Case studies in industry and services
Robert S Keyser; Parisa Pooyan
Abstract
Root cause analysis techniques are often applied to problems in the workplace; however, they may also prove very useful to home projects. This research explores the application of two root cause analysis techniques in home projects: (1) 5 Whys to determine the root cause of a home air conditioning unit ...
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Root cause analysis techniques are often applied to problems in the workplace; however, they may also prove very useful to home projects. This research explores the application of two root cause analysis techniques in home projects: (1) 5 Whys to determine the root cause of a home air conditioning unit that runs continuously but does not cool, and (2) an innovative Lean PFMEA to repair a John Deere riding mower that starts, then stops. Employing the 5 Whys technique led to the discovery of incorrect color-coded wiring from the original air conditioning unit to the thermostat. Lean PFMEA enabled a correct diagnosis and resolution of the mower start/stop issue via a Kaizen event, grass clippings in the fuel line, which was remedied by cleaning the fuel tank and replacing the fuel lines, fuel filter, and carburetor. These techniques provide Lean methodological approaches to problem-solving, which often leads to reduced homeowner aggravation, repair time, and repair expense.
Manufacturing and Logistics
Robert S. Keyser; Renee S. Severin; Matthew J. Geiger
Abstract
The Single-Minute Exchange of Dies (SMED) methodology proved to be an effective approach for reducing setup times on a bottleneck 66” Koppers rotary die-cutter machine center in a corrugated box plant. Root cause analysis techniques, such as a check sheet and control charts, aided the analysis. ...
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The Single-Minute Exchange of Dies (SMED) methodology proved to be an effective approach for reducing setup times on a bottleneck 66” Koppers rotary die-cutter machine center in a corrugated box plant. Root cause analysis techniques, such as a check sheet and control charts, aided the analysis. The supervisor and work crew, consisting of both the operator and setup person, played an integral role in reducing setup times by consenting to being videotaped during a typical setup and then breaking down the video to distinguish internal versus external steps. By converting many internal steps to external steps, average setup times were reduced from 55 minutes to 32 minutes, a 42% improvement.