Interview
Asian Engineer talks data, statistics and analysis with Minitab’s Michelle Paret.
The analysis of data T
he noted American engineer, statistician and professor William Edwards Deming (1900- 1993) once wrote: “In
God we trust, all others must bring data.” Now the collection of data and its analysis is essential for all engineering companies to improve their processes and operations.
Since it was created in 1972, Minitab has become the leading statistical software for quality improvement. It is used in every industry that uses data analysis and statistics to make their products and processes better.
It was originally developed at the Pennsylvania State University by researchers Barbara F Ryan, Thomas Ryan, Jr, and Brian L Joiner. Now, as Michelle Paret, Product Marketing Manager for Minitab, says: “It’s actually hard to think of an industry where Minitab hasn’t been used!”
Asian Engineer: What types of industries are using Minitab?
Michelle Paret: Naturally, this includes companies that are involved in manufacturing, transporting, distributing, and servicing products that include everything from toothpaste to tractor-trailers. Companies in ‘heavy’ industries such as mining, steel production, construction, energy, and forestry have all used Minitab to solve problems and boost quality. But we’re also found in the service sector, including government agencies, retail businesses, financial firms, and even non-profit organisations.
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But the first place most people encounter Minitab is in education – more than 4,000 colleges and universities use Minitab Statistical Software to teach statistics. Minitab was created by three professors. They wanted to create easy-to- use software to perform statistical calculations so their students could focus on learning the concepts and how to use statistics to answer questions and solve problems.
AE: Why do companies choose Minitab?
MP: First and foremost, Minitab is very easy to use. You can simply type or import your data into Minitab, and immediately begin to create graphs and analyse data with the click of a button. Statistics are difficult enough for many people – why would you want to make it more difficult with software that has a steep learning curve? To further facilitate ease of use, Minitab users like to use the Assistant menu, which helps you choose the right analysis, interprets your results, and makes it easy to present your findings with comprehensive reports.
AE: What’s the profile of a typical Minitab user?
MP: The one thing that most Minitab users have in common is that they are not formally trained as statisticians. They work in manufacturing, or healthcare, or government, and for most of them data analysis is just one of their responsibilities – and not necessarily their main job. Certainly, there are many Minitab users who are statisticians,
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