FEATURE Automotive Supply Chain
Ensuring quality in the automotive supply chain
Lindsey Padilla, Director of Quality at Bison Gear & Engineering, explains how to keep up with product quality and standards for better processes
P
roduct quality is a critically- important consideration when purchasing parts, but what does that mean and how to evaluate it
as a customer?
Obviously quality involves materials and manufacturing processes that consistently result in high-performing, defect-free products that conform to specifi cations. That’s necessary, but not suffi cient in ensuring that the product performs as needed in the particular application under the particular conditions for the intended lifespan.
Beyond the basics The certifi cation program of the International Standards Organization (ISO) provides helpful general guidelines and imposes a degree of discipline to ensure a systematic approach to quality. The ISO 9001:2015 audits and periodic recertifi cation process ensures that we have a carefully considered, well documented and consistently implemented program. But an eff ective and comprehensive quality program is unique to each industry. For example, the Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP) is a general framework of procedures and techniques developed by the automotive industry, but is also broadly used in other industries. According to the Automotive Industry Action Group (AIAG), the purpose of APQP is “to produce a product quality plan which will support development of a product or service that will satisfy the customer.” However, a comprehensive and eff ective quality program goes beyond these standardised guidelines and frameworks, to include everything from the company philosophy, investment priorities and organisational structure, employee culture and capabilities, to the relationships with suppliers and customers. Systematic quality programs like ISO 9001 and APQP represent the skeletal framework, and real-time data represents the lifeblood of outstanding quality
36 May 2023 | Automation
A handy quality management system helps with the supply chain processes
assurance. At Bison our implementation of web-based quality management (QMS) software has allowed us to better use data through our company and in our relationships with suppliers and customers, resulting in signifi cant, measurable quality improvements. The QMS software allows us to capture and analyse data, grouped by product, feature or process, to identify problems and to drive improvements. Rather than solving issues in isolation, we are able to apply lessons across customers, products and processes, to best apply resources to prevent problems and drive improvement. For example, we measure quality in terms of defective parts per million (DPM), and have been able to reduce our DPM in our DC motors by 68% through analysis of data across multiple products in this category. Making these motors requires precise pressing of laminations and winding of the wire so that the armature fi ts exactly in the machine. By analysing data across varied motor shafts and diff erent lengths of swages, we were able to improve the quality for the entire product category.
Cross-functional teamwork Teamwork is also essential to quality assurance. Subjecting concepts and designs to early cross-functional reviews is an investment in time and eff ort, but it pays off in a smoother process and far
better quality; bringing together multiple viewpoints produces better solutions and prevents future problems. Often the process starts with application engineers and customers meeting, to discuss the requirements. The teamwork continues through the design, prototyping, manufacturing and customer support stages with quality engineers. Suppliers, too, are well-integrated into the overall quality program. Bison’s documented Supplier Performance Improvement Process (SPIP) exemplifi es our data-driven team approach to doing business. We recognise that our ability to meet customer expectations is dependent on the quality and reliability of our suppliers, and we are actively engaged in systematically evaluating and supporting them. We fi nd that it is critically important to establish a close working relationship with a supplier, so that we are prepared to quickly address and correct any issues that may come up.
Being smart about inspections Inspections are obviously very important. We do perform fi nal assembly testing for every item prior to delivery – including testing for air leaks, torque and RPM – but incoming parts inspections and in-process inspections must be selective and strategic. There are an average of about 50 parts that go into each gear motor, and each product has up to 500 specifi cations on the print. Strategic testing means that we do not just test at random. Our QMS software enables us to use data to drive the inspection process. Data analysis is used to identify parts and processes that are especially critical or have a history of failing. For example, specifi c testing protocols are implemented after retooling or other operations that present identifi ed risks.
CONTACT:
Bison Gear & Engineering
www.bisongear.com
automationmagazine.co.uk
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