Identifying and Dealing with Variability

We have all heard that doing the same thing over and over while expecting different results is insanity. If so, then utilizing processes with unknown variation, while using components that vary unpredictably and expecting to produce products or services or designs with consistent results must be insanity squared!

What are your variations in metal forming (thickness, hardness, grain, phase, camber), injection molding (viscosity, pigmentation, stability, shot size, cavity to cavity variation), assembly (stack-up issues, location, gage, torque, hardness, lead-in)? What ever your process is, your final product or service depends on your understanding and dealing with your unique variations.

Bring your problems and variations to the table to discuss where your opportunity to improve lies on Thursday November 11, 2010 at 7:45 am Seekers Coffee House in Mentor. We will present an example of how an expenditure of nearly $750,000 was trumped by a $35,000 tooling change that brought a process into control. We invite you to bring examples of process control struggles you're experiencing, or to share situations how you've reduced variability in your plants.