First steps
- Trace damage back step by step.
- Test the packaging.
- Standardise packing and loading.
How to measure success
Damage PPM by route. Record the value before you start, so the effect of every action can be shown.
When these methods are the wrong choice
- Pareto chart: A single defect type with one known cause.
- PFMEA / DFMEA: Fixing a problem that has already happened; update it after the 8D instead.
- Poka-yoke: Causes in the material or the supplier’s process.
- Standard work / work instruction: Processes that are still changing every week.
- 8D report: Small internal issues where one person can fix the cause in a day.
The methods in one line
| Method | What it is |
|---|---|
| Pareto chart | Ranks defect types or causes so the team works on the vital few first. |
| PFMEA / DFMEA | Analyses how a process or design can fail, rates the risk (AP) and defines prevention and detection. |
| Poka-yoke | Makes the error impossible or detects it immediately, so it does not depend on attention. |
| Standard work / work instruction | The current best way to do a job, with key points and reasons, used for training and audits. |
| 8D report | Team-based method for customer complaints: containment, root cause for occurrence and non-detection, verified corrective action, prevention. |