Assembly Planbook - April 2008 - (Page 27) standard for acceptable quality in the marketplace has risen significantly in the past 30 years or so.” Addressing Quality Both Boeing and Toyota are aggressively tackling their quality issues. In fact, the well-publicized incidents appear to be merely speed bumps on each company’s lean journey. But, their recent problems show that no manufacturer is infallible when it comes to quality. “It underscores how difficult it is to maintain quality for any company,” says Smalley. Ideally, all manufacturers should strive to address quality before and during the assembly process, not after. Work instructions that teach operators major assembly steps, key quality check points and reasons why things are done a certain way are critical. Simple error proofing and use of measurement technology is also essential to ensure that quality problems don’t get passed on. On top of that, supervisors and team leaders Suppliers spread out around the world are building a bigger share of the 787 Dreamliner than on any previous Boeing jetliner. Composite fuselage sections are airlifted to the final assembly line. Photo courtesy Boeing Commercial Airplanes must possess good problem-solving skills. In the case of Boeing and Toyota, both manufacturers encountered quality problems at the supplier level. Unfortunately, that’s something that even the best plant-floor quality control system often can’t avoid. www.assemblymag.com April 2008 / ASSE M B LY 27 ASB07074Bospro2.indd 1 6/15/07 1:11:40 PM http://www.assemblymag.com
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