4 Phases of Corrective Action at Arbiser Machine
Everybody makes mistakes. The important thing is how they learn from those mistakes and prevent them from happening in the future.
This principle holds true in business as well. At Arbiser Machine, we recognize that occasional missteps are inevitable, especially given the sheer number of parts we produce daily. However, we take immense pride in our corrective action process, which ensures that we never make the same mistake twice.
What Triggers a Corrective Action at a Precision Machine Shop?
Our corrective action process helps us identify what went wrong and move forward with a solid plan. As an ISO-9001:2015 certified precision machine shop, corrective actions are essential to ensuring consistent quality. A corrective action can be triggered internally or externally. An internal trigger often results from identifying an issue in one of our processes. For example, a corrective action would follow if we scrap too many parts, uncover safety concerns, or miscalibrate tools.
External triggers would include situations where a customer rejects a part because it doesn’t meet their specifications. Corrective actions are rarely triggered externally at Arbiser Machine because our strict quality control measures allow us to anticipate and fix problems before they reach customers.
4 Phases of Corrective Action
Corrective actions have 4 key phases. To help illustrate each one, let’s look at the example of a worn-out gauge used during quality inspection that resulted in out of tolerance parts.
Identify the problem. In this initial phase, we assess what happened and find the root cause of the issue. In our example circumstance, we might ask ourselves why we didn’t use a newer gauge. Let’s say we find that checking the gauge isn’t part of the typical procedure. This discovery allows us to move on to the next phase.
Take immediate action to address the root cause. Once we identify the root cause, we take the necessary steps to remedy the situation. In the case of a safety concern, we may have to neutralize the danger right away. In the gauge example, the immediate action is to fix the gauge and bring the customer’s parts back within tolerance.
Take permanent action to solve the problem long-term. As a team, we seek out a solution that prevents the problem from reoccurring. We’ll likely add “checking the gauge” as an official step in our procedures. We might also consider establishing an automated order to replace gauges regularly so they don’t wear out to the point of failure.
An essential part of this phase is training each team member on the newly adjusted process. We’ll hold a meeting to debrief the mistake, root cause, solution, and new procedure, and we’ll document everything.
Verify that the permanent action was successful. Finally, we’ll verify the effectiveness of our action by running the parts again. Any incident requiring corrective action is flagged for a management review, and each corrective action is clearly documented, including an assessment of whether or not the resolution was successful.
At Arbiser Machine, we work on high-stakes parts with no room for error. Our ISO-certified status combined with our corrective action process help us proactively mitigate issues and take measures to prevent them in the future.
Request a quote today, and work with a precision machine shop committed to continuous improvement and superior quality.