Genichi Taguchi (田口 玄一, Taguchi Gen'ichi) (January 1, 1924 - June 2, 2012) was an engineer and statistician. From the 1950s onwards, Taguchi developed a methodology for applying statistics to improve the quality of manufactured goods. Taguchi methods have been controversial among some conventional Western statisticians, but others have accepted many of the concepts introduced by him as valid extensions to the body of knowledge.