First-off Parts changed every 30 days - How to rmember to change them?

[KIDDO]

Good Day all

In our automotive division, our Q.A. department verifies the production department's first-off pieces against the inspection sheets. Once approved, the First Off part is tagged with a First Off Approval Tag. This part is then placed at the appropriate workstation for the operator's sample.

The Q.A. department replaces these first-offs every (30) days. How can we be reminded that these are due for change and how can we record evidence that this has been done?

Any thoughts? The only thing that I've come up with is making up a matrix with all of the part numbers and operation numbers on one side and have the month and days on the top. Q.A. would be responsible to record the first off updates each month for each part due.

Thanks very much,
KIDDO

[Jennifer Kirley]

Well Kiddo, your best decision is what would work best for your group among the tools at your disposal and the likelihood they'll work properly. Three ideas occur to me:

1. Automatic emails might work, and depending on your software they might be set in advance.

2. Calendars and matrices on the bulletin board are an "in your face" means of reminding, for those of us who are absent minded or like paper, yours truly included.

3. If your systems are automated, it might be possible to set them to shut out operations on a certain day until the inspector enters a code saying the First Off has been renewed. This is the one auditors would like best.

In all cases the parts would need to be individually identifiable and traceable.

Hope I'm not "nuking" this...

[Jim Wynne]

In Reply to Parent Post by KIDDO

Good Day all

In our automotive division, our Q.A. department verifies the production department's first-off pieces against the inspection sheets. Once approved, the First Off part is tagged with a First Off Approval Tag. This part is then placed at the appropriate workstation for the operator's sample.

The Q.A. department replaces these first-offs every (30) days. How can we be reminded that these are due for change and how can we record evidence that this has been done?

Any thoughts? The only thing that I've come up with is making up a matrix with all of the part numbers and operation numbers on one side and have the month and days on the top. Q.A. would be responsible to record the first off updates each month for each part due.

Thanks very much,
KIDDO

How does your gage calibration recall system work? You can add the first-off parts to that system so that they're recalled the same way that gages due for calibration are.

[KIDDO]

In Reply to Parent Post by Jim Wynne

How does your gage calibration recall system work? You can add the first-off parts to that system so that they're recalled the same way that gages due for calibration are.

Our calibration recall system is used with Gagetrak. The only thing is that our Calibration Tech is the only one who has this on their system and is located in a different area from the Q.A. lab. We thought about using this as well. I just wanted to present more options to them from you the experts! Thanks

KIDDO

[Zuggy]

In Reply to Parent Post by KIDDO

Our calibration recall system is used with Gagetrak. The only thing is that our Calibration Tech is the only one who has this on their system and is located in a different area from the Q.A. lab. We thought about using this as well. I just wanted to present more options to them from you the experts! Thanks

KIDDO

I have used the Gagetrack system, and this is a good idea as long as you have more users. Maybe put a second Gagetrack system in place to resolve the first off piece issue. I guess at the end what is the cost of not putting something in place.


Tim

[Jim Wynne]

In Reply to Parent Post by KIDDO

Our calibration recall system is used with Gagetrak. The only thing is that our Calibration Tech is the only one who has this on their system and is located in a different area from the Q.A. lab. We thought about using this as well. I just wanted to present more options to them from you the experts! Thanks

KIDDO

Why not just put this in the hands of the operators, and make them responsible for changing out the parts on schedule?