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Author Archives: Ben

Customer Questions. What is Run at Rate?

Monday, 05 May 2014 07:12
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launchThe Run at Rate process is essentially a process validation component which verifies the capabilities of not only the process, but also that associated equipment and machinery can perform at the required production output.  The term originates from the automotive sector as part of the APQP process.  As technology changes new prototype parts are continually presented to original equipment manufacturers.  This process helps to insure not only the products quality, but also the part can be produced at a rate adequate to satisfy demand.

ISO9000 is Dead

Monday, 31 March 2014 03:42
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Have you heard about the death of ISO9000?  As the automotive companies launched into the TS16949 programs it became obvious to this author the ISO program was moving down a path of no return.  There are several reasons the ISO registrations are on the decline in developed countries:

  1. The ISO system simply isn’t scalable or flexible enough for the myriad of potential customers who could utilize it.
  2. There is a glass ceiling for small companies where the costs of joining the system are simply unaffordable.
  3. The low frequency of revisions due to the ISO structure and review process makes the system less than nimble.
  4. The total system is simply not dynamic enough to evolve and maintain a presence.

Keep an eye out for new systems which launch in this decade that address the above issues.

Do You Remember Q1

Saturday, 22 March 2014 12:56
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Back before ISO, QS and TS there was another quality management system from Ford called Q1.  While it still exists today its prominence has diminished with the move towards common standards and the global expansion of the ISO9000 programs.  Back during its beginning it was a gold standard for quality management systems.  ISO was developing out of mil standards but Q1 had a clear dominance at that time..  Industries outside automotive were actively benchmarking the QMS to see how they could migrate these methods across other industries.  With the communization of automotive standards first with QS then TS the Q1 system lost its prominence.  Today it is utilized to represent the best facilities in the Ford System.

Quality Terms

Thursday, 13 March 2014 04:59
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During spring cleaning this week we were purging training materials more than twenty years old.  How many of these terms do you remember?

SPC,   Lean,  DMIAC,   Six Sigma,  TPS,  ISO9000,  Cost of Quality,  PPM,  VA,  Mistake Proofing,  Cp, Cpk, Ppk, AIAG, A2LA,  Run at Rate,  Control Charts,  DOE,  OEE,  Downtime,  Setup,  Cycle time,  Variation,  Quality Cost, DFM, Paynter Charts, Root Cause, Quality Circles, TOPS, AQP, APQP,s, PPAP, MSA, Gage R&R, Takt Time, Line Balancing, Kaizen Events, QFD, GD&T, Document Control, Critical Characteristics, Control Plans,s, TPM, OEE, Traceability
If you look closely at the above list it is comprised of two groups, quality tools, and quality programs.  It seems the tools remain over time and the programs tend to come and go.  If you look at the core tools many date back to the origins of the quality movement.

Responding to the Call

Monday, 03 March 2014 11:21
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Recently we received a call from a Global 30 customer on a Sunday afternoon during a holiday weekend.  They had a line down and wanted to know if we could assist.  Forty-five minutes later we had collected all of our tools and equipment and we were on the road.  We understand when a customer has an emergency it is critical.  On a highly automated line it is not uncommon for downtime to cost several hundred dollars a minute.  When you need us just call.