Six Sigma and Beyond: Design for Six Sigma, Volume VI

When properly conducted , product and process FMEAs should lead to:

1. Confidence that all risks have been identified early and appropriate actions have been taken

2. Priorities and rationale for product and process improvement actions

3. Reduction of scrap, rework , and manufacturing costs

4. Preservation of product and process knowledge

5. Reduction of field failures and warranty cost

6. Documentation of risks and actions for future designs or processes

By way of comparison of FMEA benefits and the quality lever, Figure 6.2 may help.

Figure 6.2: Payback effort.

In essence, one may argue that the most important benefit of an FMEA is that it helps identify hidden costs, which are quite often greater than visible costs. Some of these costs may be identified through:

1. Customer dissatisfaction

2. Development inefficiencies

3. Lost repeat business (no brand loyalty)

4. High employee turnover

5. And so on