The quality concept is today strongly connected with customer satisfaction. One important reason for the quality and productivity success in the Japanese industry is a consequent and systematic use of statistical methods during different stages of the production process. The quality challenge of the European industry therefore implies claims both on the industry to use more statistical methods and on the teaching of statistics at engineering schools at different levels. In this paper we discuss the modern quality development and the role of statistical methods in this development. We also emphasize its strong implications for the teaching of statistics at engineering schools.