Article list
Standardization as a challenge between efficiency and human capacity
Performance orientated Managers know that time is measurable and continuous and time management is a priority for the success of a business.Frederick Winslow Taylor's philosophy focused on the belief that getting people to work as hard as possible is not as effective as optimizing the way they do that work. Thus, in order to be able to optimize a job, we must be able to analyze it through different methods and standardize it.
Starting from work tasks, which should be designed in such a way...
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Lean Manufacturing - 3M: Muda Mura Muri
3M comes from the first letters of the three words: Muda, Mura, Muri. These are Japanese terms that refer to the three categories of waste that can be found in a business.Lean Management or Lean is the best way to manage waste disposal and deployment flow. Lean management, which comes from the Toyota Production System, is one of the most dominant management philosophies, both in the industrial environment and in the service environment. One of the reasons for the success of this system...
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The Objective - Motivational factor
“It is not enough to take a step every day that leads us to a goal; each step must be in itself an objective and a step towards the fulfillment of the goal at the same time. "- Johann Wolfgang von GoetheAre my goals well established? What about my subordinates' goals?
Do we use objectives to motivate the staff?
The objectives that have been established transform the strategic objectives of the entire company into the objectives of each organizational unit and, ultimately,...
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The typology of the authentic candidate - Self-presentation in job interviews -
We are trained to make the best impression possible when we apply for a job interview. There is nothing wrong with this, but sometimes the candidates who appear for the interview manage to pull of an entire act when they meet the interviewer, assuming the role of the ideal candidate.
From the moment they shake hands with the person who invited them to the interview (the human resources manager or specialist), the behavior of some candidates undergoes visible changes even for a...
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Mobbing and work ethic
The term ‘’mobbing’’ does not yet have a legal definition, but, according to doctrine and jurisprudence, it refers to a behavior with persecutory and harassing content, meant to determine the worker to resign or to penalize, humiliate or isolate him in the enterprise team.In 2020, the Romanian Parliament regulates through Law 167 / 07.08.2020 published in the Official Monitor no. 713 of August 7, 2020, moral harassment (without calling it mobbing):
“5.1) It...
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HR Analytics for the right business decisions
As human resources professionals, we are accustomed to remarks such as: "I did not select this CV because it did not convince me / it does not have the" vibe I am looking for" or "We do not increase the salary by 30%, we better recruit someone else on the current salary…". In our daily routine, these kinds of statements intrigue us, sometimes irritate us, because we can't offer clear arguments when someone else is guided by instinct.Human resources management, long assimilated to...
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Resiliency - an important trait of the ideal candidate in 2021
Constantly concerned with identifying the ideal candidate, current recruiters are taking into account a newly-defined feature: anti-fragility. The pandemic situation brought changes in organizational structure, changes in the type and schedule of work but also highlighted certain features of the candidates and employees that companies want.One of the most sought after features since 2020 is to be resilient. Organizations, individuals and societies must be resilient in the existing pandemic...
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The digital leader - the modest leader
We are familiar with the image of the charismatic leader, the image of the person who takes over the company through the skill of his words, of the wide and confident smile. Recent research in the field of leadership, especially in the digital age, shows that the charismatic leader is overtaken by the modest leader, apparently at the opposite pole.The main trait of the digital leader is modesty. Modesty is the ability to put other people’s interest above yours.. Thus, the modest leader...
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Dedicated employees - short argument
Most companies are constantly concerned, at least declaratively, with the degree of involvement of their employees because it is known that a person involved in the activity achieves better results, increased performance, which translates into organizational performance.One of the major difficulties of companies concerned with this issue is defining the "involvement" of employees. The inability to define involvement leads to the failure of proposed programs that are meant to increase job...
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Top 3 skills valued by the employer
Competitivity at work is what keeps us in the professional race. But what makes us competitive for the employer? Below are the top three skills most valued by employers:Critical thinking
We are tempted to make decisions quickly, as quickly as possible, so that we can move on to the next item on the to-do list that we have to close, but which we will never close anyway. The analysis of options seems to be a waste of time - which is insufficient as it is. However, critical thinking helps...
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Evaluating individual performance or team performance?
Looking for ways to facilitate teamwork, the decision is often taken to evaluate the team's performance, but is this decision one that leads to increasing the organization's performance or achieving business objectives?An answer can be found in social psychology, which defines social facilitation and social laziness. Social psychology is “in a sense of maximum generality, […] the scientific study of the real or imaginary interaction between social actors (individuals, groups)...
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How to approach staff selection criteria
The selection criteria are established based on the job description, depending on the specific knowledge necessary for the successful performance of the job, in order to choose the best potential occupant of the job. Sounds easy enough, doesn’t it?Every day we read recruitment announcements that state "beautifully" written criteria and that promise candidates that their fulfillment will help them to be successful and appreciated in that position. Speaking of "technical" criteria, there...
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The Exit Interview
The professional relationship of employment, like any relationship that people initiate, goes through certain stages of life: from initiation to development and conclusion. In any relationship, including the professional one of employment, the way we separate from the other, the way we close the relationship, reflects the quality of the relationship itself."The Exit Interview" is the discussion that the employer has with the employee who leaves the organization. It's not an interview in...
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Persuasion or manipulation in the organizational culture?
We usually give a positive connotation to persuasion and a negative one to manipulation. However, both behaviors, either that of persuasion or manipulation, are under the umbrella of the same attitude, that of influencing.We influence those we come in contact either by manipulating them or by persuasion. The influence itself is not positive or negative, but what polarizes it are the two types of behavior. The difference between persuasion and manipulation is the interest of one who influences...
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Three best strategies of staff retention in 2021
Staff turnover is expensive. In general, it costs us 3 times more to hire a new person in the department than to retain an employee.About 50% of employers consider talent retention to be one of the biggest challenges they face, and around 40% consider recruitment to be the biggest challenge for them during this period (sparkbay.com).
If salary increases are one of the main reasons for accepting a new role in a new company, these increases do not play a major role in staff...
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The assumed role - the premise of happy teams
Rapid changes, the need and the ability to constantly adapt to new technologies, which bring with them new needs of consumers, customers, bring a new perspective to the understanding of organizational structures and production processes.In this context, in Lean / Agile companies, roles are more important than jobs / positions. Why? They bring more flexibility being associated with flexible processes, they can be taken over by people with various functions (managerial or not), they enhance the...
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Active listening and the success of a professional relationship
Our life revolves around relational structures: we relate to family, friends, co-workers, people on the street, in the store, we relate to ourselves. Relationships exist only in the context of communication. Without communication the relationship disappears. Communication can be healthy, fluid or on the contrary - it can be difficult, and as a result: the quality of the relationship depends on how well we communicate.The professional environment regulates, through communication policies, the...
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The interpretation of the communicated message or active listening
Human communication, the process by which we exchange information with peers, is essential in the development of life, profession, in the relationships that we initiate, maintain or even interrupt. Communication involves a permanent transmission and reception of information, and when the permanence of these two processes is interrupted, communication disappears.The transmitted information is encoded in symbols (words, numbers, images, etc.), and decoded by the receiver, the one who receives...
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The integration of new employees
According to the Society for Human Resources Development (SHRM), the integration of new employees is the process by which new employees adapt to the social and performantial aspects of the new job in an easy and natural way and acquire knowledge, attitudes, skills and behaviors appropriate for the actual activity within the company ”.In short, the integration of new employees is the process by which the company ensures that newcomers start their activity "the right...
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ISO 9001 - The Challenge of Certificates
You have successfully completed the Quality Management System certification process and are the proud holders of an ISO 9001 certificate for your organization… one of the approximately 10,000 ISO 9001 certificates in Romania and one of the approximately 900,000 ISO 9001 certificates worldwide.Well done, congratulations… but as you can see you are not unique at all but just one “of the many”
What are you going to do next?
The answer to this question is the real...
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Standardization - an important step in any organization. Why do we use it?
We all know that the basis for continuous improvement is standardization!In addition to making our work easier, it reduces losses, improves quality and safety at work, and helps us be disciplined.
Each of us wonders about the standards and goals of an organization as we cross its threshold.
The standard makes it possible to master the technical characteristics, to satisfy the customer, to validate the manufacturing methods, to increase productivity, offering a sense of security to...
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Employees' benefits' system
The system of benefits offered to employees represents the indirect and non-cash compensations paid in addition to the salary package.The 2021 employer knows that the motivation, involvement of employees and their productivity depends on how appreciated and recognized they feel at work. At the same time, the employees link the appreciation granted to the package of benefits granted. The better it is adapted to their needs, the more they feel appreciated and respected.
To have the desired...
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Professional development needs' analysis
- The starting point in achieving workplace efficiency -Identifying and analyzing professional development needs are processes through which companies harmonize their own needs and individual professional development needs in order to reach the maximum potential of employees and the organization.
The identification of training needs takes into account:
- The level of knowledge, skills, competencies that are necessary in order to achieve business objectives and maximum individual...
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Leading the problem solving workshops
A problem is any deviation from standards or expectations that carries negative connotations.In everyday life, problems can lead to situations that cause us failure to achieve our goals.In business, problems can lead to low productivity, poor quality, high costs or even loss of customers.As with any methodology, there are obstacles in the process of solving problems. Among them we could list: Lack of problem solving tools, lack of time, resources, fear of failure or failure, lack of teamwork...Read this article...
Maintenance KPIs
If you want to achieve any goals in life - whether personal, group or organizational - then you need to know where you are going, how you will get there and how well you accomplish the tasks that lead you there. This also applies to maintenance work.Maintenance performance can be analyzed through key indicators (KPIs), which give us an immediate sense of direction, performance and perspective. Maintenance performance information is a source that can put you ahead of the competition. Modern...
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QMS: The benefits of process based approach
All the standards used in the management of Quality Management Systems (ISO 9001: 2015 or IATF 16949: 2016) require and use the process-based approach according to the PDCA methodology.PLAN - the top management of the organization establishes the context and stakeholders, its scope and limitations, objectives and quality policy of the SMC. SMC processes together with the risks involved, the interactions between the processes, the objectives and the programs to achieve them are established.DO -...Read this article...
The focus of great mentors
Mentoring is that relationship that is formed between an expert and another person who sets goals within the mentor's field of expertise.The mentoring relationship does not imply a power ratio, the position of the mentor or the mentee being unimportant. According to the Harvard Business Review, 75% of the workforce in a professional setting says they need a mentor, while only 37% actually have one. We are used to mentoring relationships only when we think of junior colleagues who join us...
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Top 3 performance indicators of staff recruitment and selection
In the competitive environment in which we operate during this period, the performance of human resources processes becomes a mandatory and defining topic in business decision-making processes.Although recruitment and selection of staff is still something that happens within many companies anyway, remaining unmeasurable processes, monitoring them brings visible benefits to the company and has a considerable impact in motivating HR specialists, giving them the opportunity to acknowlege the...Read this article...
Staff recruitment - the reinvented wheel
Staff recruitment occurred during World War II. CVs and recruitment agencies also appeared in the next decade. Since then and until 2021, many aspects of staff recruitment have improved, refined, refined, but can we say that something has changed in recruitment activities? The answer is no.However, with a simple internet search, you can find dozens of trainings, courses, workshops on staff recruitment. Do these courses and workshops reinvent the wheel ? Yes and no.
In terms of...
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First Pas Yield vs Rolled Throughput Yield
Quality is the heart and soul of any production unit. And production means both productivity and efficiency of use of the materials used.Many companies aim, even through KPI (Key Process Indicators) at the company level, to reduce their costs in order to reduce prices or to be able to withstand competition in the market, but also to reduce their probability of delivering non-compliant products to customers.The first-pass yield (FPY), also known as the transfer yield, is an indicator of the...Read this article...
Process Engineer - Pilot of continuous process improvement
Immediately after the revolution, in that period of restructuring and nebulous in connection with the professional future, many engineers gave up the profession and started selling or went abroad after a better life.In recent years, with the return of economic growth that has revived the market, engineers have begun to be sought after again.Process engineers, the basic category in production, are among the most specialized engineers when it comes to execution technology but also when we talk...Read this article...
Case Study. Stratification in the selection of improvement projects
In problem solving, choosing projects by identifying the best opportunities in team actions often makes the difference between success and failure.Choosing too large an area can lead to loss of focus, unnecessary spending of resources and failure to meet proposed targets.To understand the mechanism for selecting improvement projects, let's take as a case study a company that produces cold-rolled stainless steel strips.From the data collected from the quality information system (ERP) it is found...Read this article...
Who is responsible for the OEE?
Identification of production bottlenecks is done using in-depth analyzes, provided by numerous reports, such as: job and operator performance, OEE, production cycle analysis, machine use and downtime history, which allow production managers to make decisions. objective and informed. Monitoring machine performance allows managers involved in production to analyze, interpret and make decisions based on the data received to maximize their efficiency. Relevant machine operating parameters are...Read this article...
What is Self-Maintenance and how does it help me?
Self-service is defined as a maintenance strategy in which machine operators continuously monitor their equipment, make adjustments and perform minor maintenance tasks on their machines. It is the first pillar of the TPM (total productive maintenance) strategy.An operator trained in self-maintenance means knowledge of routine tasks such as cleaning, lubrication and inspection.
Self-maintenance aims to reduce intervention times. Indirectly, the number of defects is reduced and the equipment...
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Process capability and equipment reception
The capability of the technological process represents its ability to make parts with characteristics within tolerances.W. A. Shewart defines the ability of the process as its property to ensure a field of variability of a certain measurable characteristic smaller than the specifications.A stable technological process is capable if the natural spread obtained under known technological conditions and defined by the difference between UCL (upper control limit) and LCL (lower control limit) is...Read this article...
Application of statistics in Maintenance
It often happens to us that we have a lot of data collected in tables and that we have to interpret. An example is the recording of downtimes on different equipment.We all know that the analysis of data in tables is difficult to do and that is why graphical representations are desirable.
The MINITAB statistical software provides us with graphical and statistical tools that process this data in a form that is easy to analyze. I mention some of the most used: Histogram, Box Plot, Pareto, Time...
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Benefits of implementing 45001
As we mentioned in the previous article, there are a number of real, measurable benefits in terms of implementing and carrying out the activity respecting the requirements of the ISO 45001 Standard.Thus, the key benefits of using the standard include:
Reducing incidents at work
Reducing absenteeism and staff turnover, which leads to increased productivity
Reduced costs of insurance premiums
Creating a culture of health and safety at work, employees being thus encouraged to take an...
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Implementation of the new product - takeover in production
Project takeover in the operational area is a transition process initiated when a project is completed or nearing completion and enters series production. This transition of a project into production must follow the plan established with the terms and activities corresponding to the project management.The introduction of new products that consumers and customers require requires detailed information, time and dedicated resources from an organization. Companies that successfully develop and...
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Who solves the problems?
Problems continue to arise so quickly that we find solutions and shortcuts to temporarily alleviate voltage points - so that we can move on to the next problem. In this process, we fail to eliminate the root cause of every problem that arises and we are trapped in an endless cycle that makes it difficult to find real solutions. Does it sound familiar?We all have problems that we face in our daily activity and life, it seems that there is never enough time to solve each one without facing...
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Coaching in Six Sigma projects
Six Sigma is a complex five-step problem-solving methodology (Definition, Measurement, Analysis, Improvement and Control).From the beginning of the Six Sigma program, starting from the strategy approached by Top Management, listening to VOC (Voice of Customer) or VOB (Voice of Business), evaluating problems and prioritizing them, the coach is involved in opening the management horizons for choosing projects. Six Sigma.
Green Belt and Black Belt coaching is for many organizations an integral...
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Lean in maintenance processes
Yes, Lean is also suitable for maintenance.Maintenance is considered an activity that contributes to improving the availability, efficiency and productivity of each piece of equipment. Several techniques have been used to achieve greater maintenance efficiency, among which we can find the Lean maintenance philosophy.This methodology allowed the prescription of appropriate Lean techniques to solve the main deficiencies of the maintenance function, obtaining important results and making the...Read this article...
We, the robots and their maintenance
Over time, man has built tools to make his work easier and more productive. They have been continuously improved and become more and more efficient. Each industrial revolution brought new tools and technologies. I called some of them robots.Brief history of the appearance of robots:1938 - the first attempt to make a robot in anthropomorphic design, by the American engineer Wenslei (Westinghouse Electric Manufacturing Co.)
1940 - the use of the first synchronous manipulators for the...
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11.03.2021- ISO 45001 implementation deadline
Every day in the world, approximately 6300 employed people lose their lives either due to occupational diseases or work-related accidents, ie more than 1,000,000 lives / year.The list of tragic events at work in our country is, unfortunately, much too long, reaching a number of hundreds of such cases every year, which unfortunately puts us in the first places in the European rankings of this gender.All these accidents and illnesses, in addition to the undesirable effects on the people involved,...Read this article...
The importance of plastics
Plastics are a constant presence in everyday life. This is due to some advantages of these materials from which we can mention:pleasant appearance;
easy processing possibilities and relatively simple, productive equipment;
wear resistance and high portability;
accessible raw material bases;
relatively low prices
Plastics can be derived from petrochemicals or from renewable sources (eg bioplastics).In developed countries, almost a third of plastics are used for consumer goods (eg...
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Increase productivity with Human Interface Mate (HIM)
HIM is an innovative system that transforms workstations into a digital and interactive environment. It reduces the qualitative and productivity variations in the manual processes by guiding the operator, thus being a poka-yoke system, ie a process in which mistakes due to the human factor can be prevented.Transforming workstations into a digital environment is done by:
Operator guidance with augmented reality instructions
Validation of operations by built-in smart sensors
Integrating...
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FlexSim - software for analysis and 3D modeling of processes and systems
FlexSim is software that helps you turn your existing factory data into accurate predictions for your organization in order to analyze a current or future scenario.The 3D simulations created with FlexSim help you mimic the look of the real system, so it is easier to understand and evaluate based on data happening in current processes or designed for optimization.This allows you to identify potential bottlenecks in the process or system and the optimal location options to eliminate them.FlexSim...Read this article...
Who is responsible for PFMEA?
Responsibilities within the organizationWhen an organization decides to use the PFMEA methodology one of the first questions that arise is about responsibility for the process… and usually after this time the organization gets stuck in a long series of negotiations in the management team, usually between the engineering and quality departments.The ambiguity arises from a poor understanding of what this responsibility means or because of the behavior of that organization in terms of (non)...Read this article...
IATF - remote audits during COVID-19
The spread of the COVID-19 pandemic affected all branches of industry, with automotive production being one of the hardest hit.In addition to the existing problems in 2019 with the availability of labor and the decrease of orders, there was also a less known and discussed issue, the conduct of audits in pandemic conditions.Due to the pandemic, many organizations were forced to discontinue their activities for a shorter or longer period, which in many cases led to the expiry of the IATF...Read this article...
Setting the objectives; SMART
Companies that want to achieve performance need to develop an organizational culture based on goals. And of course these related to performance evaluation for both top and middle management and for individual employees.Starting from the CEO's vision and strategy, the long-term objectives of the company are defined and they are later broken down at the level of the organization's structures and finally at the individual level.The power of goals lies in how they create both an action plan for the...Read this article...
Prioritization; Make the most of opportunities
During the improvement process, after defining the problem, collecting the data and analyzing them, decisions must be made regarding the choice of optimal solutions to be implemented.After finding the root causes, the project team can generate several improvement ideas, only a few of which need to be selected based on an objective assessment.Prioritization is a decision-making, rational process that is achieved through criteria. Most of the times, when the team members find the best criteria,...Read this article...
How much do we plan and how much do we leave (planned) "at random" ?
n our "Production Planning" courses, when we get to the capacity calculation of production capacity and especially how much we choose to fill capacity, many participants have the same frustration: WE KNOW (it is 100% sure) that we will have variations in customer orders , that there are problems with machines and equipment (it does not work at 100% capacity), that we do not have enough operators sufficiently prepared, but we insist on planning at theoretical capacity (maximum). "We know" and...Read this article...
Sampling
Data must be collected to perform analyzes, studies, graphs, or to demonstrate improvements after a project.
Collecting (measuring) a lot of data can sometimes be very expensive, it would require a lot of time and resources. For this reason, we are working with sampling.The sample is a significantly smaller extract of the population used to make a deduction and relate back to the population. Usually the most common deductions are average and standard...
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DOE - What it is, and purpose
The study of processes is essential for their improvement. We can observe events as they occur without influencing them. If we are lucky, an interesting event for our process can take place during the observations.If not, then we need to proactively manipulate the input variables so that their effect on the output variables can be studied.DOE (Design Of Experiment) is a scientific method by which, in a systematic and planned way, experiments are performed that allow the evaluation of the effect...Read this article...
COPQ: Non-Quality and Six Sigma Costs
As it is known, Six Sigma is a problem-solving methodology, which improves the quality of products and, consequently, increases customer satisfaction.COPQ means the costs of Poor Quality.Knowledge of COPQ allows an organization to determine the extent to which its resources are wasted.Having such information allows an organization to determine the potential savings that can be achieved by implementing process improvements.There are four categories of quality costs to consider in the COPQ. These...Read this article...
Choosing Six Sigma Projects: A Challenge
Six Sigma projects generally addresses to more complex problems, for which no solutions are known.Initially, when creating the methodology, the vast majority of projects started from VOC (Voice of Customer) and lately, especially in times of crisis, such as the one in 2009, the VOB (Voice of Business) approach was also observed - in fact a reduction in costs.Many projects are chosen from KPI (Key Process Indicators) to be improved.These could be: defect rate, preparation time, equipment...Read this article...
The purpose and advantages of an ANDON system
In Lean production, an ANDON refers to a tool that is used to inform and alert workers about problems in their production process.The term Andon comes from a Japanese word for the traditional paper lantern. An Andon is one of the most common forms of visual management that is used in Lean. It is an extremely effective tool, as it allows the operation to work without problems, without blockages. An ANDON is a system that helps the flow of information on the status of the production...
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Poka-Yoke concept and benefits
Poka Yoke is a commonly used method in Lean Manufacturing to ensure as few errors in a production process as possible. A "poka" is an "unintentional error" and "yokeru" is Japanese for "prevention", so Poka Yoke is a mechanism that prevents a mistake or makes the mistake obvious at first glance.Poka Yoke is used to prevent and resolve defects during the production process, eliminating the need for quality control after the process.Poka Yoke makes it practically very difficult or impossible to...Read this article...
Preventive maintenance. Important elements for its success
Preventive maintenance (PM) sums up the activities that are regularly performed on an equipment to reduce the likelihood of failure during operation. Basically we want the equipment to work perfectly until the next planned shutdown.Implementing preventive maintenance involves a few steps, namely:
1. Choice of equipment maintenance system
2. Preparation of spare parts lists
3. Supply of spare parts
4. Training of maintenance personnel for the performance of preventive maintenance...
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How do we balance workstations ?
Balancing workstations in a production line is used to improve technological flow by reducing worthless activities. The balancing of the line consists in distributing the work as evenly as possible between the stations.The reference time for balancing production operations is the tact time calculated based on the customer's order and available capacity.This type of project is carried out in two stages: evaluating the current situation and preparing & implementing the future situation.For...Read this article...
What is VSM / Value Flow Chart and what is it for?
Material and Information Flow Diagrams were originally developed by Taiichi Ohno and Toyota's Operations Management Consulting Division to help suppliers learn the Toyota Production System.Later, in 1999, Mike Rother and John Shook adapted the Toyota techniques and turned them into what we know as "Value Stream Mapping". Value Stream Map is a visual representation of the process flow and information.
VSM is used to locate where improvement is needed in a stream. Whether it is for...
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MUDA (Waste - identification and categories)
The activities are divided into two categories: activities with value (VA) and activities without value (NVA).Dumb / waste is defined as any activity that consumes resources without creating value for the customer.
Besides MUDA, there are also MURA and MURI, but both lead to MUDA.
The first means unevenness / imbalance between operations, in processes. MURI, refers to the overloading of equipment or operators.
Non-value added (NVA) activities can be divided into eight...
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5S - Performance indicator for the Production area
Organizations use multi-level KPIs or performance indicators to assess success in meeting targets.High-level KPIs can focus on overall business performance, while basic-level KPIs can focus on processes in departments such as sales, marketing, human resources, production, maintenance, and more.
In addition to the classic indicators for the Production area such as Efficiency, Productivity or OEE, we must also have 5S.
5S is composed of the following...
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Hypothesis Testing: Continuous Output vs. Attributive Input
Sometimes, in practice, we want to make sure we make the best decisions. For example, we want to choose for deliveries in the city, the fastest option between scooter and van.We will use hypothesis testing, a method of proving beyond any logical doubt that a statement is true or not.A number of statistical tools are used for data analysis, the application of which depends on the type of input and output data.We issue the null hypothesis (H0): The delivery time is the same for both means of...Read this article...
The link between FMEA & Control Plan
Common mistakes that impede performanceAre we conscientious users of the FMEA and the Control Plan and still have problems? Then we should be careful that:1. The FMEA should be aligned with the Control Plan process steps.The process steps must correspond to those defined in the Flowchart. Each line in the FMEA must have a corresponding line in the Control Plan, more precisely for each risk identified in the FMEA we must have a control for prevention or at least detection in the Control Plan.2....Read this article...
Graphical Analysis: Pareto and time chart
Graphic analysis is "the method of analysis that performs the graph by taking data from data tables." We learn from interpreting data about the nature of the process and where the sources of variation come from.The Pareto Chart, also called the 80/20 rule, which specifies an unequal relationship between effort and effect, helps us to prioritize actions. It was named after the Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto, who observed that 80% of Venice's wealth was owned by only 20% of the population....
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Why should we use Kanban ?
Kanban is a way of discovering problems related to processes and workflows, which allows them to be solved and the efficient delivery of products to the customer.These objectives are achieved by introducing constraints in the system to optimize value flows. The flow is the center of attention.The advantages would be: o Provides transportation information. o Provides production information. o Prevents overproduction and excessive transport. o Serves as a work order attached to the product. o...Read this article...
Why do we need a Quality Department?
One point of view: Why do we need a Quality Department?(or Why Production Can't Without Quality)
In society, fire prevention is generally considered to be everyone's responsibility - and yet it cannot be done without professional firefighters.
Similarly in an organization, no matter how Lean it is and everyone's dedication to maintaining quality, we will have problems reported by customers. Some of the immediate questions are:
To whom does the client address the complaint?
Who reacts...
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Speed, Quality, Cost - Meaning and use
The Speed-Quality-Cost Triangle is also known as the “Management Triangle” of the project (also called the triple constraint) which is a model of constraints in project management.What is essential is to balance all three, so that performance is targeted for each. There is no point in improving speed by increasing costs or reducing quality.
It is also known as the "Application Triangle" or "Quality Triangle" and shows the inherent trade-offs of any project.
In the normal...
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Point of view: Collaboration of the Production department with the support services (logistic perspective)
I suggest you do an imagination exercise: try to imagine a client, the most difficult client you have. Add to this customer the image of "very important" even if it is not, the image of "I need and I do not care how you do" even if it generates costs higher than the value it produces, a customer who has some indicators measurable defined for his activity and to achieve those indicators does not care about others around him. Any attempt to communicate to improve relations and, consequently, of...Read this article...
SigmaXL - among the most popular programs for statistical processing
Have you tried working with SigmaXL? If not, it's time to give it a try. It is a software that comes as an ‘Add-in tool’ to the well-known Microsoft Excel. So if you master Excel well then it means that you will get used to using SigmaXL very easily.Sigma XL comes with complete sets of graphical and statistical tools used in Six Sigma projects.As graphic tools I can mention: SPC Control Charts, Pareto Charts, EZ Pivot / Pivot Charts, Histograms, Dotplots, Boxplots, Normal...Read this article...
Hypothesis testing: Basic principles
During the problem-solving process, especially in Six Sigma projects, we are put in a position to statistically prove relationships between various process outputs and parameters that are suspected to influence them. The causal relationship is based in statistics on what is called hypothesis testing.For example: we want to improve the hardness of a metal part and the potential factor is the cooling rate.
Hypothesis testing is a formal procedure for investigating and proving the causal...
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Why use SMED ?
The SMED concept appeared in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It was developed by Shigeo Shingo together with Mazda, Mitsubishi, Toyota. The need to implement a fast and efficient method of change came after the analysis of the process of injection / pressing of automotive components. Through the implementation of SMED, the production concept has changed, offering them flexibility and reduced production costs.Single Minute Exchange of Die or in short S.M.E.D. : is one of the many methods of...
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Professional statistical programs: MINITAB
Minitab is a powerful data analysis and graphing software used worldwide.Minitab helps companies monitor process trends, easily apply automotive / aero (SPC, MSA) requirements and solve even the most complex problems.
Main uses:
Graphic analysis (Histogram, Boxplot, Dotplot, Bar Chart, Time Series Plot, Pareto Chart, Graphical Summary etc),
Testing normality and identifying the type of distribution
Statistical Process Control: Stability (I-MR control charts, Xbar-R, P chart, etc.) and...
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A3 problem solving
The A3 process is a problem-solving tool. Toyota has developed this system to encourage learning, collaboration and personal growth of employees. The term “A3” is derived from the special size of paper used to outline ideas, plans and objectives throughout the A3 process.Steps to achieve A3 improvement:
Identify the problem or need.
Understand the current situation / state.
Develop the initial state - Develop the future state.
Perform root cause analysis.
Brainstorm /...
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8D Problem Solving? Procedure ?
It often happens that in the production process we have problems of quality, flow, cycle time, organization, supply, etc. In the literature have been developed several tools that define methodologies for solving more or less complex problems depending on their difficulty. Obviously, the ‘price paid’ for the application of these methodologies varies depending on the instrument chosen.Analyzing these problem-solving methodologies, we drew attention to the 8D method that helps solve...
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Do we really need the MSA procedure?
Today's production companies collect a large amount of data, through measurements and inspections, on the basis of which decisions will be made with an impact on processes and business in general.Inspections performed either automatically (more and more often) or by specialized personnel, can also generate erroneous decisions, with effects in artificially increasing defects or sending non-compliant products to customers. In both situations we lose money and even customers.
To prevent these...
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What should an SPC procedure contain?
Knowing that all production processes have some variation, about 100 years ago Walter Shewart discovered a way to distinguish between common causes and special causes of variation in a process. Shewart also understood the danger of "firefighting" actions to react and act depending on where individual values are located in relation to the tolerances of a process.This discovery of Walter Shewart, together with the methods developed later, is today called statistical analysis of a process...
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Efficiency of Warehouse Activities
Do we have enough resources? Correct answer: I don't know!Efficiency means the extent to which the effort or resources consumed generate value for a process.
How efficient are the activities defined in your warehouses? For the efficient measure in the logistic activities we must first of all have defined the processes and the activities in the warehouses - do we have them?
Are the responsible persons qualified for those activities? Are times defined for each activity (norms) and can...
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Dynamic Array – FILTER
To extract information from a table according to one or more criteria we can use Advanced Filter. It's a pretty good solution but it has a big problem: it doesn't update. Then we have to intervene with a macro, possibly a "filter" button.The Dynamic Array solution is much simpler and much more "dynamic": FILTER.Article dedicated only to Office 365 users.Here is the file used for example: http://bit.ly/384Lv59The problem is to extract information from a table into a form.In the Extras...Read this article...
Office process automation
These days, more than ever, we wanted some of the activities carried out even at home to be automated. Working from home is not easy, and the need for some of our office activities to be automated has become more acute.Even if we work from home, we still have a series of repetitive or time-consuming jobs (reading emails, extracting data from emails, responding to emails, obtaining approvals, preparing reports). Statistics say that a third of work time is spent on repetitive and time-consuming...
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Production Planning – Loss and Profit!
Product planning is the brain of a production unit, the product represents a strong resistance (bone and muscle) and logistics for circulatory care, if needed, food and cleaning the "body". It is very important to plan the production and the first information for a greater correction in time or time, then information on this matter is first planner, the finished product being a correct product planning.Proper product planning means predictable and high accuracy estimates over the medium and...Read this article...
Optimizing Warehouse Space Use - How to Get More Resources?
Both in Production and outside the production area one of the most expensive resources is space. When we enter the Logistics area and we talk about warehouses and warehouse service spaces (access roads, loading / unloading ramps, parking and waiting areas) the space seems more and more important and more expensive. If in the production areas we have dedicated departments and functions that deal with spaces (layout in production, spagetti diagram, VSM) to optimize the movements and obtain a...Read this article...
Production Planning - The Supreme Purpose !
In any production organization as well as those in the sphere of services, there are products that are made easier or harder or some with high loss rates (scrap and remedies). In general, it is considered that if we leave Production Planning (PP) to Production, we will only plan products that are easy to make with a small scrap, with a generally high productivity, but to the detriment of those for whom we have demand. On the other hand, PP switched to Logistics can decrease productivity but...Read this article...
Dynamic Array - Unique Sort
We start from the last article on XLOOKUP (https://bit.ly/39dN8yq) and try to solve the problem of extracting unique data and sorting them using the new dynamic array functions. Bonus, an optimization of data validation. This article is for Office 365 users only.Here is the file used for example:http://bit.ly/2UZAEGTProblem 1. Extract unique data. For example, the product list.We want to make a data extraction form (XLOOKUP) where we find out the quantity delivered for a particular product.In...Read this article...
Process Optimization Workshop
On March 12, our company organizes a workshop in Arad at the Continental Forum hotel with the theme "Process Optimization", where we will have as guests: InterMarium Company from Poland, Centro Software from Italy and company Arkite NV from Belgium. This workshop is intended for CEO's, Plant Manager, Operational Manager, Manager Engineering as well as other people who are responsible for improving processes in the factory.InterMarium company from Poland is an IT company that will present a...Read this article...
Dynamic Array – XLOOKUP
What we wanted in the last article (https://bit.ly/2sQCWvL), was done in mid-January: Microsoft has activated the Dynamic Array for all Office 365 users, not just for "Insiders". In the following articles we will describe these new functions. For today, XLOOKUP.As usual, we start from a problem and try to identify the elements to solve.Problem: Data table and extracting information in various situations.Access to the work file:Problem 1. We have a data form, where when choosing the product code...Read this article...
Analysis of Measurement Systems with Q-DAS or MINITAB ?
Measurement systems analysis (MSA) is meant to show us whether the data we use to analyze processes are reliable or not. MSA is a first step that should precede any decision, including the use of Statistical Process Control (stability and capability).There are several software used for statistical data processing. Often used today are MINITAB, Q-DAS but also Excel.Regardless of which software is used to achieve the MSA, all must comply with the standard required by the client, as the case may...Read this article...
Microsoft Power BI
For some time, the area of Business Intelligence has gone from predominantly IT to what we call self-service business intelligence. We need to process and analyze data much more often than we did before, on all levels, not just in the management area. We need to automate our processes and access information faster, in real time. Let's see how Microsoft Power BI can help us.From the beginning we must admit that the old BI solutions were the result of the collaboration between analysts and...Read this article...
Box Plot Chart
A Box Plot is a type of graph used to show quantitative data patterns. It provides information regarding the central tendency and the shape of the studied distribution.The elements of the Box Plot diagram are:Vmin - The minimum value named and is the smallest value observed in the string of values, excluding outliers;Q1 - The lower quartile delimits the lowest 25% of the observed values;Med - The median delimits 50% of the values (it is exactly halfway between the minimum and maximum...
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Teamwork
Teamwork is the collaborative effort of a group to achieve a common goal or to complete a task in the most efficient way.The team receives the goals, understands them and commits to achieving them. Team motivation is strengthened when the organization has clear expectations regarding its work, goals, responsibility and results.From the point of view of team building, they can be homogeneous or heterogeneous. By homogeneity, the team will be much faster aligned with the objectives and the way of...Read this article...
Materials Management Operations Guidelines/Logistics Evaluation V5
Initially defined to establish the requirements of the quality standard in the Automotive Industry for Logistics, MMOG / LE, or the Instructions for Materials Operations Management / Logistics Evaluation, it has become one of the most important tools for standardizing operations in the Automotive industry. The instrument has a multiple role:• Defining a common language throughout the automotive industry regarding otherwise differently perceived notions (eg stock level, recovery plan,...Read this article...
Risk Management
Risk management means identifying, evaluating and prioritizing risks (defined in ISO 31000 as an effect of uncertainty on objectives), followed by a coordinated and economical application of resources to minimize, monitor and control the probability / impact of unfortunate events or to maximize opportunities .The risk management standards have been developed by various institutions, including the Project Management Institute, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the ISO...Read this article...
VDA 6.3: 2016 - why do our customers "stress" us?
Life in a provider organization for the automotive industry is very ... alive. You just don't get bored. One of the special moments is when the customer announces that he is following a process audit according to VDA6.3, whether we are talking about a potential analysis or a process evaluation in series production.What and how do you continue? What is this and what does this VDA6.3 help us with?According to VDA6.3, process audit is a method of impartial analysis and evaluation of product...Read this article...
PPAP - Production part approval process
The Production Part Approval Process (PPAP) is designed to demonstrate that a supplier has developed its design and production process to meet customer requirements, minimizing the risk of failure through the efficient use of APQP. Therefore, the request for approval of the new product must be accepted in official PPAP format and with documented results.The latest PPAP edition, published by AIAG, has been completely restructured to describe the requirements regarding the approval of new or...Read this article...
Traceability - curse or blessing? Logistic approach
Traceability is a basic requirement of any industry, in some cases traceability at the batch level is sufficient to meet the requirements, in others it must go in detail and demonstrate that a finished product was made according to the established process, using the materials and quantities established, produced by operators trained to perform those stages of the process, with the recording at the piece level of the date and time of execution of each transformation of the raw material into the...Read this article...
Santa Claus ... hoping to bring us the Dynamic Array
Santa Claus ... hoping to bring us the Dynamic ArrayCareful! This article is for Microsoft Excel-dependent users.Any Microsoft Excel-dependent user wants to be able to benefit from Microsoft's Dynamic Array promises by 2020. Don't you know about them?You had problems with the VLOOKUP function because they didn't even look at the data to the left of the column, you wanted to extract data from a column faster and sort it automatically, you wanted to generate a Data Validation for a much faster...Read this article...
IATF 16949:2016 vs. ISO 9001:2015
Want to access the automotive supplier market?If you are sure you want more projects with large volumes (but with relatively small profit margins and with a few more headaches), the solution is the proper implementation and management of a Quality Management System according to the IATF 16949: 2016 standard.The IATF standard 16949: 2016 is based on ISO 9001: 2015 and defines the requirements of a Quality Management System for the design and development, production and, if applicable, service of...Read this article...
MSA - Open session (Ploiesti)
The practical and interactive applications within the Effective Flux sessions were and are to the taste of all participants 😊.Right now, in Ploiesti, George's expertise is being felt at the Measurement Systems Analysis (MSA) course. At this type of course, participants from various fields (automotive, food, medical, textile, aeronautical) learn how to verify the effectiveness of the inspection.In the interactive part of the session, the application is made, the data is collected and then...Read this article...
APQP - Advanced Product Quality Planning
APQP (Advanced Product Quality Planning) is a standard designed to support the framing of the launch of a new product as well as the reduction of costs since the product definition phase.Increased product complexity, reduced implementation time and increased competition have a growing influence on the cooperation between car manufacturers and their supply chain. This manifests as intense interactions between the customer and the supplier throughout the product development process, which leads...
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Reverse FMEA (RFMEA)
Do you happen to receive complaints from customers, maybe even repeat ones, even though you have implemented P-FMEA risk analysis for production processes? The cause could be given by the purely theoretical realization of these risk analyzes without a practical verification at the workstations (shop floor) of the potential ways of failure.One of the methodologies that can be used to avoid these complaints and to continuously improve the quality of the products is R-FMEA.
R-FMEA helps:
-...
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