8D process question - Potentially defective product in your customer base

[awilliam0815]

This is my first posting on this forum.
I have a question for some of you more experienced Quality experts. What quality tool/discipline is used to address a situation where your supplier tells you that there is potentially defective product in your customer base? In this case, the root cause is know (because the supplier defines for you what the root cause is and warns you about it) so I am not sure that the 8D process is best. However, there are useful tools in the 8D process that would help us contain the end product from the customer (through recall procedures, or through endurance testing of defective component to determine impact on durability of the product). Is there a tool that is similar to the 8D which we should use which only addresses the containment aspect. If so, does this process involve a team similar to 8D process? Also, should we open an 8D and focus only on defining the root cause of why the defective assembly was not detected in our plant (as if that were a type of root cause in itself)?

This is a great forum and I look foward to viewing your comments!

Thanks!

Al
Thanks.

 

[D.Scott]

Welcome to the Cove Al.

I think you should be doing a full 8-D on the defect. The root cause analysis is only a single portion of the 8-D and unless you follow through on it with your supplier, you can't confirm that it was actually what caused the problem.

One thing, for sure, you need to approach defective product with a corrective posture, not containment. Obviously, you have to contain the defect temporarily but the objective should be to eliminate or correct the problem. For this reason, I feel you should follow through on the 8-D.

Dave

 

[awilliam0815]

Dave,
Thanks for the response. I think an 8D would be a useful tool for the problem; however, I am having a problem trying to fit this situation into the 8D format. For example, the 8D tool (the way I learned) is used to solve a problem which has an unkown root cause. In this situation, the customer has not voiced a concern (in fact it is possible that the defective parts did not even make it to the customer). In this case, it was the supplier that found the defective parts in their own inventory, and notified us on their own initiative. If I were to initiate an 8D, what would be the objective of the team? There are no symptoms raised by the customer, and the root cause is already known. What I am looking for is a tool which will not so much confirm the defect, but to either recall the defective parts, or validate that the defects will not hurt the customer, and also to prevent defective parts from exiting both the suppliers plant and our plant in the future. Thanks!
Al

 

[Jim Wynne]

Dave,
What I am looking for is a tool which will not so much confirm the defect, but to either recall the defective parts, or validate that the defects will not hurt the customer, and also to prevent defective parts from exiting both the suppliers plant and our plant in the future.

I think maybe the problem is that you're looking for a "tool." Sometimes a structured process isn't necessary. Here's what you need to do, based on your own summation:

1. Recall defective parts, if there are any
2. Validate that the defective parts won't hurt the customer
3. Do something to prevent defective parts from getting to your customer in the future.

 

[Miner]

Dave,
Thanks for the response. I think an 8D would be a useful tool for the problem; however, I am having a problem trying to fit this situation into the 8D format. For example, the 8D tool (the way I learned) is used to solve a problem which has an unkown root cause. In this situation, the customer has not voiced a concern (in fact it is possible that the defective parts did not even make it to the customer). In this case, it was the supplier that found the defective parts in their own inventory, and notified us on their own initiative. If I were to initiate an 8D, what would be the objective of the team? There are no symptoms raised by the customer, and the root cause is already known. What I am looking for is a tool which will not so much confirm the defect, but to either recall the defective parts, or validate that the defects will not hurt the customer, and also to prevent defective parts from exiting both the suppliers plant and our plant in the future. Thanks!
Al

You can also put the supplier's information into the 8D format along with your containment data to ensure that the you and the supplier have addressed all necessary corrective action items, such as root cause of the escapement, preventing recurrence, etc.

And, if this affects customers with mature quality systems, they will probably be requesting a formal corrective action from you.