Learn
Short guides to the methods in the book, written for the shop floor.
- 5 Why: Find the Root Cause, Not the Nearest Person
Learn the 5 Why method for shop-floor problems: branching chains, evidence, the therefore test, a worked example, and three common mistakes.
- How to Write an 8D Report That Customers Accept
The 8D report explained for shop-floor engineers: the eight disciplines, a worked example, three common failures, and how to close a case for real.
- A3 Report: Tell a Problem-Solving Story on One Page
What an A3 report is, where it came from, how to fill each box, a worked example, and three common mistakes. A one-page guide for shop-floor teams.
- Changeover and SMED: Cut Setup Time by Preparing, Not Rushing
SMED explained: split internal and external setup work, follow a 68-minute molding changeover down to 6, and avoid the pit-crew trap.
- Fishbone Diagram: Sort Possible Causes Before You Chase Them
How to build a fishbone (Ishikawa) diagram for a manufacturing defect: the 6M categories, a worked example, three common mistakes, and what to do next.
- Is / Is Not Analysis: Define the Problem Before You Hunt
Is / Is Not analysis for shop-floor problems: compare what is affected with what is not, find the change, and avoid three common mistakes.
- OEE Explained: Formula, Six Big Losses and a Worked Example
OEE is availability times performance times quality. Check a stamping press example by hand and see where the six big losses hide your capacity.
- Pareto Chart: Find the Few Defects That Cause Most of Your Scrap
Learn how to build and read a Pareto chart for scrap and downtime, with a worked SMT example, the count-versus-cost trap and three common mistakes.
- PDCA Cycle: Why the Check Step Is the One That Matters
PDCA explained for the shop floor: four steps, a molding example with real numbers, and why skipping Check turns improvement into guessing.
- WIP and FIFO Lanes: Little's Law and How to Size a Buffer
Size a FIFO lane with a hand-checkable example, understand Little's law as a planning estimate, and avoid the ghost buffer between machines.