Mistakes are inevitable, defects are not. Discover the ultimate technique to avoid accidents and human errors in the production flow.
A production system without errors is a dream shared by many businesses and organizations. A utopia, the practice of producing with zero defects and being a global competitor, which, moreover, needs hardly any quality control due to its perfection. The origin of this idea, an ambitious work goal, eventually spurred the creation of Poka Yoke.
It all began in the 1960s, when Japanese engineer Shigeo Shingo, a Toyota worker, developed an exceptional method for committing zero defects in the production phase. This was called Poka Yoke, which means "error-proof" in his native language (avoidance -yokeru- inadvertent mistakes -poka-), a technique to avoid simple human errors at work.
This idea underlined the need to understand that workers are human beings, not machines, and are therefore prone to making mistakes, especially when working highly-mechanical jobs. Reprimanding them would only lower their motivation, so it was necessary to find a way to avoid any failure at all. This would alleviate the repetition of their routines and give value to their intelligence in the industries.
How would this be done? Through mechanisms that prevent mistakes before they happen, or show them so obviously that the employee notices and corrects them in time.
In the main bibliographic reference for the Poka-yoke tool, Zero Quality Control by Shingo; three basic principles were established to comply with this new system:
Its concept is simple: With no errors on the production line, quality will be high and "rework" will be minimal. Consequently, it lowers costs at the same time and increases customer satisfaction. In addition, not only is the concept simple, the tools and/or devices must be simple..
This has a similar character to Lean Manufacturing/Management, the Six Sigma, or the 5S System which advocate the enormous potential that a simple and well-organised system has behind it.
1. What is Poka Yoke and its principles
3. Why use Poka Yoke: Benefits and advantages
4. Examples of Poka Yoke in business and everyday life
5. How to implement Poka Yoke in your company
Before implementing Poka Yoke techniques, Shingo distinguishes different inspection methods for conducting a preventive failure study, explained in his acclaimed work:
Alongside this, it features two functions that encompass the types of Poka Yoke, these are:
Mechanisms and devices that warn of a potential failure before it happens. A prediction of errors that will warn the worker and/or stop the machinery. Highly effective function because the intervention is immediate, blocking a manufacturing failure.
Devices that notify of any error or defect in manufacture. It is accepted that the error may occur and is therefore dependent on the attention of an employee. It differs from the previous one in that it only alerts to the possibility of failure, not to the production process.
With this background information, we move on to the Poka-yoke methods which are classified as the following types:
However, production experts Richard Chase and Douglas Stewart, in their work Mistake-Proofing: Designing Errors Out classified Poka-yokes into four more general types adaptable to other types of markets:
The benefits of Poka-Yoke are numerous and, nowadays, practically all companies carry out this "philosophy"
Firstly, as we have already mentioned, it reduces the likelihood of errors in the manufacturing process. Therefore, it increases the quality in every corner of production, and adds the feedback obtained by knowing the errors or possible defects.
Eliminates post-flow manufacturing controls, as errors are strictly controlled, thus saving time and money. It also avoids inspection or repair losses. And, in the event that something does happen, it provides a fast and effective correction system.
From a more employee-centric perspective, human error is avoided, thus avoiding supervisor-worker relationship problems, psychological impact and motivational instability. In addition, it makes work easier with its simple mechanism perspective and allows for a better working environment due to the increased safety of the powerful automatic inspection.
By having a better manufacturing process, fewer defects and more productive employees, it improves the user experience for consumers. Not forgetting, either, that this technique is also applied to final products, in order to make the use of goods/services more convenient. In short, it provides a market differentiation and customer approach.
Even if we don't realise it, Poka Yoke techniques are very present in our daily lives. Once you understand the concept, you realise how important the Japanese engineer's intellectual contribution has been. These are seen in business as well as in everyday situations.
Bearing in mind the importance and effectiveness of applying this method in an organisation, it is highly recommended that Poka Yoke mechanisms are integrated to ensure quality and effectiveness.
Thanks to the technological advancement of our times, there are numerous options that cover the functions of control and warning for little money, offering great benefits. The use of Apps and monitoring software is a simple and efficient way to do this.
At Lumiform we have set out to create an app, with state-of-the-art German technology, that allows your employees to confirm all their steps through checklists and digital forms.
Your operators can check that all machinery is under control with this method, which is fully editable and customisable to any sector. Whether receiving your information, or using existing control templates, the production flow will be well monitored step by step.
Every corner of your organisation can be monitored remotely and, should the slightest error occur, it will be communicated instantly and you can block the production flow in a second.
Alongside all this, the Lumiform App/Software allows you to generate real-time data on your processes to measure quality and safety, giving you a starting point for continuous improvement.
It also automatically generates reports on the results of the controls performed. As a result, you save money and time by reducing defects, getting to know your company better every day.
And finally, it helps you to forget the old-fashioned use of paper and excel for the organisation of your company or business, giving you a step ahead of your competitors with innovative technology and a consistent and intuitive process.
You have questions or would like to schedule a personal demo? We are happy to help you!