‘FMEA’ sounds somehow threatening for anybody who has to deal with the subject.
Perhaps because it reminds them of similar medical abbreviations for contagious diseases. Luckily, while ‘FMEA’ can be transferred, it is anything but a dangerous contagion. Quite the opposite!
‘FMEA’ stands for ‘Failure Mode and Effects Analysis’ and it is included everywhere in requirement specifications where systematic work is required. This is the case for automotive suppliers, for example, but also in aerospace. In one of the most recent projects, for example, the hydrogen accumulator of our delivery bicycle had to be disassembled according to all the rules of the art of FMEA: this means that each individual component must be put on the test bench and gone over in the finest detail. The aim is to exclude all types of errors, including construction, material and manufacturing errors, even in advance of development.
This can take a while - that is, unless you work with csi tools and moderators.
More time-saving and flexible than ever:
csi fixes up FMEA business!
OK, failure mode and effects analysis does take a bit longer than a vaccination booster against a disease, even with us. But it doesn’t sting. What’s more, with our experience and structure, we can get to the goal with much more efficiency and, in particular, without large personnel and time expenditures.
Our FMEA moderators, some of whom have more than 20 years of experience in the automotive sector, prepare everything together with the responsible project leaders even before meeting with the departments in such a way that a 90% FMEA status is available. In general, the standard issues and potential sticking points are then already extensively ticked off. All the innovations are also taken into consideration, for example, VDA - AIAG, because our moderators are continuously trained and up to date. The first status is then forwarded to the departments for review.
In the next step, all the important and relevant issues are discussed with the departments and incorporated into the FMEA by the csi moderators. This is easily done via a tablet, meaning independently of the location, dynamically and with tool support - so large group meetings are unnecessary.
This FMEA is then presented to the customer, any requests are incorporated and then it is completed for the final transfer.
Heads (and ears) up:
we are receiving an error signal!
In order to avoid cost and time-intensive errors during conception and development, csi always uses a further ‘secret weapon’. This is the case in every new project, regardless of whether it is expressly commissioned by the customer or not. Ultimately, csi places a lot of value on development which are designed as efficiently and error-free as possible.
This second method has a name which is so long that it needs an abbreviation (as if we would expect anything less): Design Review Based on Failure Mode, in short DRBFM.
This time it doesn’t sound like some sort of disease, rather an (actually existing) radio station. That’s a bit nicer! However, unlike a radio station and also in contrast to classic FMEA, the DRBFM method does not require trained moderators. Overall, the entire process is more ‘streamlined’ than an FMEA and thereby offers some practical advantages: For example, DRBFM can be started at the very beginning of a project, so in the concept phase. Afterwards, all the relevant development and production steps where errors could occur are critically questioned on the basis of a presentation of the assembly series by an expert panel. This team may consist of internal and external colleagues who need not necessarily be involved in the project.
A template is created with the help of the DRBFM, in which all project-relevant issues regarding the components are discussed. In this way, important points such as SC, CC or critical features can be defined without complication, considered and re-conceived for later K-FMEA and process FMEA as early as the concept phase.