How to Minimize Non-Conformance in Your Manufacturing Process

Manufacturing non-conformance is a common but critical issue. Non-conforming materials, parts, and products stem from many factors, and they carry high costs. Minimizing these errors is essential to ensuring regulatory compliance and lowering ongoing expenses.

An effective non-conformance procedure consists of two main strategies — prevention and reaction. You must prevent non-conformance as much as possible, but when issues inevitably do arise, you must be able to react to minimize the impact. Following these seven steps can help in both scenarios.

Perform DFM Analysis

Design for manufacturing (DFM) analysis is the first step in preventing manufacturing non-conformance. If there is room for mistakes, they will inevitably happen. Typical failure rates range between 10 and 30 errors per 100 opportunities, so one of the most effective fixes is to reduce those opportunities in the first place.

The easier a part or product is to manufacture, the less your risk of error will be. Consequently, conducting a DFM analysis is critical to see where your most error-prone processes are and what potential alternatives could improve manufacturability.

Remember that DFM can be prone to mistakes, so it is best to use automated technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) to perform this analysis. Try to conduct this research as early in product development as possible to minimize the costs of implementing more error-resistant workflows.

Automate Error-Prone Processes

Automation is another effective way to minimize the chances of errors arising. However, many manufacturers also face cost and complexity barriers when trying to implement it. You can account for these obstacles by focusing on the processes that will benefit most from automation.

Start by looking for available off-the-shelf automation solutions. Next, identify your most error-prone workflows — typically those with high repetition, specific part orientation requirements, or large physical burdens. Any crossover between these areas is where you should automate first for the most significant returns.

Be sure to measure error rates and other key performance indicators (KPIs) before and after automating workflows. Record your improvements and any issues you run into to inform smoother automation in the future.

Keep Equipment in Good Condition

Non-conformance procedures also need a reliable maintenance program. Keeping equipment in optimal condition will prevent errors that arise from malfunctions or misalignment.

Conventional run-to-failure approaches to repairs are insufficient for preventing non-conformance. Issues may build slowly, impacting manufacturing quality before the problem is noticeable. Regular preventive maintenance is preferable, and Internet of Things (IoT)-based predictive maintenance is ideal.

Predictive maintenance alerts you when a machine needs repair via connected sensors that monitor equipment health factors. These systems are more complex and expensive to implement, but they prevent breakdowns and minimize repair-related downtime by avoiding unnecessary maintenance stops. Consequently, they reduce maintenance costs by as much as 40% in some workflows.

Improve Supply Chain Visibility

It is essential to recognize errors can arise even after implementing these preventive measures. In light of that possibility, you must also be able to catch non-conformance early and identify its root causes to prevent similar mistakes in the future. Doing that requires transparency throughout your supply chain.

Non-conformance can arise from many factors, including internal workflows, third-party suppliers, poor communication, and damage in transit. If you have an in-depth, comprehensive view of your supply chain, narrowing down where specific issues arise will be easier, informing effective changes. However, many manufacturers lack complete supply chain visibility.

Boosting transparency starts with increasing data-sharing between parties. Use IoT tracking solutions to provide real-time insight into your operations, then encourage suppliers, 3PLs, and other supply chain partners to do the same. Consolidate and share this data with a cloud-based supply chain management platform to maximize visibility for all parties.

Hold Suppliers to a Higher Standard

Once you can identify when non-compliance comes from an outside supplier, you should hold these organizations to a higher standard. External dependencies are more challenging to address than internal processes because you lack direct control, but monitoring and scoring can help.

You can use quality engineers and other third parties to audit suppliers and inspect their output before you use it in manufacturing. Keep track of any issues and use this information to grade suppliers along a scale. Instead of a pass/fail measurement, use a sliding scale to help monitor reliability over time and gauge improvements as suppliers adapt to auditors’ recommendations.

Requiring vendors to meet a certain level of quality and consistency will encourage more reliable processes. Some manufacturers have achieved 69% reductions in scrap and rework by implementing these supplier-monitoring programs.

Monitor for Non-Conformance

Similarly, you should have systems to catch manufacturing non-conformance throughout the production cycle. Because errors can arise at many points throughout the manufacturing process, quality checks must inspect materials and parts across the workflow to enable earlier responses.

Quality control checks before shipping to downstream supply chain partners are essential but need a comprehensive solution. You should also verify material and part quality after receiving shipments and before manufacturing. You may need additional steps between these checks depending on how long and complex the production process is.

When possible, it is best to automate this monitoring. Automated quality control can drive increases in throughput and substantially higher defect detection rates in some manufacturers. AI is faster and more accurate than what is possible with human-reliant systems.

Implement a Non-Conformance Response Plan

Detecting manufacturing non-conformance is just the first step to addressing errors. You also need a detailed plan for responding to these issues when they arise to minimize response time and related costs.

Non-conformance response plans consist of short-term and long-term fixes. The former involves fast adjustments you can make to temporarily reduce an error’s impact. That should include material containment and labeling, rework protocols, error grading, and communication systems for informing supply chain partners of the issue.

Your plan should also include strategies for developing long-term solutions to address the root cause of the issue. Use your supply chain management software to narrow down the error’s origin, and use AI to analyze the related workflows to learn how to improve it. Once you make any changes, monitor their error rates to gauge their efficacy and inform future adjustments.

A Reliable Non-Conformance Procedure Prevents Many Issues

Manufacturing non-conformance can be challenging to address because it can stem from many factors and have far-reaching effects. However, if you have a clear, well-defined plan for managing these mistakes and their root causes, you can embrace continuous improvement and eventually eliminate errors.

These seven steps will help develop a non-conformance procedure for your specific operation. You can then minimize conformance issues to reduce operating expenses, stay compliant with industry regulations, and maximize profitability.