QA 233 (Basic Business Statistics)

Case Assignments


Case 1

A “Boring” Time

Jon Weideman, first shift foreman for Cut-Rate Machining, Inc., is attempting to decide which vendor from whom to purchase a drilling machine. He narrows his alternatives to four vendors: The Hole-Maker, Inc. (HM); Shafts & Slips, Inc. (SS); Judge’s Jigs (JJ); and Drill For Bits, Inc. (DB). Each of these vendors is offering machines of similar capabilities at similar prices, so the effectiveness of the machines is the only selection criteria that Mr. Weideman can use. He invites each vendor to ship one machine to his Richmond, Indiana manufacturing facility for a test. He starts all four machines at 8:00 a.m. and lets them warm up for two hours, at which point one of his employees will use each of the shipped machines to drill 3 inch diameter holes in 6 inch thick stainless steel sheets for two hours. The width of holes drilled with each machine are then measured and recorded. The results of Mr. Weideman’s data collection follow.

Hole #

Hole Maker

Shafts & Slips

Judge's Jigs

Drill for Bits

1

3.15536

2.92252

2.60190

2.02030

2

2.99755

2.97392

2.60222

3.03385

3

3.08858

2.98229

2.59763

3.32224

4

3.18197

2.79168

2.60185

2.00025

5

3.14757

2.96214

2.60190

2.25248

6

3.12699

2.95743

2.59802

3.76329

7

2.93129

2.82490

2.60037

3.41679

8

3.19791

2.81727

2.59538

2.87640

9

3.20484

2.88561

2.60014

1.91941

10

3.04455

2.84558

2.59620

3.21901

11

3.19053

2.94179

2.60091

3.67859

12

3.11642

2.82028

2.60332

2.87002

13

3.18062

2.93314

2.60095

3.07564

14

3.17639

2.82812

2.60779

3.35902

15

3.13445

2.88686

2.59097

2.55533

16

3.10877

2.99191

2.61027

3.74159

17

3.16878

2.91444

2.59583

2.85352

18

3.14210

2.88477

2.60213

2.94686

19

3.06593

2.93674

2.59981

3.53161

20

3.06655

2.88121

2.60558

2.74854

21

2.95824

2.84613

2.60617

2.76577

22

3.01954

2.92180

2.60244

1.77106

23

2.82097

3.06028

2.60703

1.36567

24

3.13009

2.89668

2.59533

4.58108

25

3.01082

2.96004

2.59734

3.95579

26

2.96001

2.95365

2.59312

3.49077

27

3.11984

2.92686

2.59359

2.40779

28

2.99894

2.86093

2.61020

2.65877

29

3.26797

2.88655

2.60677

2.79807

30

2.98131

2.99421

2.60152

3.12367

31

3.03523

2.82062

2.59805

2.61922

32

3.18298

2.96640

2.60490

4.39890

33

3.14620

2.94228

2.60683

4.22789

34

3.16456

2.91600

2.59663

2.89872

35

3.15434

2.97500

2.59056

2.76578

36

3.16014

2.92051

2.60189

3.26863

37

3.05647

2.79988

2.59981

3.80914

38

3.17880

2.83380

2.60374

2.34738

39

3.21182

2.83800

2.60643

3.54851

40

3.12614

2.81183

2.60085

1.76834

41

3.21445

2.87817

2.59782

3.11172

42

3.09201

2.96431

2.60416

2.78681

43

3.19941

2.90182

2.60136

3.67875

44

3.14182

2.91667

2.59764

1.48390

45

2.94660

2.90583

2.60185

1.19745

46

3.17295

3.02606

2.60181

2.52600

47

3.04423

2.76927

2.60122

2.98701

48

3.07935

2.88717

2.59803

2.83613

49

3.00184

2.85111

2.59865

2.92475

50

3.18056

2.91170

2.59742

2.32291

51

2.99621

2.88600

2.59890

3.94451

52

3.05767

2.95688

2.59823

3.24739

53

2.99594

2.85948

2.60566

2.20663

54

3.00732

2.95893

2.60036

2.95989

55

3.13596

2.90924

2.59107

2.51437

56

3.02220

2.77657

2.59610

3.59299

57

3.25144

2.98844

2.59619

2.61903

58

3.16287

2.85970

2.59501

2.85114

59

3.25185

2.90787

2.59504

3.13359

60

3.09615

2.92056

2.60343

4.56557

61

3.11892

2.96387

2.59397

4.26472

62

2.94550

2.89802

2.60354

2.39693

63

3.07938

2.93147

2.60579

3.48364

64

2.98800

2.95297

2.59897

4.29441

65

3.11029

2.91004

2.60483

4.31025

66

3.01084

2.91917

2.60742

2.41979

67

2.90110

3.00518

2.60799

2.94662

68

3.04483

2.94290

2.60358

2.78153

69

3.08349

2.91355

2.59818

2.75056

70

3.22777

2.92246

2.60281

2.65155

71

3.14054

2.91922

2.59500

2.14858

72

2.95388

2.90369

2.61360

3.01557

73

3.02436

2.94998

2.60326

3.73582

74

2.91797

2.96277

2.59861

3.49731

75

3.02412

2.96588

2.60189

2.87547

76

3.10228

2.83906

2.59506

2.76278

77

3.09689

2.96647

2.59990

2.84366

78

3.01655

2.90445

2.60895

2.76274

79

3.01571

2.77522

2.60425

2.69899

80

3.13225

3.00485

2.60059

3.72456

81

3.28562

2.89425

2.60416

2.56143

82

3.02413

2.99810

2.60540

2.21533

83

3.14622

2.90782

2.59611

3.79024

84

3.05886

2.95759

2.59322

1.77384

85

3.03722

2.91667

2.60620

2.37768

86

3.18600

2.82870

2.60411

3.01132

87

3.02756

2.90239

2.59350

4.38121

88

3.11614

2.79594

2.60022

3.56086

89

3.22214

2.86875

2.59440

2.30481

90

3.20506

2.88447

2.60229

2.90249

91

3.17946

2.95572

2.60061

1.99928

92

3.13221

3.03448

2.59475

3.34981

93

3.17589

2.85118

2.59277

3.31810

94

3.23455

2.91646

2.59750

4.22752

95

3.13817

2.89485

2.59887

2.57046

96

3.08232

3.00038

2.59608

3.45791

97

2.91372

2.88582

2.59287

2.43684

98

2.98697

2.91636

2.60048

3.30704

99

3.16420

2.83932

2.60371

2.80038

100

3.20602

2.88451

2.59529

2.60546

Based on these results, from which vendor would you suggest Mr. Weideman purchase his new machine?

Hint: Think carefully about what qualities would make a drill desirable for Mr. Weideman.

 

Click here to download an Excel® file containing the raw data used in this case.


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