I work for a stamping company. We do not have real high tech, equipment. We have mostly progressive (prog). dies.

We feel we have a problem with first off/ coil change containment. We currently have a practice for putting red totes at the end of the chutes. The set up personnel are to sort product after set up and coil change. This does not seem to be working. Does anyone know or heard of different practices that work.

I know this is vague. I will supply more information as needed.

P.S. I know that enforcement is probably the cause of the process not working.

This does not seem to be working.

What's the nature of the problem...method is too difficult, inadequate training, unsuitable equipment, too much time pressure, attitude/morale problem, worker physical/psychological issues, conflicting worker or supervisor priorities...?

What needs "enforcing"?

"Adequately define what's wrong" has to come before "develop possible solutions."

Hi lovingquality,
I have got sometimes more or less the same problem (we are stamping too).
Usally with our technology we have not a lot of problems:
there are 3 cases:
-parts not influenced by the coils
-part influenced by start change of the coil, but we have found out that one or two dimension controls, the operator or the foreman or the tool maker can easily check, may assure all the parts are ok.
-critical parts when only after qulity control check and authorization they can be put into the "green" totes (changing the tote from a red one to green one) but someone suggested me to improve the procedure using a one-way red tote before the green one. Something like a mail post, the production people can insert the parts but only quality people have got the keys to open it and empty the box. (I would like it but our production managers think it would a lack of trust of quality dept toward production people)

Just a quick heads up - weekends are often "slow" at the Cove. If the original poster has not received an adequate answer by Monday, he should come back and "bump" the thread to the top of the 24 hour queue by adding another post, if merely just to say "bumping this thread to the top of the queue!"

ON TOPIC:
I'm only vaguely aware of the various problems a coil stock changeover can exhibit to require "segregating and containing" the first pieces.

Since I'm not aware and I've been familiar with coil stock for over forty years (since I ran a coil slitter at a steel distribution center as part of my way to pay for college and interacted with our customers who bought it for stamping), perhaps your own staff is not "in the picture" of WHY this is a necessary part of the procedure at changeover. Simply ask, THEN educate on the importance and make them part of the solution, NOT the problem.

Deming seemed to make a big deal about his System of Profound Knowledge (SoPK), where EVERYBODY in the organization is clued in on the big picture and how the various parts of the system work with each other to form the big picture so they can offer suggestions to keep it running smoothly.

My guess is your situation is not so much one of enforcement, but one of education and "buy in" on the necessity of ANY and EVERY step in your process. If you can't get universal buy in, sometimes you have to look at the process, itself, to see if it is in need of a change to aid buy in.

I have seen the same problem on numerous occasions!
It is difficult to implement robust countermeasures to this issue as it really boils down to education and discipline.
As Wes rightly says, education of the press setters is important so that they understand the implications to your customer (internal/external) of a short feed at the start of a coil.
Discipline to the coil change procedures is also important. Do you need to consider a sign off sheet by someone independant, who checks the first parts produced and is responsible for the disposal of any short cropped parts, following a coil change? The independant signature becomes the authority to run the press.
If a press is run without a sign off, quarantine the stock and have the person(s) responsible 100% check it. People will soon follow procedures if they think they will feel some pain!

Follow this up with random audits to ensure that procedures are being adhered to.