Minimize	▼

Figure 6: Symbols of directions.

Figure 7: Direction of improvement.

Step 7: Relationship matrix:

The relationship matrix is in which we determine the connection between the consumer requirements and the organizational capability to satisfy their desires. In which we ask some queries from the customers like what is the strength of the connection among the technical descriptors and the consumer’s desires. If the consumer desires to experience his toes dry having no longer to sweat it shows a strong connection with permeability and a weak connection with the raw material for linings and the top. In this way, the hardness of the sole has no impact on the customer’s preliminary desires. Relationships can either be weak, moderate, or strong and they can also be displayed with numeric values. Here we have shown the relationships with the symbols,

Relationships
Strong	s
Moderate	m
Weak	w

Figure 8: relationshipsymbol

   

Example of relationship matrix            

Figure 9: Relationship matrix.

Step 8: Technical analysis of competitor product:

This technical evaluation could be very beneficial to become aware of some troubles which have been disregarded by means of the QFD group in the design system. If there is a robust connection between a technical descriptor and a consumer requirement. Then the competitiveness assessment from the point of view of the clients needs to be in comparison with the technical competitiveness assessment. If the technical assessment suggests that the analyzed product is more advanced than the competitors’ products, then the assessment from the factor of view of the customers has to suggest a better grade. If there are a few variations in the customer’s belief then it shows the design mistakes that should be corrected and removed.

Technical analysis of competitor product

	Functional Requirements	lather material	color	Permeability for air	Permeability for water	lock system	elasticity	sole material hardness	sole material density	Our Product	Competitor B’s product	Competitor A’s product
Customer Requirements (Explicit and Implicit)		Planned Rating
Flexible					m	s		m	4	2	4	5
Design variety	s								5	3	4	4
To feel comfortable while wearing			s	s	s	m	w	w	3	4	5	5
Black and brown color		s							4	2	3	4
Available in different sizes			s		w	w			5	4	3	4
Light weight									4	5	3	4
Safe			m	m	w		s	s	3	4	3	4
Affordable							s	s	4	4	5	4
Technical Priorities
Percentage Total
Technical Benchmarking	Our Product	5	4	3	3	2	4	5	5
Comp 1 product	4	4	4	4	5	4	3	4
product	3	2	5	3	4	5	4	3

Figure 10: Technical analysis of competitor product.

Step 9: Target values for technical descriptor:

The row of target values uses the same scale which is used for the competitive assessment of the footwear. The maximum competitive is shown on a scale of 5 and 1 is shown in the bottom stage of competitiveness. In this row, we get the growing approach.

	Functional Requirements	lather material	color	Permeability for air	Permeability for water	lock system	elasticity	sole material hardness	sole material density	Our Product	Competitor B’s product	Competitor A’s product
Customer Requirements (Explicit and Implicit)		Planned Rating
Flexible					m	s		m	4	2	4	5
Design variety	s								5	3	4	4
To feel comfortable while wearing			s	s	s	m	w	w	3	4	5	5
Black and brown color		S							4	2	3	4
Available in different sizes			s		w	w			5	4	3	4
Light weight									4	5	3	4
Safe			m	m	w		s	s	3	4	3	4
Affordable							s	s	4	4	5	4
Technical Priorities
Percentage Total
Technical Benchmarking	Our Product	5	4	3	3	2	4	5	5
product 11	4	4	4	4	5	4	3	4
Comp 2 product	3	2	5	3	4	5	4	3
Design Targets	5	3	4	4	4	5	3	3

Figure 11: Target values of technical descriptors.

Step 10: Correlation matrix:

The quality house roof is shown by means of setting up the connections among the technical design characteristics. It will have a triangle shape which is positioned above the technical capabilities. This figure makes sure to perceive the characteristics which can be in conflict as compromises will have to be made. If those compromises are not resolved within the design degree, it is feasible to make a few adjustments later, because of this, better rates and client needs will now not be satisfied absolutely ensuring an improperly quality product. Making choices concerning this compromise is a difficult method that includes many departments in the organization and in the end results, we have to get a product in a short period.

Correlations
Positive	+
Negative	−
No Correlation

Figure 12: Correlations symbols.

Figure 13: Correlation matrix.

Step 11: Absolute importance:

For the development of the footwear products, the absolute importance values will be used after applying the following formula,

Absolute importance = (customers importance)* (improvement Factor)*(Sale point)

Column #	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
Direction of Improvement	◇	▲	▲	▲	◇	▲	◇	◇	Customer Competitive Assessment
	Functional Requirements	lather material	color	Permeability for air	Permeability for water	lock system	elasticity	sole material hardness	sole material density	Our Product	Competitor B’s product	Competitor A’s product				Overall Weight	Percentage of Total
Customer Requirements (Explicit and Implicit)		Planned Rating	Improvement Factor	Sales Point
Flexible					m	s		m	4	2	4	5	1.3	1.4	9.1	21%
Design variety	S								5	3	4	4	0.7	1.4	3.92	9%
To feel comfortable while wearing			s	s	s	m	w	w	3	4	5	5	1.6	1.4	8.96	21%
Black and brown color		S							4	2	3	4	1	1.3	5.2	12%
Available in different sizes			s		w	w			5	4	3	4	0.7	1.3	3.64	8%
Light weight									4	5	3	4	1	1.3	5.2	12%
Safe			m	m	w		s	s	3	4	3	4	1.3	1.4	3.64	8%
Affordable							s	s	4	4	5	4	1	1.2	3.6	8%
Technical Priorities	35.28	46.8	124.3	91.56	115.2	112.42	74.12	101.42
Percentage Total	5%	7%	18%	13%	16%	16%	11%	14%
Technical Benchmarking	Our Product	5	4	3	3	2	4	5	5
product 1	4	4	4	4	5	4	3	4
Comp 2 product	3	2	5	3	4	5	4	3
Design Targets	5	3	4	4	4	5	3	3

Figure 14: Absolute importance.

Hence Absolute importance is the ratio of the target value and competitive evaluation under the demands of the customer’s desires. If it is greater than 1 then it means the product will be accepted as the customer’s desires are fulfilled. The client seems happy when it is equal to 1 and if we get less than 1 value it means there are required some improvements. While Sales points are given from 1-2 which gives the reviews about the customer’s satisfaction. In the end, the overall weightage is focused which is calculated by getting the sum of the product of the connection between the customer’s desires and technical characteristics and the relative importance.

Discussion:

Flexible:

It is a high demand for customers purchasing footwear products. Especially people who do exercises and go to the gym, demand flexibility in their shoes to be comfortable while doing functioning. So, the highest weight was flexibility in shoes.

Design varieties:

People who go to the gym, do not demand verities of designs in their gym shoes. Because for them varieties do not matter to them. Therefore, this is the reason we did not get as much weight in this factor. So, companies should not focus on this point regarding gym shoes.

Comfortable:

Comfortable while wearing is the second most important and highly demanding factor for shoe purchasers. Because everyone wants to be relaxed and comfortable while running and walking especially for gym people.

Color:

The color of the products also does not matter to the people. While the most demanding colors are black and brown as these colors are easy to wash and clean.

Different sizes:

The size issues are not found while purchasing the products, as the shoes are mostly found in some standards. So, the reviews about the different sizes in the survey were also not of high worth. So, the companies can also be relaxed regarding this factor as well.

Light weight:

Lightweight shoes make people comfortable while walking. So, there was also a yes of customers for lightweight shoes.

Safe:

Safety is also found important for the people that is the reason it was found in strong relation with the sole hardness and density. Safety is found most important while using any product, especially while wearing. So, the manufacturers should be careful while developing a shoe product. As it also has the connection between the permeability of water and air.

Affordable:

Most people do not consider the rate factor. It was the lowest weight factor, as people demand many other factors while purchasing the wearing products so, by considering those factors they can go for some costly products.

Conclusion:

Furthermore, we get that the QFD has many benefits for manufacturing companies. So we took the case of shoe manufacturing. We can easily highlight the consumer’s requirements and can be aware of the most important factors which can increase the productivity of the organizations. While even we can ignore some factors without affecting sales. We can also compare the product of the company with its competitors. Also, we can describe the technical characteristics of the product while are found useful in the future.

References:

[1]	A. L. Alina Iovan-Dragomir, “Application of QFD Method in fitness footwear production,” ResearchGate, June 2018.
[2]	A. A. Hamid Ullah, “Design and Development of Mobile Phone Using Quality Function Deployment,” ResearchGate, March 2017.
[3]	J. S. Prathamesh Mohite, “Methods and techniques to improve the design of cell phones with the help of Quality Function Deployment (QFD),” International Journal of Scientific & Engineering Research, vol. 8, no. 2, p. Feb, 2017.
[4]	D. D. P. M. M. D. Milutin R, APPLICATION OF THE QFD METHOD IN CLOTHING INDUSTRY, 17-18 Sep 2008, p. 10.
[5]	E. S. E. Suryanarayana Chowdary Gunnam, “Quality Function Deployment and Value Engineering Applications,” International Journal of Emerging Engineering Research and Technology, vol. 4, no. 8, August 2016.
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[7]	“How to Make House of Quality? A House of Quality Example,” Master of project acadamy, [Online]. Available: https://blog.masterofproject.com/how-to-get-pmp-certification-guide/.