Keeping Order and Preventing Errors in the Name of Quality

In recent issues, we have taken on the enormous task of quality management. To make it easier to tackle, it must first be broken down into three main parts: structure, culture, and economy. In this issue, we would like to look at two measures in structural organization that are currently being implemented step by step at all LASER COMPONENTS locations.

5S – Much More Than Just “Living More Beautifully”

Like many QM building blocks, this simple and sustainable structural building and maintenance method comes from the toolbox of Taiichi Ōhno, a former production manager at Toyota. The beauty of it is that it deals with a topic that everyone can see and relate to immediately: A well-organized and efficiently designed workstation.

The basic idea is simple: If I do not have to constantly search for my tools, I can concentrate better on my work. I work faster and make fewer mistakes. This approach from manufacturing can just as easily be applied to desk jobs. So here it is at last – the famous 5S:

1. Seiri – Sort out and ask yourself: “Do I need this for my work, or can it go?”
2. Seiton – Straighten: “A place for everything, and everything in its place!”
3. Seiso – Shine: “Cleaning is inspecting!”
4. Seiketsu – Standardize: “Standards save searching and waiting!”
5. Shitsuke – Self-discipline and continuous improvement: “Develop yourself and your team!”

The first three steps sound like classic “spring cleaning,” but the next two take the principle to another level. Even in individual work areas, 5S can achieve amazing things. However, to take full advantage of its benefits, the principle must become a part of the corporate philosophy lived by everyone. In the spirit of the Kaizen principle, it is important to keep evolving; otherwise, you will end up with a patchwork of well-intentioned but misunderstood “pro” solutions (provisional instead of professional).

FMEA – Preventing Errors before They Occur

A failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) is preventive quality and effective risk management. It is important to start at an early stage of product development.
This tool also has five steps:

1. System Analysis
   First, it is necessary to establish clear “vertical” structures. This begs the following questions: Into which steps can I divide the development and production process and where are the system boundaries?
2. Functional Analysis
   In this step, it is more prudent to start from the finished product: Which product features are produced by which process features in which step?
3. Failure Analysis
   In this step, the characteristics of the last step are reversed into the negative: What can go wrong with the product and the process? What has gone wrong before?
4. Risk Assessment
   This is the most comprehensive and complex step. For all the errors we described in the last step, the following three criteria are evaluated on a scale of 1 to 10: importance to the customer, likelihood that the error will occur, and likelihood that it will be detected. The product of all three criteria is the so-called risk priority number (RPN), which can range from completely trivial (1×1×1=1) to complete disaster (10×10×10=1000). Of course, this is only a guideline and should not be taken at face value. Even if all three criteria are included in equal measure in the RPN, it is still helpful to first sort the errors according to their significance for the customer, followed by occurrence and probability of detection.
5. Optimization
   This step presents the opportunity to establish corrective and preventive measures. The measures can relate to the occurrence and/or detection of the errors. Optimally, this means that the error will occur less frequently and will be detected more quickly.

Quality Management Means Prevention

5S and FMEA are two excellent examples of the preventive nature of quality management. Through structures, standards, and continuous improvement, a company learns from past mistakes and ensures that they do not occur again. The important thing here is that all departments and employees pull together – and therein also lies the greatest challenge.