Figure “Carrying Out Quality Maintenance” illustrates the overall process by which Quality Maintenance is carried out. At the same time, Table “The Development of Quality Maintenance” shows a 10-step procedure based on the process shown in Figure “Carrying Out Quality Maintenance.”
This procedure requires us to verify the defect phenomena; investigate the processes that give rise to defects; study and analyze the conditions relating to the 4-Ms; plan action to correct lapses in these conditions and restore the situation; analyze and assess situations where the conditions required to achieve good products are unclear; carry out quality improvements to fix deficiencies in these conditions; establish zero-defect conditions for the 4 Ms; consolidate the checking methods to make the conditions easy to maintain and monitor; establish standard values for checks; revise the standards relating to the 4 Ms, and monitor trends.
Through these QM activities, we can achieve and sustain zero quality defects (see Figure “Carrying Out Quality Maintenance”).
To achieve this, we must develop the abilities of our people (the first of the 4 Ms) through Autonomous Maintenance and skills training.
In developing Quality Maintenance, a project team led by a unit manager should handle wider-ranging and more technically demanding issues, while comparatively straightforward issues can be dealt with principally by line team leaders, who will establish zero-defect conditions and implement Autonomous Maintenance activities focusing on sustainment.
Each step of the development procedure is described below with reference to a real-life example of a PVC resin drying process. Despite every effort to make improvements, quality defects do sometimes still arise, and Quality Maintenance is a powerful approach for eliminating them.
4M Analysis Process
The purpose of this procedure is to define the steps to do a 4M …
