Getting to the root of a quality problem
I was shocked many times by the unwillingness of supervisors, in Chinese factories, to find the real cause of a problem.
Here are just a few real-life quotes:
Workmanship is not good? The operator did not pay enough attention, so she will have to repair it. Next time she should be fired.
The products are not conform to the blueprints you gave us? But, you know, the customer’s designers don’t really know how production works.
We will miss the deadline for shipping? Our factory has bad feng shui!
According to Taiichi Ohno, asking why repeatedly is “the scientific basis of the Toyota system”. It has lead Toyota to make all sorts of improvements. How? By addressing systematically the root causes of obstacles to lower costs.
Ohno gives a great example of the “five whys”: let’s say a machine has stopped functioning:
- Why did the machine stop? -There was an overload and the fuse blew.
- Why was there an overload? -The bearing was not sufficiently lubricated.
- Why was it not lubricated sufficiently? -The lubrication pump was not pumping sufficiently.
- Why was it not pumping sufficiently? -The shaft of the pump was worn and rattling.
- Why was the shaft worn out? -There was no strainer attached and metal scrap got in
I wish more Chinese managers (and if possible line workers) were trained to think this way… It would be a gigantic step in the right direction!
