Editor An empowered team is a self-sufficient (often cross-functional) group of employees working autonomously within a business with responsibility for a specific goal(s). Empowered teams differ from standard teams by several factors They have corporate authority to enact their own decisions They are outcome focussed (rather than product focussed) They have high levels of trust and … Read more
Leader Standard Work is a group of behaviours and tools integrated into a persons daily work pattern for those in leadership roles. It can be applied to positions such as supervisors and managers (or other leadership roles) and has a number of attributes, including: Documenting work and its scope Capturing the sequence in which work … Read more
Layered process audits (abbreviated to LPA) focus on verifying standards and processes within an organization. These audits focus on verification during the production process and, as such, are an alternative to carrying out audits on finished goods. They have several attributes that include: They occur regularly They often occur at high volume (especially where there … Read more
Quality in Manufacturing is a set of tools, methods and processes which are predominantly geared towards achieving goals such as meeting customer requirements, reducing defects, improving right first time and minimising waste (such as scrap). While specifications and requirements are flowed down from the customer, a business requires policies, processes, and systems to meet … Read more
Workplace inspections are focused activities within a business that target reducing hazards, incidents, and injuries by assessing things like working environments, equipment, and processes. While often part of a broader continuous improvement initiative, they may also address legislative requirements. In this article, we’ll be exploring the purpose of workplace inspections; we’ll explore: What is a … Read more
Cost of poor quality relates to a range of costs incurred by an organization as a result of managing internal and external quality-related tasks and issues. These costs can vary between organizations and industries depending on a range of factors. Organizations that fail to capture and understand these costs lack an important indicator that describes … Read more
Tensile Testing is a common method of evaluating the physical properties of materials. It is a destructive test where an example is placed under controlled tension until failure point is reached. Tensile testing can also be used to measure how much force can be applied before a product deforms (stretches) and ultimately breaks. In this article, we’ll … Read more
A First Article Inspection Report (FAIR) is documentation that collates appropriate evidence taken from the manufacturing and production process, validating that a component/part has met requirements & specifications relating to the customer and the product design. First Article Inspection reports are common in the Defence & Aerospace business and are associated with AS9102. In this … Read more
The red tag process (which is often associated with the SORT activity within 5s) incorporates visual management through the use of a “red tag” form or label identifying items that have been flagged for removal from a work area. Red tagging can help identify items that shouldn’t be in a workplace, move them so that … Read more
5S can deliver several significant benefits to an organization, including: Productivity and efficiency savings Monetary savings Space utilization Employee Engagement Health and safety Despite being one of the most common lean manufacturing tools, many people still believe that 5S is merely tidying up the shop floor. However, there is a raft of benefits that an … Read more