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14: Volume Manufacturing

14: Volume Manufacturing

By Mike Freier

The Journey to Volume Manufacturing and Beyond: Scaling Your Hardware-based Product

In the span of our idea-to-scale series, we’ve navigated through the various phases of transforming a hardware-based product idea into a market-ready product. We’ve explored the crucial stages of design, planning, development, as well as controlled introduction. Now, we arrive at the pivotal point of Volume Manufacturing, where we will learn how it can be leveraged to increase efficiency, improve quality and lower costs to effectively scale your business. 

In this final segment, we turn our focus to scaling a resilient supply chain and revisiting key concepts from earlier segments. These include Contract Manufacturer (CM) selection, tooling and fixturing, communication, and business systems. We’ll also include additional insights into production forecasting, test, and logistics and repair, with a focus on quality, delivery and cost-effectiveness.

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Can we Predict all Failures?

Can we Predict all Failures?

Predicting all failures in any system, including the automotive industry, is an inherently complex and challenging task. The inherent unpredictability of certain failure modes, coupled with the vast array of variables in operational environments, makes it impossible to foresee every potential failure. However, through strategic approaches and methodologies, it is possible to minimize major failures and reduce the infant mortality failure rate, thereby enhancing the reliability and safety of automotive products.

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Is Using MTBF Habit Forming?

Is Using MTBF Habit Forming?

With Enough Reinforcement, MTBF Use Becomes a Habit

A habit you should examine and stop.

At first, I wondered if MTBF use was addictive, yet I thought that comparison would belittle the very serious issues of those with addictive behaviors. Using MTBF does not generally cause a person harm, while poor decision based on it might harm the organization.

I find those that regularly employ MTBF do so without thinking about it too much. If someone mentions reliability, they think MTBF. Automatically.

Habits help us reduce cognitive load and make our life simpler. For example, do you need to focus on how to put on your shoes every morning? I’m personally happy my habit skills allow me to remember how to drive safely without the intense focus required the first time I got behind the wheel.

Let’s examine how to tell if someone has the Habit of MTBF use and what you can do about it. [Read more…]

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Cyber Security and Enterprise Risk Management

Cyber Security and Enterprise Risk Management

Guest Post by James Kline (first posted on CERM ® RISK INSIGHTS – reposted here with permission)

In September 2022 the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) issued NIST IR 8286C. (1) As the C indicates, this is the third such cybersecurity risk management standard issued by NIST. NISTIR 8286A and 8286B provide guidance to stakeholders on assessing and managing cybersecurity risk in conjunction with Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) processes. This piece looks at the guidance provided under NIST IR 8286C.

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Measuring Replacement Asset Value (RAV)

Measuring Replacement Asset Value (RAV)

I read your article that compares maintenance costs to RAV and am inquiring to see what is your definition of ‘maintenance cost’ when measuring replacement asset value? Are you strictly referring to labor costs, or is this the cost of labor, services and capital equipment purchases to repair, replace or upgrade an existing machine?

Dear Tom,

In the example, ‘maintenance costs’ meant the direct and overhead maintenance costs – labor, parts, subcontract services and allocated overheads (i.e. supervision, management, associated infrastructure, etc. proportioned to direct labor hours) – incurred during the ‘normal’ operation of the car (i.e. the car is driven by a well-trained, responsible driver at the wheel). If you have a store/warehouse for maintenance parts then you add the proportionate cost of keeping and running the store to support the maintenance effort as part of the total cost of maintenance.

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RCM Lesson from the Ancient Mayans

RCM Lesson from the Ancient Mayans

Discover the Secret to Reliability

Hi everyone! I’m Nancy Regan, and today I’m coming to you from the iconic pyramid of Chichen Itza in the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. The ancient Mayans believed that their pyramid connected them to both the underworld and the sky—a symbol of balance and connection. This powerful idea got me thinking about Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM) and the importance of leveraging our most valuable resource: equipment experts.

In this video, I’ll explain why equipment experts are crucial to the RCM process. They bring insights that historical data alone can’t provide, understanding how things fail, what causes them to fail, and how each failure matters —what we call consequences in RCM. Documenting their knowledge through RCM not only improves reliability but also preserves their invaluable expertise for the future.

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13: Controlled Introduction. Part 4 Customer Trials

13: Controlled Introduction. Part 4 Customer Trials

By Mike Freier

In the last blog, we discussed the importance of business systems including the perils of manual processes, common business systems used for an agile hardware product lifecycle, optimizing data flows, managing product data across systems, and tips for success. 

Now, in this final blog in the controlled Introduction series, we discuss the importance of customer trials, identifying and developing trial customers, running the trials and how to leverage the learnings resulting from these trials to benefit your business.

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The Fixed Capability Technique

The Fixed Capability Technique

A Practical SPC Method for High-Capability Processes

By Ray Harkins and Michael J. Vella

Manufacturing professionals who regularly apply Statistical Process Control (SPC) methods, such as X̄ and R charts, know the power of SPC to maintain control of both quality and cost. The standard practice emphasizes attention to variation, with operators trained to take corrective action whenever a process signals an out-of-control condition. Typically, this means adjusting a process input, verifying the correction, and resuming production.

However, not every out-of-control signal requires intervention, especially in processes where inherent variation is extremely small and product quality is consistently high. In some cases, such as tooling wear or small material variations, process center shifts may occur outside of the operator’s ability to correct. Responding to these shifts with standard SPC rules can lead to overcorrection, lost productivity, and increased variation.

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Reliability Importance During Design Phases

Reliability Importance During Design Phases

In the fast-evolving world of electric vehicles EVs), the Precision and reliability of components such as electromechanical valves are critical. These valves, which control the flow of coolant to manage battery temperature, must perform flawlessly under varying conditions. This article delves into the importance of reliability at each stage of product development, from design review to customer release.

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Learn Reliability, Not Just MTBF

Learn Reliability, Not Just MTBF

MTBF is a Starting Point, Only

MTBF is not meant to be used for anything other than teaching someone new to reliability how the various functions and tasks work.

Using MTBF in the real world is an oversimplification to the point of being less then useful. Possibly even harmful.

You see MTBF is books, articles, and papers, often with the caveat of the assumption to simplify the math to illustrate the process or concept. Hence, does not apply for actual use. [Read more…]

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Today’s Gremlin – I’ve got this!

Today’s Gremlin – I’ve got this!

Today’s Gremlin – “I’ve got this”, doesn’t cause trouble. In fact, he’s very motivated to keep things running smoothly. He’s good at what he does and he does keep things running. But, he’s a gremlin because he doesn’t know what he doesn’t know. Sometimes, he is closed to new ideas, thinking he has been there, done that and seen it all, but doesn’t realize that he really hasn’t. What he knows, he puts to good use. What he doesn’t know is where the limitation arises.

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Lessons Learned in Oil/Gas

Lessons Learned in Oil/Gas

Guest Post by Bill Pomfret (first posted on CERM ® RISK INSIGHTS – reposted here with permission)

My first job after college was with Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) at which time in the 1960’s the chemical process industries far outstripped that of the rest of the manufacturing industries.

My second job was as a pioneer in the development of the North Sea, the expansion in search for oil and gas, leading in time to petroleum refining, the most hazardous of all offshore rolls at the time, was hookups, which is building the field, which was developed by a single central combined drilling and production platform.

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Ageless Maintenance and Reliability Success Secrets 5

Ageless Maintenance and Reliability Success Secrets 5

 Maintenance and reliability problems are not new. Our forefathers and ancestors understood the value of smart maintenance and high reliability. They learnt from experience and passed their knowledge down to us through parables, stories, and sayings. The timeless advice of our forbearers on successful maintenance and reliability is as applicable to us now as it has been to every generation since the dawn of civilisation.

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