"Error-Proofing Enhances Quality"
Manufacturing Engineering
November 2006, pp. 99-104
This article discusses the "Poka-Yoke" (error-proofing) approach to improving quality: "In a modern lean production system, Poka-Yoke is a process improvement designed to prevent a specific defect from occurring. It prevents personal injury, promotes job safety, eliminates faulty products, and prevents machine damage. Poka-Yoke mechanisms mistake-proof an entire process. Ideally, Poka-Yoke will ensure that proper conditions exist before actually executing a process step, and so prevent defects from occurring in the first place. Where this is not possible, Poka-Yoke performs a detective function, eliminating defects in the process as early as possible."
The author identifies a number of advantages to using an error-proofing system:
- Reducing costs for competitive advantage—It costs much less to prevent errors from occurring than it does to rework or repair them later
- More knowledgeable workers—When employees understand the principles of error-proofing, they can participate in the design and improvement of systems to prevent errors from occurring
- Predictability—Inspection can be minimized and products can be expected to be defect-free
- Reduced variation—All subassemblies are likely to nearly the same
The article concludes that Six Sigma and error-proofing are related, in that "It's next to impossible to reach six sigma and lean implementation without applying error-proofing concepts."
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