PMDECS approach of red bin analysis problem solving process in manufacturing industries

Thesis submitted in the fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy by Sumit Shandilya Under the supervision of Dr. Jaskiran Arora and Dr. Vinayak Kalluri Doctor of Philosophy 2022

This research aims at providing an alternative problem-solving methodology to the manufacturing industry. The problem solving, especially in the manufacturing sector has a very diverse and rich background. Be it the Ford era or the Bell's lab where Dr. Shewart developed the Statistical Process Control (SPC) or the epic 1950 research by NASA for development of Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (PFMEA), the problem-solving approach has taken leaps and have stretched to become an essential function and role of any successful manufacturing industry. Today, the survival of any corporate entity would be difficult and would be full of risk, if, the problem solving is not an integral part of their ecosystem. In the manufacturing industry, problem-solving was undertaken as soon as an abnormality/failure/defect was found or introduced. The team used to do the root cause analysis using why-why analysis, fish-bone methodology or 8D problem-solving approach etc. Such methodologies are very strong and still are used very efficiently. If the scale of the problem is very large or it is chronic problem, then strategies like Six Sigma, Total Quality Management, Lean Manufacturing or Total Productive Maintenance are also used. Now through Kaizens, Poka-Yoke and other approaches, problem-solving has seen a phase shift from reactive to a preventive one. The problem is now being prevented even before the occurrence. The concern and a question over these strategies and methodologies are agnostic of the type of industry in terms of their market and size. They can be large, medium, small or even micro-enterprise. Large enterprises can afford to do all the quality training, up- gradation and they can also spend on automation. Even medium enterprises can also bear those expenses for a while but what about those small and micro-enterprises who are unable to do so. Most of the supply-chain of OEM manufacturing industries are medium, small and micro-enterprises. Largely the quality of the final product is also the responsibility of the supply chain. How these enterprises will be able to cater to such increasing quality needs and dimension? How will they be able to become a problem- solving enterprise without investing much on this front? The answer to this is the PMDECS approach of "Red-Bin Analysis". It is a new problem-solving approach based on quality control circle method focusing on the problem occurrence, detection and solving at the source of generation. This method highlights and explains the problem selection and its solution which is very efficient in case of problem-solving of sub-assemblies or sub-components at the supply chain tier-1, tier-2 or tier-3 level. This approach is relatively very simple in implementation and does not require expertise in statistics or other similar tools unlike Six Sigma etc. This methodology becomes a wayout for industry professionals to easily get rid of routine issues and increase customer satisfaction. This research study offeres the steps of the patented PMDECS model, and statistically shows its effectiveness in terms of reduction in rejection PPM, improvement in Process Capabilities (Cp/Cpk) and significant reduction in problem solving duration.