How to Reduce or Eliminate Inspection on an Assembly Line

[pradeepp28]

At present i am working on project to reduce inspection work by implementing some use full quality tools, Can some one share their ideas.

[Marc]

You might want to tell us a bit about the assembly line and the type of inspection. It's hard to generalize on topics such as this.

[sridharafep]

Good Idea to reduce (Limit) the inspection - because in many situation inspection may not add real value.

Access you current data / what is the current level and the yield after inspection.

this data will guide you how to proceed - based on the nature of product as well the risk factor.

You can make sampling / audit the process and check the process is on control.

Also you can implement some inspections on line automation if it so specific requirement.

all the best......

[Benjamin.liu]

everyone know inspection work will not add value, but first we should verify the process is under control.
there are two kinds of work, hand and machine, hand work is more difficult to control, but there are more opportunity to improve, if the process is under control, you can reduce inspection frequency and capacity.
statistics your process first, and find the opportunity out.
this is my opinion.

[bobdoering]

Inspection is not "value added" but it is "value maintained" - and that is equally as important as value added! It prevents or at least minimizes "value loss" of scrap from bad things that happen when no one is looking (when performed correctly). So, make sure you understand your risks, and understand the validity of the predictability of the inspection you are doing. Otherwise, the money you save will easily be frittered away with scrap and sorting.

Do not let "value added" zombies fool you into letting your process wander around with no direction or observation. They are taking a very myopic view of the overall situation.

Now, inspecting characteristics that are of no consequence, or that can be controlled via other characteristics, can be reduced easily.

[Benjamin.liu]

thank you, your words let me think about it by another way

[Bev D]

There are many approaches that work very well to reduce inspection while increasing the quality shipped to the field (or downstreamoperations) and increase the informative value of the remaining inspections.

If you provide us some more details about your product and what you are inspecting for we can provide more detailed help.

[somashekar]

Hii Pradeep... Greetings and welcome to the Cove ~~~

How to Reduce or Eliminate Inspection on an Assembly Line

???

By planing to Reduce or Eliminate Inspection on an Assembly Line ~~~

Easier said than done... But how again ?
First is the "will" to reduce and eliminate inspection on an assembly line.
This "will" will make you to plan for the reduction and elimination.
Plan to get the correct matching parts components within control such that variations do not affect the assembly.
Divide the assembly to such many stages so as to match with the skill and competency of the line personnel.
Provide suitable jigs and assembly fixtures that will prevent a wrong assembly and hence do not feed the next stages with defectives.
Train the assembly personnel about the work and make them aware what consequences will be faced by the customer when wrong work gets to his end.
At places where a validation is necessary, operator qualification is vital. Perform this and deploy such personnel at such stages.
The operator is the best inspector. Inculcate the sense of pride in the personnel who perform the assembly tasks.
Where possible identify such stages which will perform an assembly task as well as be responsible to approve the part upto such stage. Identify such skilled personnel at such stages.
Keep a constant monitoring and be prepared to take on risks and have the confidence of the management.
Remember that on an assembly line every person involuntarily inspects the part / sub-assembly he gets to his hands and when skilled enough he/she will quickly be able to detect a wrong. Respect this and encourage. The eyes see, the hands feel, the ears hear, the brain processes all these and gives a decision. All these are instantaneous. Do not think these are reducible or eliminatable inspection. You are encouraged to encourage this and take valuable feedback to your planning, so as to provide more clearer guidelines to assembly personnel.
Inspection is value addition only when performed scientifically and per plan. Inspection is built within the quality assurance process. It does not add value when you over-blow it and then see no value added.