After an initial investment in equipment and training, statistical quality tends to pay its own way. Better yet, it does not require pesky monitoring and adjusting of the attitudes of temperamental craftsmen. Instead of relying on inspections to reveal defects that necessitate the expensive rejection or repair of finished or semi-finished products, SPC reveals mistakes early and makes it easier to identify and stamp out their root causes. Catching mistakes earlier means less rework and rejection, reducing costs and increasing profits. It is easier to program and reprogram machines than people.
Machines are also easier to scrap when their useful working lives have ended.
For consumers, this all means that the age of quaint, idiosyncratic craftsmanship is fast disappearing. But some cling to the sometimes irregular, asymmetric signature of the work of the human craftsperson. It has gotten to the point that finicky car owners seek out custom brush stripers because factory stripes are too perfect and therefore lack personality. The SPC revolution has improved the quality of cars greatly, and will continue to improve it, without coinciding increases in prices. Factors like new car engine and driveline durability and life span are improving every year, even as the need for maintenance in these areas is decreasing.