March 28, 2018 Articles, Resources Who are the IATF? The IATF is a group of automotive manufacturers and their respective trade associations, formed to provide improved quality products to automotive customers worldwide. IATF members include the following vehicle manufacturers: BMW Group FCA US LLC (formerly Chrysler Group) Daimler AG FCA Italy Spa (formerly Fiat Group Automobile) Ford Motor Company General Motors Company PSA Peugeot Citroen Renault SA Volkswagen AG and the vehicle manufacturers’ respective trade associations: AIAG (U.S.) ANFIA (Italy) FIEV (France) SMMT (U.K.) VDA (Germany) The IATF was established to: Develop a consensus regarding international fundamental quality system requirements, primarily for the participating companies’ direct suppliers of production materials, product or service parts or finishing services (e.g. heat treating, painting and plating). These requirements will also be available for other interested parties in the automotive industry Develop policies and procedures for the common IATF third party registration scheme to ensure consistency worldwide Provide appropriate training to support IATF 16949 requirements and the IATF registration scheme Establish formal liaisons with appropriate bodies to support IATF objectives IATF Structure Get the latest updates regarding IATF 16949 Get all the latest news including customer specific requirements, sign-up for up for the latest email updates and………… by visiting the IATG Global Oversight website: www.iatfglobaloversight.org
January 19, 2018 News, Resources Launch of new AS standards A series of new AS standards have been launched over recent months focused around New Product Introduction and the associated core tools. There is increasing mandate expected in 2018 for suppliers to align to these standards, alongside existing customer specific requirements. Aerospace companies now have several options Do nothing, wait and see what happens Do enough to try and tick the boxes in future audits by ‘bolting on’ to existing quality management systems Take the initiative, understand what the standards are seeking to achieve and use them to drive competitive advantage As a leading aerospace management systems training organisation, Industry Forum has developed a range of courses to up-skill your team in the overall APQP approach and the elements of PPAP. These courses will enable delegates to apply the tools and maximise the benefit to your business. Open course places are available in our Birmingham Learning Centre and will become available in other global locations. Closed courses and implementation support can also be provided at your organisation in a format that best suits your specific needs. Aerospace Management Systems Training As a leading Aerospace management systems training organisation, Industry Forum has developed a full range of courses to up-skill your team in the overall APQP approach and the elements of PPAP aligned to the new AS standards Contact us for more information If you would like to talk to us about one of the above courses please contact us at +44 (0)121 717 6600 or email [email protected] and we will arrange for one of our expert team to discuss your needs in more detail.
November 25, 2016 Articles, Resources VDA 6.3 – Qualification for Process Auditor (3rd completely revised edition 2016) In 2016, the established audit standard VDA 6.3 (2nd edition 2010) was revised by the VDA working group and specified on the basis of experience and feedback. The aim was to simplify evaluation and the alignment of the questionnaire with the new requirements. The revision focused on auditability on site in the processes and a limitation to process-specific contents. Thus, the risks in the supply chain and product life cycle processes can be specifically analysed, so that weaknesses in the procedures and their interfaces can be identified, corrective action can be introduced and opportunities for improvement can be determined. Simultaneously, the existing questionnaire was further consolidated, and terms and definitions were harmonised, in order to guarantee consistency with VDA maturity level assurance and further VDA volumes and the resulting applicability. See below for more information on and to book on to our VDA Training Courses: VDA 6.3 Awareness Training VDA 6.3 – Qualification for Process Auditor VDA 6.3 – Qualification for Certified Process Auditor VDA 6.3 – Workshop for Certified Process Auditors VDA 6.5 Product Audit Training VDA Maturity Level Assurance (MLA) VDA Field Failure Analysis (FFA) VDA Product Safety and Conformity Representative (PSCR) VDA 2 Production Process & Product Approval (PPA)
July 14, 2016 Articles, Resources How to do 5S – a step by step guide 5S is a five step technique that organises, maintains and improves any workplace so that it is safe and supports sustainable quality, cost and delivery performance. 5S aims to make the workplace robust and stable so that a process can be carried out safely and repeatedly, to enable the achievement of the required QCD performance. It is also known as 5C or Workplace Organisation. The only difference between 5S and 5C is the indicator word used. Note that there are many different words used for the S version; Step 5S 5C 1 Sort Clear Out 2 Simplify Configure 3 Shine Clean to Check 4 Standardise Conformity 5 Sustain Custom & Practice It is important to distinguish between housekeeping and 5S. Housekeeping is invariably a quick clean and sweep up, whereas 5S goes further than just having a clean workplace. The technique is used to organise the workplace safely and to hit QCD targets by ensuring that abnormal conditions are spotted before they affect performance. The 5 steps are applied in sequence. Implementation usually starts with an initial, one-off activity and then develops into incorporating 5S as part of daily routine. The first two steps, sort and simplify are best run as a specific and discrete team activity, known as a 2S or initial activity; they set the standard of the workplace. The third step, shine is about ensuring that the standard is maintained. The mechanisms to do this are best designed immediately after the 2S activity. The actual implementation of this step is then carried out as part of the daily routine of the workplace on an ongoing basis. The final two steps, standardise and sustain ensure that the standard is continually improved and that the whole technique becomes an integral part of the daily routine. How to Sort Assemble a team and deliver the 5S teach point. Define the workplace boundaries for the activity. Set an appropriate timing plan. Be generous with the time allowed. Initially, it is likely to take more time than first estimated. Review previous activities to become more accurate at time setting for the future. Arrange in advance for work to be suspended for the duration of the activity. It may be necessary to protect delivery to the customer by increasing finished stock before the activity. Arrange for cleaning equipment and materials suitable for the area, to be assembled in advance. For example; brushes, dustpans, bins, skips, recycling facilities, oil disposal facilities, cleaning fluids, cloths, ladders and PPE. The organisation must approve the cleaning equipment to be used and make reference to any relevant COSHH documents. Nominate appropriate employees who are permitted to isolate any equipment or supplies to equipment in the area. Isolate electrics, pneumatics and mechanical equipment that could move. Consider any other safety hazards that may be present and refer to risk assessments for the area. Plan to run the activity safely. Hazards to consider may include overhead cranes, fork lift trucks, hot surfaces and nearby processes that are working. Define a safe sort area. As with the timing plan, be generous with the space allocated and review for future activities. When working on a computer, set up a temporary file for the clear out area. Record team member responsibilities on a flipchart. Include tasks such as marking the sort area, fetching cleaning materials, isolating equipment, taking before photographs of the area, filling in Red Tag Log etc. Go to the activity workplace. Take red tags, Red Tag Log, flipcharts with team instructions and required equipment. Make the area safe before starting the activity, isolate equipment, mark the sort area. Take before photos. Include long shots and specific shots of obvious clutter and abnormal conditions. Review against the flipchart that all preparation tasks are completed before commencing with the next step. Remove all items that are not bolted down, or are extremely impractical or unsafe to move, into the sort area. Challenge the team to justify what is essential. For example, personal items, tools, photos and magazines are not essential. If possible, remove tooling from equipment and side panels to allow access for the next step. Remove obsolete equipment and materials. Collect and count loose units or materials and put a cost to them. Complete rubbish can be disposed of immediately in a suitable receptacle e.g. skip, oil disposal barrel. Take some during photos for a record of the activity. Manually clean down the whole chosen area including equipment, fittings and fixtures, walls, gangways and floors. Ensure teams work from the top down, doing the floor last as dirt is knocked downwards. Manually clean to ensure everything is safe, clean and can function correctly. Use the quiet time at breaks to listen for air leaks. Pay particular attention to cables, wiring and tubing, cleaning each one and inspecting for damage. Inspect oil levels. Make use of commonly used detergents found on site, it is not necessary to buy in special substances. Washing up liquid and hot water is surprisingly powerful even in the most oily areas. Do not use liquids in electrical areas. A red tag must be issued and the Red Tag Log entry made, for abnormal conditions that are found during this stage. How to Simplify Decide on the best location for each essential item considering safety, frequency of use and minimising wasteful activities. Allow adequate access to use, service and maintain equipment. Visually identify each individual item a unique location. Use tape, pens, paint etc. to: Outline a footprint for moveable items. Make shadow boards for small items. Put identical labels on item and on location. Use different colours to distinguish for different uses, and use standard colours throughout the whole organisation. On computers, use icons and set up a clear directory structure for the various folders and files. Use temporary materials for the locations until the new configuration has been tested by the employee for the area. It is rare that the first attempt at configuring an area is right first time, so trial it before configuring with more permanent materials. Configure the workplace itself, as well as the essential items. For example, include: Configured gangways & cleaning equipment Gangways and Walkways Cleaning Equipment Material storage points with maximum and minimum markers and allow for stock rotation or First In First Out (FIFO) Next job on areas Work in progress and finished goods areas. Hazards and safety considerations Raise red tags and fill in the Red Tag Log for any items that cannot be immediately configured in an adequate manner or are configured in a temporary manner. The non-essential items in the clear out area should be removed and either stored appropriately or thrown away. This step can be moved to earlier or later in the activity if required. If necessary, the items can be red tagged and a period allowed for the item to be claimed before being thrown away. A “5S Auction” can be held where employees from other areas bid for the non-essential items as they may be essential for their own area. Go back and check for any new leaks or other abnormal conditions that may be visible once the initial clean has been done. Take after photos for the activity record and also for use in the next step. Take the after photos from the same position and angle as the before photo for the best contrast. It is easy to forget what an area used to look like. Clear away all the equipment used in the 2S activity and hand the area back to the area owners in a safe manner. Do not walk away until the process is running correctly. Capture team comments on how the 2S activity went, its potential benefits and any points for the future. Complete the columns on the Red Tag Log, especially the person responsible, target completion date and status. Create a Red Tag Monitor. This is a graph with targets that can be used to monitor the progress of closing out the red tags. The success of the initial activity will be partly determined by the speed at which the red tags are resolved. Some tags may take longer than expected to resolve and reasons for this should be communicated. Make the targets achievable e.g. one difficult task with a few easier ones for each week. If the red tag system is used on an ongoing basis, then a new method of setting a target must be decided upon so that raising red tags is not discouraged. It may be that a target is not used for the ongoing raising of red tags. Communicate what has been done and what is expected in terms of maintaining the standard set as quickly as possible to the rest of the employees in the area, not forgetting other shifts. If this is not done, the area will return very quickly to the initial condition. Over the days immediately after the 2S activity, carry out several Tour and Test visits with the team. Look for non-essential items that have crept back in, altered or configuration that isn’t working and upkeep of the standard set. Continue to raise tags for abnormal conditions. Invite comments from employees in the area. Use all observations to adjust the condition set. How to Shine Design a check sheet suitable for the work area. Determine a red tag procedure that will capture new abnormal conditions and continue to drive the elimination of all red tags raised. Integrate with the maintenance department if required. Trial this procedure, modify and fully implement. Supply blank red tags and Red Tag Logs to point of use. Set specific times when this step will be carried out. Utilise break times and small blocks of available time. Inform everybody involved and deliver the teach point if not already done. Configure cleaning equipment stations with the equipment required in the area. Determine a routine and carry out the Shine step in the area using the same technique as described in Sort. In a computer system, the routine may include a regular purge of old versions of files and defragmentation of the hard drive. This will speed up the file access. Fill in the check sheet and raise new red tags as required. Continue to clear outstanding red tags where possible and update the Red Tag Log and monitor. Take the opportunity to review the configuration of the workplace and the corresponding check sheet. Configure locations for the new essential items. Change configuration if changes in manning levels, equipment or product specification introduce unsafe conditions, wasteful activities or change the frequency of use of an item. It may be advantageous to hold an annual 2S event to ensure a fresh look. How to Standardise Design an audit check sheet and nominate an employee to carry it out at set intervals. This is different to the 5S Check Sheet described earlier in that it is designed to check the application of the 5S technique as opposed to specific workplace checks. The audit check sheet can range from a something as simple as an extra box on the 5S Check Sheet to a more encompassing, separate scored sheet. The nominated employee may be the Team Leader, an employee external to the area or a senior manager. Involving a senior manager is one way of ensuring 5S application gets management support. Implement the audit, discuss the results with the area team and use them to make improvements. Comparison of audit scores across an organisation requires that the audits are standard throughout and they are consistently completed. Using team experience of carrying out Shine, look for areas where modifications can be made to make it easier to carry the tasks out. For example: Fill in holes or gaps where debris collects. Fit covers or skirts to prevent debris collecting in hard to reach places. Contain oil, lubricant and other fluid leaks, splashes and spillages or material ejections by use of guards, trays and booms etc. Ideally, the root cause of the abnormal condition should be eliminated. In some cases this is not possible or cannot be done in the short term, so containment is better than nothing. Colour code catch trays red so that they stand out as an abnormal condition. Replace solid covers and guards with clear ones so that the status of equipment or dials below can be seen without taking time to remove the cover. Fit quick release handles to save time. Put ribbons or windmills on equipment such as fans or with motors that expel air so that it can be see if they are working or not from a distance. Re-route equipment cables, ducting, pipes etc. so that the checks can be made more easily. Clearly mark maximum and minimum levels for easy checking. After a period of time review the Red Tag Logs to identify recurring abnormal conditions. Where possible identify root causes for these and countermeasure to prevent recurrence. How to Sustain Spread the application of 5S through all the functions and departments of the organisation. Ensure every employee has received 5S training e.g. the teach point and has been involved in a practical 5S exercise. Make sure the standards are the same across the whole organisation e.g. specific colours to denote use of area. Include 5S in the organisation skills matrix and implement 5S training as part of the induction programme. Ensure all managers are included in the application of 5S to show how important it is to the organisation. Management must define responsibilities and ensure time is allocated for initial and ongoing 5S activities. Ensure management are consistent in application of 5S Do not abandon 5S at the end of the day just to catch back up on target. Do not have special clean ups for visitors. Do not hide things for visitors. Ensure adequate cleaning equipment is provided. Get team leaders or area employees to show visitors around, emphasising what 5S activity they have carried out. This will encourage ownership and provide recognition for their efforts. If you want to understand more about lean techniques, visit our Manufacturing Operations page. You can also email us or call us on +44 (0)121 717 6600 to speak to one of our experts.
May 5, 2016 Industry Forum Blog, Resources SMED, which stands for Single Minute Exchange of Die, is also known by a number of other names, for example Set Up Reduction and Set Up Improvement. The term SMED was allegedly coined by Shigeo Shingo, after the Second World War, when the Japanese car manufacturers found themselves competing against the large car manufacturers of the United States. The Japanese had very little money and were working with old presses, discarded by the manufacturers in the States, who in contrast had enough money to buy new presses and dedicate them to separate components. For the Japanese to compete it was imperative that they size changed each press frequently and to be competitive this had to be done quickly. Shigeo Shingo, a guru in this field, was a keen golfer whose aim was a single figure handicap i.e. a number under 10. Single Minute Exchange of Die means any number less than 10 minutes. SMED has been further refined to OTED, One Touch Exchange of Die, and zero minute exchange of die, by those well down the road of applying the technique. The Set Up Improvement tool is traditionally used to reduce the amount of time that a machine is not running, while it is being changed over to run a different part. In non-manufacturing situations the tool can be used to reduce the amount of time that a process is not running when it is either being changed to run something else or while it is stopped, or interrupted for other essential or routine tasks.
April 29, 2016 Industry Forum Blog, Resources In these days where consumers demand an ever increasing variety of goods and services at the touch of a button, the flexibility of your process is key. Whether you’re running equipment invented in the first industrial revolution or the fourth, you will almost always benefit from reducing the amount of time it takes to change from making one product to another. This is what we do when we use the SMED (Single Minute Exchange of Die) tool, also known as Set Up Improvement and changeover reduction. The major use of Set Up Improvement Reducing the time it takes to do each set up gives you two options. You free up more time to produce parts. This is useful if you are running overtime to meet orders, but it can be counterproductive. If you don’t sell all those extra parts, you end up with excess finished goods. Overproduction and its resulting inventory are two of the 7 Wastes and have their own associated costs. Use the time to do more (now shorter) changeovers. This allows you to plan smaller production runs and so reduce batch sizes. It is this second option that has more scope for improving not only your competitiveness, but your cash flow as well. The 5 benefits of reducing batch sizes Reduce overproduction and thus the amount and cost of the inventory held in your plant and supply chain. This improves cash flow and reduces risk to your business. Planning smaller, but more frequent runs of a product results in a shorter lead time. This means you can respond much more quickly, and with less cost, to unexpected changes in customer demand. Running smaller and smaller batches allows you to internally level the demand on your process and so introduce pull and flow. This is one of the underpinning principles of a lean system. It makes current equipment more flexible, meaning you don’t have to purchase additional equipment to meet delivery and variety requirements. You will improve your Stock Turns and Floor Space Utilisation metrics, as less stock is held and the resulting space is used to generate value. Always remember to calculate how much you have saved and share this information across your business. Where and when can I use SMED? Although the technique was refined by Japanese auto manufacturers after World War II, it is still an incredibly powerful tool that will play a more and more important role in today’s consumer driven society. If your equipment (or process) is needed for more than one product, in one colourway, you will need to change it over. This applies whether it is a 60 year old press or the very latest 3D printer. I took the opportunity at a recent show to climb round the back of some 3D printers. It made me smile to see that there are as many opportunities to reduce changeover times on these as there are on our older manufacturing kit. In next week’s blog I will outline the best method I know to improve your set up time and also share some of my favourite tips. These can be applied to all sorts of equipment and also to non-manufacturing processes. So no matter what your business, read on to discover how you can make a host of low cost improvements.
April 6, 2016 Industry Forum Blog, Resources Mistake Proofing is also known as Poka Yoke or Error Proofing. It used to be referred to as Baka Yoke, Japanese for fool proofing. This name has dropped out of favour as more is understood about the causes of defects. Rather than blaming a defect on an employee, we now look at it from the perspective that wherever people are involved, there is a risk of error. It is the errors that give rise to the defect. Shigeo Shingo developed this philosophy while he was working for the Toyota Motor Corporation in 1961. A Mistake Proofing device is any device or mechanism that either prevents an error from being made or detects when an error has been made. The key is that we are looking to prevent or detect the error that leads to the defect. The ultimate goal of Mistake Proofing is to eliminate the wastes associated with errors. To help explain the last two points let’s use an everyday occurrence, beautifully illustrated by a talented student who went on to use their skills in vehicle design. Consider the image at the start of this blog, the lorry stuck under the bridge. What are the wastes involved here? You may have come up with; operating time for the lorry and driver, the time lost by all the people stuck behind the incident, the damage to the lorry and the goods inside it, even damage to the bridge. Each of these has an associated cost. What was the error that the driver made, to end up with the defect of the lorry stuck under bridge? You could list many different causes of the error, but for this example we will choose process error – not following Standard Operations. The driver did not follow the height warning signs before the bridge. How could we prevent or detect this error from occurring? We could replace the low bridge with an alternative route, like this flyover bridge with no height limit. Expensive, but it prevents the error of not following the height warning. Or we could install a cheaper detection device in front of the bridge. The driver would hear and feel the clunk of the suspended pole. This alerts them to the fact they have made an error, before the defect occurs. Some waste would still occur. The driver has to stop and reverse and there may be some minor scrapes. However these are not as drastic as the quantity of waste in the initial scenario. The benefits of well-designed Mistake Proofing devices include; making the job simpler for the employee and improved Quality, Cost and Delivery performance, as defects and other wastes are eliminated. Improved safety is another benefit. Preventing or detecting errors before they result in an accident is not only beneficial in manufacturing operations but for any process that can be performed incorrectly. This includes processes the end user of the product may carry out or processes in a different field altogether, like medicine. Who wouldn’t want to prevent incidents like amputating the wrong limb or administering an incorrect dose of a drug? Over the years I have seen many excellent Mistake Proofing devices, and some that really should not be classed as such. I would love to hear about your encounters, so send in your stories.
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May 5, 2011 Articles, Resources Traditional Business Improvement programmes focus on the core operations of the business of value adding and supply chain. It is also essential to develop an improvement culture within the broader business process areas. Industry Forum have a range of practical solutions to help you improve purchasing and logistics to support the journey towards business excellence. These solutions can be tailored to meet your individual needs. MMOG-LE The Materials Management Operations Guideline/Logistics Evaluation (MMOG/LE) defines a common, industry-wide set of best practices can help to improve delivery performance. MMOG/LE is an assessment tool used to measure and improve materials planning and logistics efficiency within a manufacturing facility. It is designed to eliminate supply-related delivery risk for all partners within the supply chain. The intent of the MMOG/LE is to validate the organization has robust material planning and delivery processes in place to support overall business objectives. Vehicle manufacturers including Ford, GM, Chrysler, JLR, PSA, Volvo car and Volvo Truck require annual submission of their suppliers’ score and/or assessment. Although the tool was developed for the automotive industry, it can be used by any manufacturing organisation to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of their processes. To find out more about MMOG-LE and the training courses that we provide please visit the MMOG-LE section. To enquire about this product: [email protected] +44 (0)121 717 6600
