Electrical Troubleshooting Quiz — May 19, 2020
Line 7 produces small widgets. Based on its known capacity, it should produce 800 units daily if there is zero unscheduled downtime. The machine sends uptime and output data to a central system. The actual output is slightly less than reports from that system say it should be.
Therefore, the production superintendent had the operators collect and weigh bins of product after it came off the line. Dividing bin content weights by unit weight, he found the machine is accurately reporting the number of units produced. Output is low.
Operations wants you to “fix the programming” on the machine to get the desired output. Should you take other steps before investigating that possibility? If so, what steps and why?
Look at how the machine is counting the widgets and where. It may be producing as expected, but some widgets are stolen before being counted. Adding cameras would stop this.
Another thing you can do is ask production to accurately determine the raw materials usage over a given period and then correlate that to the expected number of widgets minus scrap that is actually measured. It could be that the missing units were pulled for quality control reasons, and this simply wasn’t communicated along with the output report.
If they find no discrepancy, then widgets are not being stolen or turned into scrap before being counted.
Management is assuming everything runs without a hitch, and maximum throughput is normal throughput. Ask the operators if they ever need to stop the machine or slow it down. Maybe parts jam up in a curved section of chute or there is briefly a problem loading materials.
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Mark is an expert in maintenance management, having racked up an impressive track record during his time working in the field. He also has extensive knowledge of, and practical expertise with, the National Electrical Code (NEC). Through his consulting business, he provides articles and training materials on electrical topics, specializing in making difficult subjects easy to understand and focusing on the practical aspects of electrical work.
Prior to starting his own business, Mark served as the Technical Editor on EC&M for six years, worked three years in nuclear maintenance, six years as a contract project engineer/project manager, three years as a systems engineer, and three years in plant maintenance management.
Mark earned an AAS degree from Rock Valley College, a BSEET from Columbia Pacific University, and an MBA from Lake Erie College. He’s also completed several related certifications over the years and even was formerly licensed as a Master Electrician. He is a Senior Member of the IEEE and past Chairman of the Kansas City Chapters of both the IEEE and the IEEE Computer Society. Mark also served as the program director for, a board member of, and webmaster of, the Midwest Chapter of the 7x24 Exchange. He has also held memberships with the following organizations: NETA, NFPA, International Association of Webmasters, and Institute of Certified Professional Managers.