Five Ways to Use Strategic Audits to Reduce Costs

Part 1: Batch Processing

In this series: Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV, Part V

Tall Oaks Metals Inc. (TOM Inc.) produces machined aluminum castings for Tier 2 component manufacturers. In recent months Joe Stein, the Quality Manager, was receiving more and more complaints from his key customers. Joe lamented, "Due to our quality problems we were forced to hire an expensive sorting company to sort for non-conforming parts in the pipeline. Without timely and accurate data, I was paying premium prices for services that did not serve me at all." Joe was determined to find a better way.

TOM Inc. processes their castings in batches. This is usually more efficient, except when process failures in the middle of the batch contaminate the remainder of the batch. These process failures needed to be identified and fixed to eliminate the non-conforming parts.

Joe Stein turned to an inspection service firm who was proficient in Strategic Audits. These audits take a sampling of parts during the batch run; several from start-up, points during the middle of the run and a final sample at the end of the run.

Using very specific inspection criteria complete with boundary samples and photos, the inspectors checked and statistically documented the samples. The results were translated into I-Charts, which clearly showed when and where the problems were occurring. Due to the type of defects found in the sample parts, it was apparent that uneven heating of the die in the middle of the batch run was causing the problem.

The data pointed to specific die cavities, which narrowed the search down to three heaters to be checked. Using temperature gages and electrical testing equipment, it was determined that a bad thermocouple was the root cause of the problem. This was quickly replaced and the batch generated a clean run.

"Information is power," Joe told his Plant Manager, "and this Strategic Sample Audit Process provided me the information I needed to find the root cause of the problem and then fix our casting issues. This has saved us a great deal of money in scrap parts and third-party inspections."

A Case for Sampled Audits

A sample audit is all about the data. We know from statistics that a sample is representative of the whole, so we can use a strategic sample to look inside your production and report data that can be assumed to represent the entire run. Good data presented on an I-chart can give you the direction you need to tackle the largest issues first. Couple that with strategically sampled data that pinpoints when and where in the process the problems occur, and identifying a root cause becomes much easier.

Sample audits can be used to reduce the need and dependence on sorting activities. They can be done ahead of containment activities to speed the analysis and get you out of containment sooner. In addition, they can be used for changeovers and start-ups as a preventative deterrent to eliminate problems as soon as they start.

Being a Quality Manager for an automotive parts and components manufacturer is a tough job. The stress levels can be overwhelming with pressure coming from both your customer and your own co-workers in production. When things start to go wrong, they can quickly spiral out of control if you cannot identify the root causes of the issues and get them resolved quickly. The data needed to identify the root cause can be elusive when the problem seems to bob and weave like a prizefighter. Utilizing Strategic Sample Audits helps Quality Managers locate and knock out the problems.

Continental Quality Engineering has experts in all aspects of Strategic Sample Audits. Scroll down to contact us today, or call (800) 875-4557.

In this series: Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV, Part V

Great Inventions of the 20th Century

1909- Electric Toaster

The concept of toasting bread has been around for a long, long time. The ancient Egyptians noticed bread that had been scorched lasted longer and tasted sweeter. The Romans loved toasted bread and spread the concept to the lands they conquered, including England. English colonists later brought the idea to the Americas.

Toasting bread may not be a new idea, but our execution of it has certainly improved. Before the invention of the electric toaster, various methods were used. Most involved some kind of long metal implement held over an open fire- not the safest proposition, and impossible to do evenly. Obviously, a better method was needed.

The invention that made the toaster possible was a wire made of an alloy of nickel and chromium (known as nichrome) that could stand high temperatures for a long time. This was invented by Albert Marsh in 1905. Although other models appeared on the market before it, the first patent for an invention that used this wire to toast bread was filed by GE in 1909. The pop-up toaster was patented by Charles Strite in 1919. The Toastmaster, put on the market in 1925, was the first toaster to include a pop-up feature along with the ability to brown both sides at once.

Modern toasters work by applying radiant heat to the surface of the bread slices. When the surface temperature reaches approximately 310 degrees Fahrenheit, the starches and sugars in the bread caramelize and the bread turns brown. This process reduces the water content of the bread from 35% to about 10%, and makes it sweeter and more crunchy.

The newest innovations for electric toasters include the ability to toast only one side of a bagel, the capacity for toasting more slices at a time, and a reheat function that can heat toast up without burning it. Other features of high-end models include microchip controls and automatic toast lowering (no lever!).

One of the most innovative uses for a toaster was one proposed by a student at Brunel University in 2001. He invented a toaster that dialed a pre-programmed number when you put your slice of bread in and got the weather forecast. It would then toast a sun, a cloud, or a raindrop symbol onto your bread.

Toasters have made their way in pop culture as well. They have been featured in episodes of television shows such as The Simpsons and Sesame Street. A children's story (and later a movie), The Brave Little Toaster has as its main character an ambulant, talking toaster. The album cover for the 1973 Jefferson Airplane album Thirty Seconds Over Winterland featured flying toasters on its cover.

Several online museums have sprung up devoted to the history of the electronic toaster. Foremost among these is the Toaster Museum Foundation, at www.toaster.org. They are working towards a permanent museum to display the several hundred toasters they have accumulated.

Next time you're standing in front of your toaster, waiting for that piece of bread to pop up, use the time to think about the fascinating history of the device.