Whats the secret?

Its a mystery to me our plant is as sophisticated as you can get, yet with all this innovation at our disposal we still make defects. I cant believe all those statistics about parts per million and zero defects coming from Japan. There must be a gimmick. With all the variability of parts coming from hundred of vendors and going through fifty different processes with a hundred machines, it is impossible not to produce some defects. So whats the trick? Where is the hidden weapon? You too may be a little confused and frustrated with the concept of zero defects and by now tired and disbelieving of all the stories about quality and Japanese manufacturing productivity. Our company leads study missions that take manufacturing people through Japanese plants to learn about these methods that have helped reshape the international economic order. In visit to over 200 different Japanese plants, we have seen the quality charts and the multitude of simple poka-yoke device used to prevent defects from occurring. It is not one device, but the application of hundreds and thousands of these very simple fail-safing mechanisms that day after day has brought quality miracle to Japan. Each one is relatively simple something you easily could do on your own. It is the totality, the hundred of devices, that is almost frightening to behold. On one line producing washing machine we saw over 300 small devices, each designed to either stop the line before a defect occurred or signal an operator to come quickly to examine a potential problem. I saw many sensors lined up to inspect 100 percent of work. Every single operation was checked before it moved on. These checks normally detected errors before a defect could occur. And many of the device were thought up and installed by the workers themselves.

Since we know you will continue to be skeptical unless you see it for yourself, we dedicate this book to you, the American manufacturer- line workers and supervisor as well as management- and recommend that you review each picture, each example, to see for yourself how these simple device can absolutely prevent defects.

The concept of poka-yoke is much too significant to limit to an engineering or design department removed from the daily experience of the manufacturing floor. We hope that this book will be seriously studied and used diligently in study groups, by line workers and supervisors. It was designed with the intent to involve employees, at every level, in the process of eliminating all defects from production. We hope that American industry will use these ideas widely and quickly to help bring their companies to world class status.

There are three inspection techniques in the field of quality control: 1. Judgment inspection- separates defective products from good ones after processing. It prevents defects from being

delivered to customers, but does not decrease a companys defect rate. 2. Informative inspection investigates the causes of defects and feeds back this information to the appropriate processes so that action can be taken to reduce the defect rate. 3. Source inspection a defect is a result, or an effect, usually caused by a simple mistake. Through 100 percent inspection at the source, the mistake can be corrected before it becomes a defect. Defects = Zero can be achieved. Statistical process control (SPC) developed in the united states. SPC activities are based on the premise that 100 percent inspection is burdensome and time-consuming and can be adequately replaced by sampling inspection and statistics. But statistical is really no more that qualified guesswork. Because there is always some discrepancy with the reality, a certain level of defect is tolerated. In a zero quality control (ZQC) system, however, 100 percent inspection is achieved through poka-yokes, an approach that is inexpensive and requires little effort. Informative inspection sounds effective, but because the check-feedback action cycle does not being until after defects occur, it essentially tolerates their existence. SPC is merely a tool of quality control; it cannot eliminate the source of defects. It is said that there is not quality control without control charts, but control charts only help maintain the accepted defect rate they cannot reduce defect to zero. Zero Quality control has three components that lead to the elimination of defects: 1. source inspection- checks for factors that

There are different kinds of errors. Almost all defects are caused by humans errors. However, there are at least ten kinds of human errors. 1. Forgetfulness: Sometimes we forget things when we are not concentrating. For example, the stationmaster forgets to lower the crossing gate. Safeguards: alerting operator in advance or checking at regular intervals. 2. Errors due to misunderstanding: Sometimes we make mistakes when we jump to the wrong conclusion before were familiar with the situation. For example, a person not used to a car with automatic transmission steps on the brake, thinking it is the clutch. Safeguard: training, checking in advance, standardizing work procedures.

Cul es el secreto? Es un misterio para m - nuestra planta es tan sofisticado como usted puede conseguir, pero con toda esta innovacin a nuestra disposicin todava hacemos defectos. No puedo creer que todas esas estadsticas de partes por milln y cero defectos provenientes de Japn. Tiene que haber un truco. Con toda la variabilidad de las piezas procedentes de cientos de vendedores y pasando por cincuenta procesos diferentes, con un centenar de mquinas, es imposible dejar de producir

algunos defectos. Entonces, cul es el truco? Dnde est el arma oculta? Usted tambin puede ser un poco confundido, frustrado y hasta cansado con el concepto de cero defectos, no creer todas las historias acerca de la calidad y productividad de fabricacin japonesa. Nuestra empresa lleva misiones de estudio que llevan a las personas a travs de las plantas de fabricacin japonesa para aprender acerca de estos mtodos que han ayudado a reformar el orden econmico internacional. En la visita a ms de 200 diferentes plantas japonesas, hemos visto las cartas de calidad y la multitud de sencillo dispositivo poka-yoke usado para prevenir los defectos que se produzcan. No se trata de un dispositivo, pero la aplicacin de cientos de miles de estos "a prueba de autoproteccin" mecanismos muy simples que da tras da ha trado milagro de calidad a Japn.

El concepto de poka-yoke es demasiado importante para limitar a un departamento de ingeniera o diseo retirado de la experiencia diaria de la planta de fabricacin. Esperamos que este libro ser estudiado y utilizado diligentemente en grupos de estudio, los trabajadores de lnea y supervisores en serio. Fue diseado con la intencin de involucrar a los empleados en todos los niveles, en el proceso de eliminacin de todos los defectos de produccin. Esperamos que la industria americana utilice estas ideas ampliamente y con rapidez para ayudar a sus empresas a la condicin de clase mundial.