Hand Solder Process Improvement

Abstract

The goal of this paper was to use quality and lean tools to identifyconstraints within the hand solder process and implement sustainable improvements aiming at improving customer satisfaction. It is also the goal of this paper to make recommendation for using the quality and lean tool to improve similar processes within the organization. The study participants utilized the fishbone diagram to determine cause and effect. The value stream mapping was also used to identify value-added and nonvalue-added functions within the hand solder process. The Six Sigma DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control) methodology was used to understand the problem, evaluate the current state, set goals and deliverables, design a future state, determine gap between current and desired state, generate solutions to the problem and design a monitoring system to guarantee sustainability.The proposed solutions were tested in a controlled environment for two weeks prior to implementation.