1) Packaging Defects

a. Introduction: When product is ordered from a vendor, there is always

the possibility of a non-conforming product. However, in some cases
you must be wary of the packing the product arrives in as well. This
packing must be in good condition as to withhold the stresses
generated from holding product.

Product that has been over loaded into a crate and the crate is failing

b. Detection: Packaging defects are typically found visually by the

company that has purchased it. It is standard operating procedure in
most industries to review and sign off that the product arrived in good
condition. However, there are time in which a simple glance cannot
determine the quality of the packaging. In these cases, there may an
issue on a design level. This could be using particle board instead of
wood, using nails instead of screws, or using 1x4s instead of 2x4s.
c. Prevention: Packaging standards should exist for the most demanding
of product. This is important as it gives both the vendor and the
customer, an idea of how the product should leave, how it should
arrive, and how it should function. The existence of packaging
standards also can ensure the packaging is made the same way, every
time. This should reduce the chance of human error by standardizing
the process.

2) Serialization Issues
a. Introduction: When you bring up the term typo, one typically thinks
of making a mistake in an e-mail. Maybe writing a text message with a
typo came to mind. However, there are cases in which typos can have
dire effects on product. For example, product serialization.

Serialized sideframe

b. Detection: Detection of serialization typos are commonly found during

the certification process. As certifications, along with mechanical and
chemical reports are sent to the customer, a list of serialized product
will accompany it. These certs are reviewed by the quality team and
non-conformances are identified. If there is an issue with an x-ray
result, chemical ranges, or mechanical properties, the customer will
inform the vendor and request compensating documentation or further
testing. The same goes for serialization. This document is reviewed
and if there is a serialization issue it is typically fixed immediately,
before shipment. However, there are times in which the serialization
typo is not on the documents, it is instead on the product. This poses a
whole new problem as it could involve scrap, grinding and stamping, or
weld repair.
c. Prevention: Serialization issue can be difficult to prevent as they are
as basic of a human error that exists. It comes purely from the user
and is very difficult to prevent. However, there are ways for companies
to help ensure these mistakes dont get to the customer. The most
common way to combat typos in product serialization is second

checking and physical counts. Other techniques exist such as

stenciling but that can be costly and ineffective.

3) Measuring Mistakes
a. Introduction: When product completes its operational routing and is
ready to sell, it often goes under quality checks. These checks can be
visual (SCRATA plates, color, etc), Ultrasonic, and most commonly,
geometrical. The geometry of product can be scanned or it can be
measured manually. When dimensions are measured manually, it often
involves hand tools such as calipers, height gages and micrometers.

Standard measuring devices (height gage, micrometer, v-block, caliper)

b. Detection: Detection of a failed measurements during either the

production cycle or the quality cycle can easily be found by the
customer incoming inspection quality team. In addition, it can be found
often in application. The product may not fit correctly, the product may
not seal correctly or it may even make it into the final application, but
fail sooner than expected.
c. Prevention: There is a way to prevent most if not all measuring
errors. They are called gages. Gages are made in conjunction with the
design of the product to ensure that an operator or quality person of
limited experience can ensure good dimensional product. Gages are
made to test threads, overall length, hole locations, height differences
and also can simulate the application in which they will be used.

Gages

4) Inventory Quantities Discrepancys

a. Introduction: It is not uncommon, when performing cycle counts, to
run across a few errors in regards to physical inventory quantities and
what the MRP system is displaying. This often happens when the
company holds high stock levels and does not use the JIT system.
Although this system is nice to use, it is no feasible to use in all
industries. An example being industries that produce high cost, long
lead time, international product. In those cases, it is very difficult to
supply to customer demand and use a JIT system.

Physical Inventory

b. Detection: Inventory issues are typically found too late. They are not
identified until they have a negative impact on a company. An example
would be; your MRP system shows 12pcs of a casting and the customer
wants 10pcs. Your customer service team accepts the RFQ and when
the parts are being gathered, the error is found. This leads to an angry
customer and possible liability issues due to this mistake. You may

have just caused an entire production line to shut down in Mexico

because they cant build the rail cars without that critical casting!
c. Prevention: Inventory issues can typically be solved by a dedicated
inventory control manager. This individual is in charge of doing
preventative cycle counts on the most critical of product, as well as
spot checks of random inventory. If discrepancies are found they are
corrected immediately. Another way to prevent inventory errors is to
have a really accurate, polished, MRP system (Material Requisition
Program). If adjustments are done correctly, and employees are
logging scrap perfectly this can work. However, you must understand
that in some cases, such as bar stock or piping, increments of inches
are used so many small mistakes add up.

5) Pouring Errors
a. Introduction: I am not going to go into the science of castings but to
be frank, it is easy to make a mistake when pouring a casting. These
mistakes can often result in Inclusions and gas holes. Both of which are
produced when castings are poured under unideal conditions.

Gas holes and inclusions

b. Detection: These defects are found during the x-ray process. They are
typically identified by a quality person and then the vendor is asked to
resubmit new x-rays based on the agreed upon x-ray process between
both companies. Usually it is 2 more x-rays for every failure with
consequences if the compensating x-rays fail as well.
c. Prevention: This is a difficult problem to prevent. Pouring
temperatures, pouring speed, and cooling time can all results in human
made casting errors such as inclusions and gas holes (they usually

point to a process issue). These factors such as speed and temperature

is not identified by the foundry if the line is not automated. The only
way to solve this issue or reduce the chance of it happening is to
automate the production line at the foundry. However, this is a very
costly solution and most foundries decide they are better off
monitoring their process closely and reducing as much as possible the
human errors that results in these avoidable casting defects.

6) Poor Efficiency
a. Introduction: In regards to poor efficiency, I am relating this to a
process that has been optimized but is not being realized in practice.
An example would be a process that an industrial engineer has
streamlined to reduce cost and increase throughput but is not being
used by the operator.

.
Inefficient Process

b. Detection: This can be detected when a process takes longer than the
shop paper says it should. Perhaps when product is not ready to leave
the building for an order due to the process not being complete. It is
also very easy to notice from an Industrial Engineering point of view.

One can easily tell from quickly lancing at the process if it is

streamlined and efficient. As you can see above, we have a production
area that was originally setup to be a streamlined process that has now
fallen into disarray and the operator is now performing the process in
the way they best see fit, which is not standard, and thus a form of
human error.
c. Prevention: This can be difficult to prevent in some cases. I would
suggest that creating a SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) for each
assembly or machining process can be very helpful. This takes the
decision making away from the operator and puts it in the hands of the
Industrial Engineer or Plant Supervisor. It is also very important for the
supervisor of that department to keep a close eye on the production
efforts in their areas. They must enforce the SOP and make sure that
all work is done in a standard fashion.

7) Picking the Wrong Part

a. Introduction: When a customer orders a product. There is a chance
that a shipping personnel could pick the wrong material. This could be
due to part numbers being too similar, it could be due to inexperience,
and it could also be due to a manual process with not enough
automation.

Two products with similar names

b. Detection: This type of error is typically discovered on the customer

side. When they receive the product into their doors they will check the

packing slip vs the product they received. When they see a

discrepancy, this will trigger a RMA (Return Material Authorization) and
a CCR (Customer Complaint Request). It can be very difficult to cath
this before it leaves the door without checks in place
c. Prevention: This type of error can be prevented by using checks
within the picking process. This could include weighing parts before
shipment and comparing to the standard weight that would be
expected based on the item number. Another way to prevent this could
be a double check system. This type of system can be expensive and
difficult to implement as the cost is non-value and does not create
value.

8) Shipping the Wrong Quantity

a. Introduction: Continuing with the shipping department, another type
of human error is shipping the wrong quantity. This could be easily
done as large shipments and busy shipping days, as well as pressure,
can lead to these types of errors.

A partial crate of product

b. Detection: This type of error is also typically discovered by the

customer. When the customer receives a product, they often do some
type of quantity verification to make sure they are paying for what
they get. This is done by weight or by a physical inventory. Often, if a
weight check is close but not perfect, a physical will follow. There is a
possibility the crate or skid could be of a non-standard weight and thus
throw off the calculated quantity of product.
c. Prevention: This can be very difficult to prevent with larger shipments
of low eight, small product. 1 missing pc out of 1000pcs can be difficult
to detect, even by weight calculations. A good way to prevent this
would be to clearly identify crates and skids that are partials to
ensure that they arent sent to customers, assuming that they are of
the full amount. At that point the vendor can use partial crates and
skids to pick quantities from that are less than a standard lot size that
the parts are stored in.

9) Manufacturing Defects
a.

Introduction: During the manufacturing process, many things can go

wrong. One of them is a simple manufacturing process in which a
machining process creates a defective product. This is typically due to
a non-standard production process in which the operator is given the
ability to machine the product as they see fit to meet the drawing
specifications.

Machining setup void of fixtures

b. Detection: This can be very easy to detect and usually is detected

before the product leaves the building. There is typically a process step
called FAI (First Article Inspection) in which the product is checked at
each stage of production by the supervisor or production manager. All
dimensions are verified, key features are checked and special
customer requirements are checked. This is to be done in between
each sequence as to not waste production time and to reduce the
amount of scrap generated from an incorrect machining process.
c. Prevention: This can be prevented with the use of fixtures. Fixtures
are used to orient a product in a standard way to only allow the
operator to machine it in one fashion. This reduces or all together
eliminates the chance of a defective machining process as it makes it
fail-safe. Another way of describing this is poke yoke. Many companies
use this method to streamline production, reduce machining defects,
and to make production orders easier and faster to setup.

10)

Assembly Defects
a. Introduction: Another defect that could happen during the production
process as an assembly defect. This is very similar to the machining
defects but the cause is very different.

Product that has an internal compartment and could be assembled incorrectly

b. Detection: This type of defect may or may not be detected internally.

Due to the fact that it could be an internal assembly defect, a double
check at the end of the process may not discover it before the product
leaves the facility. However, it could be discovered before leaving the
facility if there is a process in place to check the components and the
assembly process. This could some type of process sheet that outlines
the exact way to assemble with checks in place at critical points to
ensure the product was assembled correctly.
c. Prevention: As discussed, I believe that this type of error can be
prevented by standard operation procedure that include checks at
critical assembly steps. This could include a check before internal
components are sealed, it could be a pressure testing check before a
gage is installed, or it could be a pictorial check before the component
is placed on the racks.

11)

Shipping to the Wrong Address

a. Introduction: Another shipment issue that is very much a possibility
is the shipment of product to the wrong customer. In situations where a
vendor has multiple customers that purchase the same product, there
is a likelihood that at some point a shipment will get mixed up and be
sent to the wrong customer.

Shipping label with incorrect shipping location

b. Detection: This can be detected in a few ways. Typically, it is detected

by the customer when they receive a product they did not order.
Unfortunately, it is difficult to detect this in house, before the shipment
leaves the facility. Many orders are processed through shipping centers
and there are not many measures in place to check delivery locations
before the shipments leave. As stated above, it is most likely detected
on the customer side.
c. Prevention: A prevention method that is used often in business is
allocating a set of employees to each customer and only allowing those
employees to gather orders for their given customer. Another way to
prevent this is to double check the pick ticket against the shop paper
and the shipping label. All three should match and works as a nice gate
in order to stop product from shipping to the wrong customer.

12)

Visual Inspections for Cosmetic Issues

a. Introduction: Although many quality standards are mechanical and
dimensional in nature, there is also a need for visual inspections.
Unfortunately, visual inspections are often qualitative instead of
quantitative. For this reason, it is easy for inspectors to make an error
while performing this type of task.

Scrata plate used for visual casting inspection

b. Detection: Seeing as this type of inspection is qualitative in nature, it

is very difficult to determine if this process was done incorrectly. Often,
if you ask three different people whether or not a casting passes Scrata
plate sand visual inspection, those three individuals will have different
opinions. Often, if a customer is not happy with a quality decision in
reference to visual details, they will create a CCR and ask for the
vendor to either rework by weld repair or scrap the product and send a
replacement.
c. Prevention: There are not many ways to prevent this type of quality
human error. It is inherently difficult to standardize due to the large
amount of different surface defects and the tools available to
determine if they will result in a quality issue. An expensive and time
consuming way that some companies standardize surface quality
detection is through 3D scanning. Each part is 100% 3D scanned and
the model is analyzed using software programs to determine if any of
the surface defects are beyond the given tolerance.