Problem statement
The client is a subsidiary of a multinational manufacturing organisation based in Ireland. It manufactures a range of medical device products across multiple lines. There was no live trending of critical operations and quality parameters to enable a rapid response to out of control events, or to enable longer term decision making.
Objective
To simplify and error proof data collection on critical process parameters. To make the data available numerically and graphically in real time, online.
Lean Ireland consulting/training work
The Lean Ireland consultant started with several gemba visits to the relevant workstations, in the company of operations, engineering and quality personnel. He drafted and got approval internally for the Digitization Project. Using regression analysis to correlate customer complaints with manufacturing critical to quality parameters, he worked with quality and engineering personnel to draft a listing of relevant measurements and graphics.
- The dashboard design and layout was agreed;
- The operations and quality databases were reformatted to enable the data to be used for live tracking and trending;
- The location of screen displays was agreed;
- Using Power BI the consultant developed a suite of interactive charts that provided information on a wide variety of critical parameters such as output volumes, SPC charts by work order, and customer complaints by manufacturing area;
- The user interface was designed, and dashboard trialled over one week, and
- The new dashboard was launched into operation.
The work took two months to complete with the consultant working two days per week on the client site.
Results of the consultant work
- Using free SPC Software for Power BI, the consultant implemented automated online SPC, linking machine, databases and operations management.
- Operations, quality and engineering have live real-time online graphics on the production line, and
- The client now manages this software and dashboard contents.