Robert Refflinghaus

Integrating sustainability aspects into an integrated management system

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is the further development of an Excel-based integrated management system for the tool and cutlery industry regarding sustainability. The tool’s actual status allows integrating and implementing requirements considering work safety, environmental and quality management and a self-assessment for checking the level of requirements’ fulfilment. However, the topic of sustainability and requirements and risks going along with it are of great importance for the mostly small and medium companies of this industry. Therefore, the Excel-tool is being enhanced by integrating the requirements of risk, energy and sustainability management. The paper presents the advanced Excel-tool. Design/methodology/approach – The base for advancing the Excel-tool has been analysing the status quo of sustainability management in the companies. Moreover, a matrix for comparing the requirements has been enlarged regarding the standards for sustainability, risk and energy management and builds the ba...

The suitability of Kano's method for the requirements of the cutlery industry

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to apply Kanos method in practice in the cutlery industry and test its suitability to the cutlery industry. Furthermore, a Kano‐based process for weighting customer requirements is presented.Design/methodology/approach – By using the example of the cutlery industry, the paper exemplifies in which way companies can use Kanos method to consider customer requirements as good as possible. Thereby, it is discussed how less popular Kano evaluation modes can support the process of prioritizing measures. Rest upon the results of a Kano project, a multistage method for weighting customer requirements is introduced. The method is based on the connection of already existing Kano evaluation modes. It calculates the meaning of a customer requirement by using the percentage dispatch of the requirement on individual Kano requirement categories.Findings – The evaluation of Kano questionnaires – differentiated by age and sex – showed that a low price by itself is not a decisively c...

Cross-disciplinary method for predicting and reducing human error probabilities in manual assembly operations

Currently, methods for the evaluation of human reliability are mainly applied in safety critical industries (aerospace engineering, nuclear engineering). The Expert System for Task Taxonomy (ESAT) was developed to evaluate the error rate of control and surveillance activities in safety critical areas. In contrast, currently industrial assembly processes are mainly developed concerning an optimal use of the time factor. In this article, the suitability of ESAT for the evaluation of human reliability in manual assembly operations will be examined. By the analysis of an exemplarily considered assembly process it is shown whether and how its work content can be depicted by the ESAT method. In this context, it is also analysed how a modification of the marginal conditions – e.g. the level of specification – affects the calculation results. In the first analysis six manual assembly operations from the automotive industry were analysed and appropriate ESAT-data for its sequences of action were calculated. As a result, the new method allows quantifying potential human error rates before the start of production and comparing planning alternatives under time and cost aspects early. Consequently, the evaluation of human mistakes during the planning process allows developing not only time-optimised but also quality-optimised manual assembly operations.

Assembly-specific database for predicting human reliability in assembly operations

The assembly takes up a special position in a companys order processing; as with regard to the companys service provision, it mostly comes at the end of the value chain. For that reason the assembly depicts a melting pot of many technical, organisational and qualitative errors. To mitigate technical failure, in the past versatile solutions were developed, but there are only little satisfactory solutions to consider human failure in the planning process of manual assembly operations. This paper presents a procedure that allows transferring the knowledge about human reliability gained in safety-critical industries to manual assembly operations. In this context, at the research institute of the authors, approaches have been developed to use the knowledge of the Expert System for Task Taxonomy – a method that originally was developed to evaluate error rates of control activities in safety-critical areas – for creating a new method that allows evaluating human reliabilities in manual assembly operations. The aim of this method is to be able to systematically predict human error probabilities for any manual work content of the industrial batch production. Considerable elements of the developed assembly-specific method are an own database containing assembly-specific standard terms and a calculation model which is adapted to low error rates of the manual assembly. First results at a heating manufacturer verified that the developed method enables reliable risk predictions for the field of manual assembly. This is particularly given by the creation of a new database, which is especially tailored to the application field of manual assembly and the development of assembly-specific calculation regulations. In the following steps, the comparison of the calculated error data and the actual error data of the industrial practice is extended, so that the method can be validated across all industries.

A Multi-dimensional Model for Structuring Stakeholder Requirements

When planning and developing an intra-logistical facility, a multitude of stakeholder requirements need to be considered and implemented into solutions. This is essential to satisfy customer needs. To ensure adequate requirements management, at first the requirements have to be gathered and structured afterwards. For this purpose, a multidimensional model has been created as part of the German Collaborative Research Centre 696, sub-project A1. This model allows structuring the requirements regarding intra-logistical facilities. Based on an analysis of existing structuring methods and the identification of the stakeholders of intra-logistical facilities excerpts of the model are presented in this chapter.

Improving the selection of international distribution partners by using quality management methods

Purpose The importance of international markets has increased in the past years and will further increase in the future. This offers potential for being competitive, but especially for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) is going along with a variety of risks, e.g. the competition in the domestic market intensifies. Nevertheless, in most cases, SMEs with foreign operations are more successful than SME operating solely in the domestic markets. Nevertheless, the internationalization activities of SME are often unsystematic and emotional, especially when looking for distribution partners. The research project “Empirical based development of an instrument for identifying and making decisions about the choice of market entry and the selection of distribution partners of SME of the tool and cutlery industry when developing foreign markets” deals with this topic. In this paper the results of a literature review and an expert discussion regarding market development and especially the process of finding distribution partners for foreign markets are presented. Also, further steps in the project dealing with aspects of realizing the detected success factors by using quality management methods are explained. Design/methodology/approach The first step comprises a literature review and an expert discussion with leading managers of SME, with the aim to receive information about market entry decisions and selection of distribution partners. Therefore, a literature review and an expert discussion with leading managers of SME are carried out. The discussions are evaluated with MAXQDA©, a software for qualitative data analysis. Next, a questionnaire is designed for a quantitative analysis of the topic and will be evaluated by using SMART-PLS. Then, the results will be used as input variable for a quality function deployment for identifying appropriate measures for implementing the prior identified success factors. Thereby, also quality management methods and techniques will be used for finding the “right” measures. In this context, also a method for selecting distribution partners will be developed which is based on the logic of supplier evaluation. Finally, an Excel-based tool will be developed which includes the results of the project and allows companies easily applying them. Findings A literature review and an expert discussion within the tool and cutlery industry have been carried out and analysed. Thereby, the need for action regarding the selection of distribution partners has been revealed as essential step for success in foreign markets. Literature mostly deals with aspects like choosing appropriate countries for market entry and market entry strategy but not with distribution partners. Expert discussion also has shown that choosing distribution partners is often managed with gut feel. It lacks a criteria-based approach for optimizing this step during the internalization process. Originality/value Finding adequate distribution partners for a successful entry into foreign markets has not been investigated thoroughly yet. The project offers insights into determining factors for the selection process and improves the distribution partner selection by using quality management methods, for instance, by adapting the fundamental procedure of supplier assessment for distribution partner assessment.

Integrierte Managementsysteme einfach handhaben

Kurzfassung Für kleine und mittelständische Unternehmen bedeutet die Einführung, Aufrechterhaltung und Bewertung eines integrierten Managementsystems, das zusätzlich zum Qualitätsmanagementsystem die Bereiche Umwelt- und Arbeitsschutzmanagement umfasst, häufig einen hohen personellen und finanziellen Aufwand. Daher wurde ein Excel-basiertes Werkzeug entwickelt, das Unternehmen eine einfache und aufwandsarme Bewertung ihrer integrierten Managementsysteme ermöglicht und Maßnahmen und Handlungsempfehlungen für die Optimierung bereitstellt. Auf Grund der steigenden Bedeutung der mit Nachhaltigkeitsaspekten verbundenen Anforderungen und Risiken ist jedoch eine Weiterentwicklung des integrierten Managementsystems erforderlich. Hierzu wurde das Excel-Werkzeug QUASI zum integrierten Management im Rahmen eines AIF-Projekts zum nachhaltigkeitsorientierten Risikomanagement um die Anforderungen zum Risiko-, Nachhaltigkeits- und Energiemanagement erweitert.

Requirements Management – a Premise for adequate Life Cycle Design

When developing products many different stakeholder requirements have to be considered to provide customer-oriented products and achieve customer satisfaction. Hence, an adequate requirements management including surveying, structuring and weighting of requirements is essential. Thereby, it has to be considered that the requirements differ regarding their level of specification, weighting and the stages of life cycle in which they occur or rather are important. Therefore, a 10-dimensional structuring model has been developed and implemented for data processing. This model goes beyond existing structuring models because it also comprises a feedback between requirements and their fulfilment. The model and its implementation for data processing are presented in this paper.

Defining Tolerances in Assembly Process with the Aid of Simulation

Analysis and allocation of tolerance are the typical problems in tolerance planning for the assembly and its components. This paper presents the developed simulator which is able to assist in solving tolerance planning problems in production processes, both in manufacturing and assembly processes. The paper also shows the benefits of this simulator which leads to quality characterisation and improvement, cost reduction and shorter design and planning phases.

Process Safety by Using Simulation for Assembly Processes

Abstract Process safety in assembly processes can be significantly influenced by two aspects: tolerance planning and inspection planning. If one of these aspects is not optimal, the assembly process could require an unnecessary long processing time or in the worst case the assembly process cannot be performed at all. In either case, it results in a higher cost. This paper presents an approach to optimize the tolerance planning as well as the inspection planning for the assembly processes. The solution was developed through a simulation tool.