Case Study: Anvil Installation Tool Failure
Challenge
Determining the root cause of tool failure.
Several major truck manufacturers were facing tooling failures, resulting in fully assembled trucks pulled off assembly lines for costly manual rework. This problem was detrimental to production throughput, and, as such, was elevated to Senior Management levels. Recently promoted from a Manufacturing Engineering role to the role as a Quality Engineer, CAN-Q Founder Jeff Fontaine was tasked with conducting a design and process audit and navigating a delicate situation with field service and management.
Process
Performing a supplier process audit.
It was determined that the failure mode involved either a complete tool rupture or locked tools stuck to the truck chassis. To begin to address this issue, Jeff visited a chrome plating supplier based near Newark, New Jersey. As audit preparation required a complete review of all design and process specifications, Jeff planned on reviewing relevant specifications with the supplier management representatives in New Jersey.
It was immediately clear that the chrome plating facility was very poorly maintained. A process walk-through involved: shot peening, polishing, chrome plating, and a final polishing step.
Solution
Uncovering issues in the subcontractor’s process.
The first major discovery made during the facility walk-through was that the supplier had substituted a sand blasting machine for a shot peening operation. The supplier lacked the knowledge and equipment to comply with this critical process requirement.
These suboptimal findings were detailed in the audit report and submitted to Senior Management, including the Purchasing Manager. Despite the troubling conditions reported at the supplier’s facility, the Purchasing Manager defended the supplier and displayed resistance to finding a new supplier. Jeff navigated this organizational change deftly, negotiating the necessity of switching to a new supplier with the necessary technical capabilities.
Outcome
Cost savings and increased customer satisfaction.
Making the switch to new and improved chrome plating supplier led to the elimination of over $1.5 million in excessive warranty costs. It also resolved many customer experience issues and led to a decrease in customer complaints.
Overall, the benefits reaped from the improved chrome plating supply led to increased sales, an uptick in future contracts, and greater customer loyalty.