Quality improvement in the production of 'U' type clamp in sheet metal manufacturing company: a case study on the application of TFMEA

In this paper, a case study on reducing the rejection rate through the application of an advanced model of failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) technique is called TFMEA (stands for total FMEA) is reported. During the conduct of this case study, TFMEA was applied on a component called 'U' type clamp in an automobile components manufacturing company. Before applying TFMEA, 10% of the 'U' type clamps produced was rejected due to the misalignment of two holes of this component in this company. As a result of implementing TFMEA technique, a pillar die set was designed and fabricated to prevent this misalignment problem. As a result of this action, the rejection rate reduced from 10% to 5%. This experience revealed that TFMEA technique would be so simple that it could be implemented to derive fruitful results in a manufacturing environment, in which the employees are least educated.