Nobody likes customer complaints. However, when they occur, it’s important to implement interim containment actions (ICA) first. We can distinguish between activities officially included in the complaint report and those we check internally without necessarily informing the client.
Containment Action 1 – Checking previously implemented Corrective Actions (PCA)
The first action we can take after receiving a complaint is to verify the effectiveness of previously implemented permanent corrective actions. This is particularly important for scenarios that relate to the same failure mode as the complaint notification. Examples include: the hard work of the seat adjustment lever, noise during headrest adjustment, or lack of assist.
By doing this, we can confirm at an early stage whether we are encountering a defect that we already know. During the verification, we might conclude that previously taken actions are not effective, highlighting the need for further verification.
Another scenario concerns a positive verification result. If we find that all previously implemented actions are effective, it means that we are facing a completely new problem that we need to solve.
Containment Action 2 – Process parameters verification
During process parameters verification, it is worth checking two things:
- Are control limits turned on? You wouldn’t want to see the look on my face when I asked a process engineer why a part was not “caught” during the final test, and he told me, “We still have limits turned off.”
- Are the values that can be downloaded from the process data actual values? It turns out that some process engineers (for various reasons) entered an offset value in the machine settings. Instead of the result being 73 [N], the displayed value was 93 [N].
Fig. 1 Example of Process Parameters Verification
Thanks to this verification, we might discover an issue I affectionately call “process catharsis”. This involves having a dedicated team check whether the above topics are isolated cases or systemic issues.
Internal selection – Jumping from one problem to another?
After receiving information from the customer, it’s a good idea to first ask for a photo with the traceability code. Every product sent to the customer should have it. Most often, it includes information about the production date, production shift, and production plant location. It may also contain more detailed information related to process parameters.
If we have the production date of the claimed component, the first containment action should be to check the internal selection date. This allows us to verify whether there was any internal selection for a different type of problem during production.
What can this be useful for? It is mainly related to verifying that the operator who performed the selection did not damage the part, causing a different type of defect. This can happen both when picking parts from shipping containers and during the actual inspection repackaging.
It is also worth checking whether the selection instructions are understandable for employees. Additionally, make sure that the operation is performed in a repeatable manner while maintaining appropriate ergonomics. Lack of proper ergonomics may damage the product during selection. For example, this can happen if the operator does not have enough space to perform their work.
You can download an automatic, editable Excel form for free on the Free Quality Tools
Document name: 8D Report – Excel form
Dariusz Kowalczyk
