At ETMA, the focus on the client is, since the beginning, one of its main priorities, therefore, the investment in constant improvement has been a common practice within the company, including the continuous refinement of processes, products and services.
Proving these actions are, for example, the dynamics developed by the Quality Department, which, year after year, aims for the constant refinement and optimisation of its Quality Management software and related methodologies.
In this article, we will address the latest news regarding the development of ETMA’s Complaint Handling Quality Management Platform, which, since January 2023, has a new methodology of cause analysis and respective action plan associated, within the 8D analyses.
NEW DYNAMICS IN THE FOLLOW-UP OF COMPLAINTS
Although the software previously used already contributed to the increase of the continuous improvement in Quality Management, the Quality Department understood that it would be possible to develop a tailored methodology to meet the client’s needs and expectations that allowed:
- Simplified workflows;
- Higher efficiency in problem analysis;
- Higher efficiency and productivity in problem handling and complaint management.
Therefore, and in order to continue ensuring that the error does not again, the methodology now developed contributes to improve the tool used for 8D analyses, enabling:
- Identification of the root cause of the problem detected;
- Planning a short-term correction (including immediate and containment actions);
- Implement a long-term concrete solution (corrective actions) to avoid that the problem occurs again in the future.
This way, all actions and respective tasks are centralised: identify them, know what they concern, who will execute them and in which state they are.
Posteriorly communicated to the client, this 8D analysis presents an action plan and performs the verification of the plan’s efficiency.
QUICKER AND MORE EFFICIENT HANDLING OF THE PROBLEMS DETECTED
It is, therefore, through this 8D cause analysis that ETMA is able to be more precise and meticulous in its containment actions, being able to effectively detect the cause or root of a problem and, from there, correct it and create an action plan to definitively resolve the problem for the client.
This practice brings advantages to the client, since through the output provided, the client is able to not only have a better understanding of the cause analysis, but the containment actions also occur in a faster and more efficient way, as well as problem-solving.
HISTORY OF PROBLEMS
With this new complaint follow-up and handling system, the history of problems is also maintained, through which the operator is able to automatically access the entire history and the actions performed to resolve a previous problem, and, therefore, be able to discard possible causes for a current problem.
“LESSONS LEARNED” DATABASE
This record system is also essential for the success of future projects, since it reflects the experiences related to previous projects, being presented as an important tool for ETMA’s Engineering and Quality Departments in the development of new parts.
CONCLUSION
It is with this attitude of commitment towards excellence in project management that ETMA handles every complaint, both in terms of containment plans to safeguard the client and problem cause analysis, and an action plan to avoid new occurrences.