Is design of experiments really used? A survey of Basque industries

A new survey is presented concerning the knowledge and use of the design of experiments technique (DoE) within industry in the Basque Country, a region recognised throughout Europe for its quality management. The survey was carried out within manufacturing companies, yielding a response rate of 18%. Results show that 94% of companies undertake experimentation; most of them use one-factor-at-a-time strategies, and only 20% of those follow a pre-established statistical methodology. Survey results show that research and development and manufacturing make up 85% of DoE use. Furthermore, results show that lack of knowledge about general statistics is commonplace and only 31% of companies claim to be knowledgeable about DoE. In addition, although Taguchi methods are well known among companies, only 7% apply this method. Despite every effort by specialists in quality and statistics, DoE has yet to be applied as widely as it could and should be.