On the Validity of SN Ratio in Parameter Design

In parameter design Taguchi analyzed a statistic which he called signal-to-noise(SN) ratio by using the experimental design technique. However he gave no justification for using SN ratios in the optimization procedure of parameter design. In this paper we discuss the validity of such SN ratios as proper statistics to be analyzed in parameter design. Moreover, using the real empirical data we examine the appropriateness of SN ratios, and we explain how transformation technique can be applied in parameter design as an alternative method of analysis.