Most food processors would jump at the chance to implement a company-wide statistical process control (SPC) program. Tree nut processor Blue Diamond Growers of Sacramento, Calif., is one of the rare companies that has done just that -- and with welcome results.

Blue Diamond recently completed a five-year program to implement SPC as part of an internal, company-wide line certification program. In addition to making process improvements and reducing variation, the SPC program's objective was to determine process capabilities for the company's various lines. "Meeting customer specifications if very important to us," said Kurt Huebner, project manager for the SPC implementation team. "SPC is a powerful tool for telling whether our processes are capable of producing finished goods [that meet] our customers' requirements. Crop input differs from year to year and knowing our process capability allows us to help customers make changes to accommodate the current crop."