LLean Tools for Control- Poka Yoke
Poka Yoke or mistake proofing is a mechanism that can be used in control
planning to ensure that a particular problem has been eliminated permanently.
Poka Yoke is used to prevent mistakes from occurring which works by
significantly reducing the scope of an error to happen or turns that particular
error into something so obvious that the probability of the defect making its
way to the customers gets significantly eliminated. Poka Yoke helps to prevent
the errors, defects and mistakes in the processes and activities on an everyday
basis. In another way, you can say that Poka Yoke is very much helpful in
eliminating the causes that leads towards the defects. Now the mistakes are
likely to be prevented if the errors are identified and taken care off in
advance.
Conducting an analysis of the cause and effect relationship for a defect is the
initial step that leads toward Poka Yoke. Once that is done, necessary steps are
taken to eliminate or prevent the mistakes which may lead towards the defect.
One of the important features of the Poka Yoke mechanism is that it allows to
get rid off the mistake permanently. It can be developing a checklist, some sort
of form for computer data entry, a message that reminds a user to complete a
certain task and so on. Poka Yoke can be applied in various sectors,
particularly in the areas like engineering, manufacturing and transactional
processes.
PPoka Yoke - a
lean management tool , can be applied in two ways and both of them are useful
in control planning.
Type-1 corrective action
This type of control allows a user to eliminate any possibility of an error
condition to occur once applied to a particular process. The type-1 correction
action is known to be the most useful form of process control.
Type-2 corrective action
The type-2 corrective action is considered as the second most effective type of
control which is also termed as the detection application method. This
particular control is capable of identifying an error when it happens and then
it shuts down the machine or stops the process in order to make sure that the
defect cannot move any further.
Examples of Poka Yoke can be found easily in our everyday life. For instance, the
top right corner of a usual 3.5 floppy disc is designed in a way so that the
disc cannot be inserted upside down. The computer data entry forms do not allow
a user to move to the next field until the user fills the blank space. There are
electronic door locks available these days that are designed in a way so that
they don’t lock when the door is open or when the engine is running. These are
all examples of mistake proofing devices or systems.
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