FMEA Success Story: Risk reduction in the production of beverage powder in India
All over the world, corporations and successful medium-sized companies rely on innovative FMEA services and expertise from DIETZ CONSULTANTS. The result: numerous success stories, large and small, based on best practice solutions in the field of risk management and FMEA, written in partnership with leading automotive suppliers and OEMs from the aerospace, medical technology, food and mechanical engineering industries – as well as many more. One of these comes in the form of a large food manufacturer in India that, together with DIETZ CONSULTANS, successfully implemented a tailor-made FMEA for its production processes.
The challenge is to avoid potential particle contamination in the production process
Starting point: With India being home to over 1.3 billion inhabitants, its market for consumer goods is huge. And many Indians regularly drink the products from a large food manufacturer that, among other things, produces beverage powder. “The powder is produced in large quantities in three factories,” said Hemant Jog, Managing Director of DIETZ CONSULTANTS India. “The big challenge is to avoid potential particle contamination in the production process.” Because one thing is clear: If impurities are discovered, the company will face a worst-case scenario on account of an entire batch having to be destroyed.
For this reason, the management team decided to use the FMEA expertise of DIETZ CONSULTANTS as part of a five-day workshop in the factories in North India. The food manufacturer’s 12 workshop participants came from different departments and different levels – from process engineers and those responsible for technology at the site, to the head of quality management and engineering for all of India. The workshop was moderated by FMEA expert Klaus Endebrock with support from Hemant Jog.
From workshop to FMEA success story – an all-round inspiring and productive experience for everyone involved
“The workshop participants had involved, emotional discussions,” reported Klaus Endebrock: “These interactions were always characterized by a high level of respect within the team and among each other.” With the systematic approach of the uniform FMEA method description (VDA & AIAG) and a target-oriented outlook, the beverage powder production process was first analyzed in detail while the greatest possible risks were clearly identified. In the next step, the team developed concrete improvement measures to reduce the risk of particle contamination in the production process.“The feedback was extremely positive,” emphasized Endebrock. He strongly believes that the creation of a mixed team – with him from Europe and Hemant Jog from DIETZ CONSULTANTS India – proved to be very effective for the workshop. The participants’ high level of professional competence and great commitment to the workshop while still tending to their ongoing operational duties was also impressive. “Last but not least, I was extremely pleased with the locals’ hospitality and the Indian food that was on offer during the workshop,” said the FMEA expert.