The Necessary Conditions for the Creation of an FMEA
In order for an FMEA to be successfully applied in a company, the company must create the necessary conditions. This means that a knowledgeable facilitator assembles a team to initiate and carry out the analysis process.
The requirements that are placed on the team for an optimal risk assessment are the willingness to work together constructively and the ability to recognize a fault quickly. As the FMEA analysis progresses, the risks must be identified, analyzed and eliminated.
The knowledge required to perform the analysis is acquired by the facilitator and the participants during an informative training session. They can also benefit from the use of suitable software.
Which Types and Methods Does the Failure Mode and Effects Analysis Know
A successful use of FMEA requires that the applying company knows the types and methods of an innovative analysis procedure. In particular, a distinction can be made between preventive and corrective analysis.
The preventive analysis procedure starts parallel to a triggered production process. The user in charge of preventive analysis accompanies the process from the first development stage to the finished product. As soon as he detects a defect, he can analyze it directly and eliminate it after assessing the risk.
Corrective failure analysis is activated at a later stage in the product development process. Here, the user takes a backward-looking approach. The risk assessment applies to all components involved in the manufacturing process. The corrective analysis is a very complex procedure. For this reason, it should only be used by a company if the preventive analysis procedure does not produce meaningful results.
In addition to the two analysis procedures mentioned, systematic troubleshooting also knows a product-oriented and a process-oriented analysis procedure.
Furthermore, a comprehensive FMEA analysis knows the system-based analysis procedure and an analysis procedure that deals with the development of the individual processes.
What is the Area of Application for the FMEA?
FMEA is used in many different areas of a company. It can be applied to troubleshoot any production process. This is independent of whether the company operates in the automotive industry or belongs to another industrial sector. It is important for the risk assessment that the company creates the necessary conditions and deals with the types and methods of a comprehensive FMEA analysis.
How to Implement the FMEA Analysis in a Company
The most important prerequisite for a successful failure analysis is the correct implementation in one's own company. Here, the company follows a certain procedure.
The risk assessment begins with the system analysis. Here, first of all, all data and documents are compiled that are necessary for the analysis procedure. Then the moderator determines the scope in which the FMEA analysis is to be carried out. The depth of observation plays a decisive role here.
The analysis procedure continues with the structural analysis. Here, the user records all system elements, which he combines to form a uniform system structure. This is all the more important if the application area is a system with a high degree of complexity. Here it must be examined in particular if a failure, in the one system element affects also the failures in the other elements. If this is the case, the error must be eliminated immediately. Otherwise, there is a risk that the failure will infect the other components and the entire production process will come to a standstill.
The structural analysis is followed by the functional analysis. In this step, the analysis procedure ensures that the detected defects can be assigned to a specific function. In this way, they can be identified and eliminated more quickly.
Once the functional analysis has been successfully completed, the action analysis follows. Here, the status of the actions that are to be used to correct the faults is first determined.
The BAE evaluation table is used to support the evaluation. Here, not only the defect itself is analyzed, but also the probability of this defect occurring again and preventing the trouble-free running of a production development process. The BAE evaluation table also includes the probability of detection of a defect. This evaluation method is especially useful for complex systems.
In order for the troubleshooting to be carried out in the manner presented, all participants in the project must be aware of their responsibilities and feel able to carry out the analysis procedure responsibly.
The basic knowledge imparted to the participants in a training course is supplemented by the expert knowledge of the facilitator. This results in a combination that leads the error detection and avoidance strategy to a successful conclusion.
Utilization of the Advantages With the Help of Suitable Software
In addition to training, suitable software can also be used for FMEA analysis. This supports the user in all phases of process-optimized troubleshooting.
The software guides the user with user-friendly menu navigation through the entire program, which is started for a comprehensive risk assessment in a company.
The program starts at the system analysis stage, where the user is prompted to compile all the documents and records necessary for the analysis process. In addition, the user is also provided with the necessary information during the structural analysis and functional analysis. If the analysis procedure concludes with the action analysis, the software provides the user with the appropriate solutions. The user benefits from the fact that he can also identify and evaluate hidden defects. Using the software also gives the user enough time to eliminate a defect before it can affect the production process.
Conclusion
The above tips and tricks will help a company to use FMEA analysis effectively in its own operations and to conduct a comprehensive risk assessment.
If the user knows in which area of his company the analysis procedure will be used, he can start the process. The necessary information is obtained during training. In addition, the user benefits from suitable software that guides him comfortably through the entire analysis procedure. Thus, at the end, the user is provided with the measures with which the troubleshooting process can be brought to a successful conclusion.
After the process has been successfully carried out, the company can generate the following two benefits for itself:
- No unnecessary costs are incurred for costly troubleshooting.
- Customers are convinced of a product that is of high quality.