The term ""Taguchi methods"" was coined in the United States. It pertains to the evaluation and improvement of the robustness of products - or what may also be termed ""quality engineering"". The purpose of this book is to explain these terms and it is aimed at managers, technology developers and engineers of manufacturing enterprises. The book contains a general discussion about the productivity of manufacturing enterprises, which is equivalent to cost reduction and quality improvement at the following five manufacturing stages - technology development, product planning, product design, design of the production process and management of the production process.