PQ Systems has re-issued the classic film “Right First Time” in DVD format as a 50th-anniversary celebration of its effect on the world of process improvement. The film was produced by London Television and released by the British Productivity Council in 1956, when the manufacturing world—especially in Europe—was focused on post-war recovery through quality improvement and production. Fifty years later, the black-and-white film, with its quaint speech and vintage dress, has assumed an almost timeless appeal.

Here’s the plot: After a customer announces that his company will accept shipments only from suppliers whose products have been manufactured strictly to specification, a fictional supplier struggles to conform to the new requirements. To learn more about efficiently making products to specification, the president of the company visits Marks & Spencer, a retailer well-known at the time for the high quality of its products. After computing his company’s quality costs, the supplier learns that 15 to 20 percent of its costs are due to poor quality. Subsequent improvements allow this supplier to overcome its quality challenges.

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