you will review the Quality in Practice exercise on pages 357-358 and you will respond with answers to the questions using your critical thinking and moral reasoning skills.

QUALITY in PRACTICE 38 Testing Audio Components at Shure, Inc. Shure Incorporated is a global, privately held com- Mobile Communications: Audio subsystems, such pany headquartered in Evanston, Illinois, with as hands-free cellular, within the automotive envi- manufacturing facilities in Illinois, Texas, and Mexico, ronment. Microphones need to perform in a vari- and sales offices in Germany and Hong Kong. ety of temperatures. Shure's mission is to deliver high-performing, quality, S. N. Shure began the company by launching a rugged and reliable audio products, and to provide superior customer service and support. Shure's phi- one-man operation in 1925 that sold radio parts kits. losophy is to be market-driven and customer-focused It was the microphone that marked the company's entry into manufacturing in 1932, and the micro- in their chosen markets. Each market segment has its phone remains Shure's flagship product to this day. own quality and reliability needs: Because of its emphasis on engineering research, Shure products became known early on for their out- Performance Audio: Musical performers and standing quality and durability. During World War II, those who record and monitor their work on Shure was awarded a U.S. government contract to stage or in the studio. Anyone who has attended provide microphones to the military, and needed to a rock concert can attest to the rough treatment microphones receive from the entertainers, some meet strict specifications for performance and rugged- ness. Shure took the extra step to develop a rigorous actually throwing them across the stage. in boutoctingnoram that remains in place today ness. Shure took the extra step to develop a rigorous actually throwing them across the stage. in-house testing program that remains in place today. Presentation and Installation Audio: Anywhere a In addition to microphones (both wired and wire- sound system is installed, such as houses of wor- less) and phonograph cartridges, Shure manufactures ship, hotels, conference rooms, clubs, theaters, and auditoriums. Many users are unfamiliar with ing mixers, digital signal processors, personal monitor- a number of other audio electronics products, includ- the acoustical characteristics of the equipment they are using and sound technicians are often ing systems, and digital feedback reducers. Shure's quality philosophy is reliability oriented. Products are not on site, so the equipment really needs to tested for reliability well beyond the warranty period, run by itself. with the goal of providing the customer long-term Radio and TV: Broadcast industry both in studio and service and satisfaction. Testing is designed to simu- on location in the field. Technicians need to have total confidence in the equipment they are using late actual operating conditions. Shure has more than 80 test procedures in place. The following are a few on a live, remote broadcast, because they cannot go back and redo that on-the-spotinterview. examples: Consumer Market: Phonograph cartridges and Microphone Drop Test: To determine whether a low-cost microphones, including audiophiles, microphone is capable of dynamic shock stress. hip-hop DJs, and home recording. Scratch DJs lit- Initial performance data are taken on the mic. erally take a record and pull it back and forth to Then the mic is dropped numerous times onto a the beat of a song, causing tremendous pressure hardwood floor from a height of 6 feet at random on the phonograph stylus. angles. The mic is "talked out" after every two Sequential Shipping: To evaluate the packaging Key Issues for Discussion effectiveness and mechanical integrity of the prod- 1. Describe how the definition of reliability pre- uct under simulated shipping conditions. This test sented in this chapter applies to the performance is used for all Shure products. Products packaged tests described here. Do these tests measure for shipping are given the following tests, in order: inherent reliability or achieved reliability? drop test, vibration test, and rough handling test. 2. For the examples of product testing provided in When the product is removed from its packaging, this case, discuss what quality/reliability mea- it must appear and operate as new. If appropriate, surements might be taken and how the data an electrical test is performed and compared to might be analyzed. For example, are the measure- initial electrical test data. ments attributes or variables? Would they be Cartridge Drop and Scrape Test: To determine abil- analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pareto charts, ity of stylus to withstand accidental drops and side and so on