Final answer:
The maximum defect level a customer will always accept is the acceptable quality level (AQL), which is used by managers to maintain quality in production and ensure product defects remain within tolerable limits.
Step-by-step explanation:
The maximum defect level that a customer would always accept from a supplier is known as the acceptable quality level (AQL). The AQL is the worst tolerable process average when a continuing series of lots is submitted for acceptance sampling. A factory manager uses the AQL to decide how many products can be defective versus how many are produced without negatively impacting the relationship with a customer. The factory manager must ensure production quality is maintained above this level to keep the defect rate acceptable.
It is important not to confuse AQL with producer's risk or consumer's risk. Producer's risk, which is not the correct answer here, is the risk that a good lot is rejected incorrectly (Type I error), and consumer's risk is the risk that a bad lot is accepted (Type II error)The maximum defect level that a customer would always accept from a supplier is the acceptable quality level (option d).The acceptable quality level (AQL) is the highest number of defects or percentage of defective items in a given lot that a customer is willing to accept. It represents the maximum level of defects that a customer finds tolerableFor example, if the AQL for a product is set at 2%, it means that the customer is willing to accept up to 2% of defective items in a lot without rejecting the entire shipment.