Controlling non-conformities propagation in manufacturing

Abstract

Aim: Recent mediatic recalls of products illustrate the losses in terms of cost and reputation induced by non-conformities reaching end customer. The purpose of this paper is to master the propagation of quality non-conformities in manufacturing processes. Most of the time, the control methods implemented to ensure the quality performance of a production system present weaknesses, inherent to their constitution. They can let non-conformities propagate along the value stream and even to the end customer inducing costly recalls for manufacturer. This paper presents a method to master non-conformities propagation in a production system. Method: In order to calibrate the proposition, two case studies have been issued on non-conformities propagation in a low-volumes industry in the energy field. Results: The proposed method combines two levels of analysis and associated improvement tools. At the event level, it proposes to build the control chart associated with the non-conformities propagation distance. At the system level, it proposes a propagation matrix to analyse the permeability of the global detection system and to identify where improvement effort has to be driven. Conclusion: The empirical results of the case studies indicate that the method is adapted in low-volume contexts.

Keywords:

• statistical quality control
• statistical process control
• non-conformities propagation
• layers of control
• product recall