Process Control at Polaroid Essay Example

control chart of Finger Height measurement in appendix is not as good as Pod Weight. 20 of 45 sampling data are out of control. Moreover, the interval between the maximum and average value and the minimum and average value is almost equal in each shift unlike Pod Weight control chart. This means the process at Polaroid is already stable since variant is almost the same but the operators still tweak the machines if they feel it would improve the process quality. Finally, the trends of control chart are different when compared by each shift.

Most of data in shift A exceeds the upper control limit while data in shift B is mostly in control and below the lower control limit in shift C. The relation between trend and operator shift further emphasize that the operators make adjustment to equipment on their own. Defect Rate reported by auditor The defect rate reported by auditor is increased dramatically from around 1% to 10% after implementing project Greenllight. The most type of defect detected is excess reagents (22%, according to Exhibit 5), which is not fatal since customers would never aware of this type of defect but they still consider it as a defect.

The increase of excess reagents from 10% to 22% causes Polaroid wasting their money than before because they have to rework more defects that do not affect the customer’s satisfaction. What recommendations would be in order to (further) improve quality? Investigate the cause of problem Most of samples of Finger Height measurement are out of control. Polaroid should investigate the cause of this problem so they can prevent the same problem occurred in the future. Also,

the expense of process control quality will be reduced after finding the cause.

Ensure the Operators Follow the Process

The company cannot precisely measure the quality of process if they do not have the data that reflects the actual process. In order to collect the meaningful data, Polaroid has to ensure everyone follow the process, not adjust equipment on their own. Revise the types of defect Some types of defect, such as excess reagents, are not related to customer’s need. The quality controls of these measurements cause unnecessary expense for the company. If the company can reduce the number of controlled defect types, they will save the expense while maintain the product quality.