Consistency is a core concept of quality control, and methodology is a core concept of efficiency. How can you ensure your facility’s repairs are efficiently done in a consistent way?
Here are some ideas you can use as part of a repair standardization program.
• Ensure everyone has a good foundation in the basics. The same basics, including mechanical skills. Focus on areas where problems have arisen.
• Put some heads together to devise standard methods of repairing X. For example, Joe, Deborah, and Bill together walk through fixing a problem with the control system for Line 3. Through discussing their methods, a “best approach” or at least a very good standard approach can be devised.
• Create “how-to” videos for repairs that are especially important. Make them available for watching on mobile devices (e.g., smartphones). In the video, focus on the “gotchas” that might cause problems or suck down time. For example, “See this part? It goes this way, not that way.”