SPC requires that workers input production data as it is
generated across the production process. Any part of the process that you
collect data on can be charted to determine whether it is contributing to
variations inside or outside the norm. SPC has been used in production since
the 1920s, when workers collected and analyzed data by hand. The process is now
mostly handled by computers running SPC software.
There are different types of variations that SPC can allow
you to track and to differentiate between. All processes will have inherent
variations. The key thing for manufacturers to determine is whether the
variations are the kind that are inherent in the production process (common) or
are being caused by some outside source (special). The other way to look at it
is that some defects are produced by chance (common cause) and are to be
expected while others are caused by mistakes or changes in the system (special)
and need to be corrected. When you can determine that, you make it possible to
reduce the number of products that do not meet the standard.
Using process control
software can help you in several ways. SPC certainly helps reduce the
number of items that will need to be discarded for failing to meet the
standard, which saves you money directly by reducing scrap and rework pieces.
Fewer products that need to be tossed or reworked also means reducing the
amount of time your workers spend finding these faulty products and reworking
them. With an SPC system, you can also track common cause variations, though,
which can give you the data you need to make improvements to the production
system. Indeed, SPC is a tool that allows for constant improvement of your
systems based on actual evidence and not intuition or guesswork.
SPC is superior to post facto quality control. A inspection
will let you identify defective items, yes. What it can't do is tell you why
the product was defective in the first place. You can go back through the
process step by step and hope to discover the cause, but while you do this, the
process will continue to produce defective products. With SPC, you can tell
from the inputted data where exactly in the process the variation occurred as
soon as you notice the problem. You'll be able to correct the issue as the
production process continues, saving yourself the time and waste involved in a
shut down or in continuing to produce faulty products... more information about
InfinityQS spc software...
You may also request a
free software trial to get started.
No comments:
Post a Comment