Track 2 Session 6
10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Wednesday June 18, 2008

Increased Reliability in Small Lot Production Through Use of Fault-Control Methods

Small lot production of items that are both expensive and must have high reliability requires a special mind-set and tool set. High reliability for a small lot often means that all delivered products must meet requirements. Small lot production also means little or no opportunity to learn from mistakes. In such situations, it has proven effective to systematically identify faults that could occur and to associate with each fault the controls that prevent the fault. In this presentation, a systematic way to identify faults and controls and to rate the effectiveness of controls will be described. The methodology has been applied successfully to the very low volume production of batteries and electro-explosive devices.

Key Words: High Reliability, Fault Identification, Fault Prevention and Control, Mistake Proofing