Most employees know how to do it right. However, it has been our experience that when a third party checks, several steps on the process are either partially done, or just completely bypassed.
While quality is considered a critically important aspect of any manufacturing facility, getting orders out of the door tends to take a more relevant role.
Or said differently, when urgency and importance clash, urgency wins.
The work required to maintain our everyday operation cannot be ignored. It actually seems there’s never enough time to do all that is needed.
Keeping important things on the top of our to-do list requires a system that frequently monitors and reminds us how we are doing and if we are achieving our targets.
It’s like having an additional set of eyes, and this is the basis of our Audit Program for Retread Plants.
When we asked customers what the 3 most valuables attributes of a supplier are, the most common answers we get are:
–Competitive Pricing
–Quality Products and Services
–Fast delivery
Our Audit Program aims to help retreaders improve and sustain high quality standards, improve product consistency, reduce defects, as well as improve efficiencies and predict future needs for resources.
From Initial Inspection to Final Inspection, several tires are selected at each step and checked their compliance with the best practices of the industry.
Finished products are then verified to make sure tires ready to be delivered meet the quality standards.
During the audit, the process to track and monitor quality indicators is reviewed to make sure any non compliance is documented.
Every month we should receive reports that include common production and quality indicators such as:
–Number of tires produced
–Number of tires rejected
–Number of operators and turnaround
–% Adjustments (Defects that reached the customer)
–% In-shop Failures (Reworks, Rejects after Cure)
–% Finished Product in compliance with Quality and Appearance standards
Based on the Monthly Reports, every quarter we prepare a scoreboard showing the basic KPIs and how they compare to benchmarks. It also shows the main causes for non compliance or defects as well as potential saving opportunities if the shop operated within the benchmark.
Additionally, a report is prepared showing the behavior of the KPIs in the last 12 months. It helps to keep track of the actions taken to correct deficiencies and if more or different actions need to take place.
Most sequential processes, such as the retread process, have at least one constraint within the system. Under this scenario, the speed of the entire process is limited to the speed of the constraint.
Most plants can improve their efficiencies by the implementation of the Theory of Constraints and Lean Fundamentals to reduce work in process, and increase throughput. We can help incorporate these concepts in a retread plant environment by the adoption of a few simple rules.
When analyzing efficiencies, it is also important to pay attention at the current capacity of the plant at each stage of the process.
Using time standards we can help identify current and future constraints that could prevent the shop from reaching its production goals.
Whether it’s equipment or manpower, we can help you identify what resources would be needed in order to meet your targets.
While this concept means different things to different organizations, our focus is on the process from tire pick up to finished product delivery.
This audit looks at the overall process and works with the customer to determine what the length of the entire process should be and what are the key aspects preventing it from meeting that time frame.
The idea is to help the customer define its own standards and track its compliance.
We have included the option of training, and the key areas we focus on are:
-Basic Tire Knowledge
-Retread Process Fundamentals
-Tire Repair Fundamentals
-Factors Affecting Tire Performance
The training sessions could be delivered to the operators, the sales team or even end users.
Depending on the plan selected, multiple visits might be required in a year.
The first visit is the central one, where the actual audit takes place and the follow up actions are listed. This visit usually takes one working week.
Follow up visits within the year would take from 3 to 4 days, and focus on making sure the corrective and preventive actions determined during the audit are taking place according to plan.
A retread shop running an average of 1,000 tires per month could be spending about $42,000* on inefficiencies and defects annually, while the benchmark for top performers is $11,000.
With proper monitoring and implementing best practices, this plant could have a potential savings $31,000 in a year.
*Assuming 20% Rejects25 defects, rework, reruns and rejects24 claims or adjustments10 operators20 working days per monthProcess and Product Audit
Monthly Follow-up
Quarterly Reports on KPI
1 Visit per Year
Process and Product Audit
Monthly Follow-up
Quarterly Reports on KPI
2 Visits per Year
12 Month Rolling KPI Reports
Effciency Fundamentals
Process and Product Audit
Monthly Follow-up
Quarterly Reports on KPI
3 - 4 Visits per Year
12 Month Rolling KPI Reports
Effciency Fundamentals
Capacity Restriction Analysis
Value Delivery Analysis
1 day Training (1 topic per year)
Basic Tire KnowledgeRetread Process FundamentalsTire Repair FundamentalsFactors Affecting Tire Performance