Managing technical risks by utilizing FMEA.

Since March 2006 a team from MBtech Consulting (MBC) has been supporting the production planning department of the Mercedes Car Group (MCG) with preventive risk management. This involves a higher level of systemization in the execution of failure mode and effect analyses (FMEA). The goal is to improve safeguarding new manufacturing concepts and technical innovations as well as to increase process maturity and to reduce start-up costs for new series production.

A joint project team also including production planning, development and supplier management employees has improved the contents and stringently standardized FMEA procedures (both product and process FMEA’s) for internal MCG use and supplier-side FMEA inspections. The activity has focused on both the methodical standardization in terms of FMEA execution as well as optimizing and supporting the internal MCG processes. The MBC team has implemented, tested and continued the development of the new procedures in two pilot series. As a result of its successful work MBtech's support will be successively expanded in 2007.

The goal for the new year is to implement the new procedures for all of the new vehicle projects and to train the employees involved in the project organization in the preventive risk management methods. The FMEA represents one of the major methods within the product development process. The interaction with other quality management methods will be improved in a next step.

Contact partner: Dr. Peter Klose (MBC), Thorsten Reichle (MBC)

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