QDC—Quality, Delivery, and Cost—forms the foundation of effective production systems. Quality ensures products meet specifications and builds customer trust. Delivery measures supply chain agility and reliability. Cost reflects resource efficiency and market competitiveness.
Achieving excellence in QDC requires more than monitoring; it demands managing trade-offs and leveraging technologies like automation and AI to optimize all three areas for long-term competitiveness.
Industry 4.0 transforms QDC from a series of trade-offs to a model of simultaneous optimization. Integrating AI and IoT enables factories to improve Quality with predictive monitoring, accelerate Delivery through autonomous logistics, and reduce Cost by minimizing waste and downtime.