John Deere’s
Approach to Quality
George Suppes,
Manager, Quality
Drivetrain Division
April 2010
Waterloo Drivetrain Produces Tractor
Transmissions, Rear Axles and Front Axles
14 Different Drive Train Products
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And Many of the Parts that go into them. . .
Over 1000 different machined castings, gears,
transmission shafts and axles.
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The Manufacturing Challenge:
Delivery
Cost
Quality
How do you get all Three?
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Delivery and Cost are Immediate Goals:
Meet the Production Schedule
Meet Budget
Quality is a Long Range Goal:
Customer Issues Confront us Long After
the Product has Shipped.
How does a company balance Quality
with the Other Competing goals?
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Deere’s Solution:
An Overarching Quality Strategy for the Entire Company
JD-QPS – John Deere Quality and Production System
CUSTOMER
EMPLOYEE
METRICS
Product
Delivery
Process
Order
Fulfillment
Process
Customer
Support
Process
PDP
OFP
CSP
LEADERSHIP
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BUSINESS
JD-QPS Provides
Guiding Principles
Common Processes
Common Metrics
Shared Best Practices
In
Leadership
Product Development
Order Fulfillment
Customer Support
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JD-QPS – How Does it Work?
Bronze, Silver and Gold Certification goals
Achieving and Improving Certification is a Key Performance
Goal for Factory Leadership
Success is Measured by Corporate Assessment Staff as well as
Performance in Key Metrics
1 to 2 Formal Assessments per Year
Review Processes by Presentation
Review Process Performance on the Shop Floor
Talk With the Employees that Execute the Processes
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Example
No Fault Forward
1. A statement of policy is available to all employees and it is
being followed.
2. Corrective actions are eliminating problems and are tracked
for trends.
3. Formal Management approval to re-start a line or process is
always required.
4. Unit top management approval is required to continue to
manufacture when rework or re-test is needed.
Objective: Eliminate building short, off line repair, or
alternative manufacturing methods.
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Results:
Before JD-QPS:
Each factory operated by its own rules
Various levels of emphasis on quality
Many different ways of managing Quality
Each Factory looked very different (other than green paint!)
Now:
Common approach to Quality
Sharing best practices between units
Enterprise–wide Quality Manual
All Factories look and feel the same.
Quality is Improving!
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JD-QPS Best Practices at the Waterloo Works
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Design for Manufacturing Guidelines
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Design for Manufacturing Guidelines
Question: How does Engineering Design a Product that can be
Capably Manufactured?
Answer: Improved Communication between Manufacturing and
Design so that Design Knows Manufacturing’s Capabilities
Known as: Concurrent Engineering, Simultaneous Engineering
Easy to Say, Hard to Do!
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Simultaneous Engineering – the Past
Deere’s attempts at this in the 90’s were mostly unsuccessful:
Locate Manufacturing Engineers at Engineering to address
manufacturability issues
Normal result:
A few small improvements
No improvements of major significance
No significant effect on Quality
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Now – Manufacturing Design Guidelines
•Documentation of Preferred and Undesirable Assembly and
Machining Features and Tolerances
•Engineering Reference
•Vehicle for Communication
•All Designs Scored Against the Guidelines
•Must Achieve a Minimum Score for Design to be Approved
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Examples
Assembly:
Guideline: Avoid the use of snap rings
Benefit: Eliminates unseated snap rings
Comment: Operator sensitive, difficult to mistake proof
Machining:
Guideline: Avoid internally intersecting holes
Benefit: Prevents a burr opportunity
Comment: Requires manual deburr operation which is difficult to
mistake proof
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Results
Better Communication Between Manufacturing and Design
Difficult to Manufacture Issues:
Occur Less Frequently
Are Widely Known Before Production
Design and Manufacturing Gain a Better Understanding of Each
Others Problems
Documented Guidelines Replace Inconsistent ‘Expert’ Opinions
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Real-Time Statistical Process Control
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Real-Time Statistical Process Control
Drivetrain has over 150 Machining Cells.
Important or Difficult to Manage Features are Identified as Key
Characteristics
Need to Manage Thousands of Key Characteristics on over 1000
Parts.
Managing Process Capability and Monitoring Process
Performance was Becoming Impossible
Implementing Real-Time SPC
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Drive Train Operations: > 1.5M ft2
Components Mfg: >700,000 ft2
28 Major Part Families
Carriers
Differential
Cases
Hitch Frames
Drums
Clutch Hubs
Straight Bevels
Planet Pinions
Ring Gears
Spiral Bevels
PTO Gears
Transmission
Housings
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Axle Shafts
Broach Bore Gears
Range Gears
Shafts w/ Gears
Features of Real-Time SPC
Standardized Key Characteristics
Wireless Digital Gages For Key Characteristics
Real Time:
Data Collection
Process Control
Process Capability
Data Driven Quality Improvements
Part Family Control Plans
Quality Plans Pre-Defined
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•
Infrastructure
– Computers Conveniently Located
for Machinists
– Wireless Digital Gages,
– If it is easy for the operator, he
will use it
– Data Stored on Central Servers
- Accessible to All Who Need it
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Machining Operator Computer Screen
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Leveraging Process Control Data
2 Levels of Use:
Operator
Uses Data to Manage his Machines
Quality Engineering
Monitors Data at the Macro Level
Looks for Trends and Process Shifts
Reviewed at Quarterly Data Reviews with Operators,
Supervisors, Manufacturing Engineers
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Example:
Axle Shafts
Before Real-time SPC
Now
Up To 34 Key Characteristics per part
number
7 Key Characteristics
230 Total Keys
100% Digital Gages
Mixed Gages (Analog & Digital)
Limited Manual Data Collection
Parts Produced To Specification
Limits
All parts have the same keys
86% Real Time Capability (14% Attribute)
Operators Target Nominal
230 Capability Studies
Better Process Control = Less Variation
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Continuous Improvement
Before
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After
Results:
Common Tool for Operators to Use
Process Performance can be Observed Anytime
More Manageable Quality Control
Reduced Variation = Better Quality!
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Summary
Deere has an Enterprise-wide Quality Strategy Called JD-QPS
to Achieve a Balance Between Delivery, Cost and Quality
Specific Initiatives within the JD-QPS framework are driving
ever improving results:
• Design for Manufacturing Guidelines Provide a Sustainable
Vehicle to Succeed with Simultaneous Engineering
• Real-Time SPC Provides the Data Needed to Better Control
Processes
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