AMEN

----- Original Message -----
From: Croslin, Robert <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Wednesday, October 09, 2002 8:12 AM
Subject: Re: [TN] First Article Buy-off Process for SMT & Wave Solder


> People definitely can follow processes, but do they always understand
them?
> Or, were they written properly and does the end result agree with the
> customer's documentation / specification?  Is that documentation clear
> enough to get the desired result?  When I ran my own shop, we instituted
> incentives based on hitting standards that were set with mutual
involvement
> from the group doing them and engineering.  Each operator was to inspect
the
> work coming to them from the previous operation, so they had to know and
> understand not only their part, but those prior to and following as well.
> The benefit was very measurable because the incentive was spread across
the
> entire floor's output, not just a particular group.  It also had the
benefit
> of improved attendance.  Like Steve says, it made people accountable.
> Flawed operations or absent operators directly translated into reduced
> incentives in the paycheck - much faster feedback than the yearly review.
> Employee turnover dropped in the first year alone from 153% to 17% and we
> returned to profitability.
>
> Despite all that, we still required the quality manager to do first
articles
> on every operation and the finished product simply to check the
> "understanding" part of the process.  It was amazing to find that what
> seemed to be a very clearly written operation to one person was completely
> taken differently by the next.  These were all people who had a financial
> stake in the result and were doing exactly what they thought was right.
All
> the first article did was verify the effectiveness of the operation.  Did
> the right things happen and did they happen right?  Wouldn't be without
it.
>
> Bob Croslin
> Nielsen Media Research
>
>  -----Original Message-----
> From:   Steve Thomas [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
> Sent:   Tuesday, October 08, 2002 5:18 PM
> To:     [log in to unmask]
> Subject:        Re: [TN] First Article Buy-off Process for SMT & Wave
Solder
>
> This kind of behavior only continues if you (not you, necessarily, but the
> management directly
> responsible for the performance of the people performing the work) don't
> hold people accountable
> for doing the work the way it's documented.  You write a procedure, train
> the people on the procedure,
> get their signature on the training record, and then hold them accountable
> for performing the operation
> per procedure.
>
> If they don't they get a talking to, or a ding on their review, or a
paltry
> increase when it comes time for
> a raise if they're prone to poor performance. Termination is always an
> option too. I worked for
> a company that went from very few proceduralized operations to documenting
> every move, and verifying every
> move with a second operator. You'd be surprised how people get used to it
as
> standard ops. after doing it
> for a while.  This was in medical device mfg., too, so non-compliance was
a
> precursor to a line stop.
>
> People CAN follow procedures, and it CAN make for a very efficiently run
> operation, but you have to demand
> compliance.  I've seen it work, and work very well.  Maybe if the
management
> and tech. support staff
> believes it can work, it will?  I just know it's far from impossible.
> Whether or not it costs you more than
> it saves you in a Class 1 or 2 operation, I don't know. In Class 3 it's
> mandatory, at least in med. products.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: rgrant [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
> Sent: Tuesday, October 08, 2002 1:02 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: [TN] First Article Buy-off Process for SMT & Wave Solder
>
>
> Poh,
>
> I have read all the other replies, and in spite of them I agree with you.
> Unless an operator has a reputation for fouling things up, his peers will
> usually rubber stamp the buy-off with out actually thoroughly checking the
> machine set up.  As I'm sure you have seen, thoroughly checking and buying
> off can often take up to a half hour or more.  With pressure to get the
line
> running, people will either just spot check or just buy-off without
checking
> at all.  There are lots of reasons why this doesn't work.  However, like
you
> said, EVERY company I have been to uses this fallacy.  We collectively
seem
> to believe that humans will follow a procedure like a machine, totally
> ignoring human psychology.  The question is, what is the alternative?  I
> have seen it where a production line will drop the buy-off procedure
because
> it wasn't working, only to put it back in place after a major misbuild.  I
> guess its like a car alarm, you get this sense of *security* that really
> isn't real.
>
> Pick and place machine manufactures and AOI manufactures have been working
> this problem for years.  I think we are very close to a solution.
>
> Ryan Grant
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Poh Kong Hui [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
> Sent: Tuesday, October 08, 2002 9:54 AM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: [TN] First Article Buy-off Process for SMT & Wave Solder
>
>
> Hi Technetters,
>
> I would to share some experience with you all.
>
> I  have been working for 5 companies. I realize that every
> company that I worked for, has a buy-off system; so called
> the first article buy-off before releasing the either a SMT or
> wave soldering line for mass production.
>
> I am rather curious why the people who are managing the
> lines cannot perform their own self check, but rather
> depends upon someone to check their work and to ensure
> they loaded the right to the machine or to the boards.
>
> I would like to hear your opinion about this system as I find it
> rather stupid and it is wasting time.
>
> Poh
>
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