Last year the Automotive Industry Action Group (AIAG) collaborated with the Verband der Automobilindustrie (VDA) to implement a standardized version of the design failure mode and effects analysis (DFMEA) process. Simply put, two automotive industry trade organizations operating in different sections of the world standardized their recommended process to identify, analyze and mitigate risk when designing parts and automotive components by reconciling their methodology and scoring tables.
Any change to a long-standing procedure for product design can initially cause headaches and complications. However, standardizing scoring tables will help to alleviate confusion and, if implemented correctly, reduce duplication of efforts to meet OEM requirements. This is especially true for suppliers that serve both German and North American customers.
Aside from some trivial changes to terminology, manufacturers that practice “traditional” AIAG methodology will see additional steps in the systems analysis phase when entering design requirements, failure modes, effects, and causes. Before, these inputs were entered directly into the DFMEA process. With the inclusion of VDA guidelines, these inputs are determined through structure analysis, function analysis and failure analysis.
Each of these additional analyses present opportunities for component failure that will complicate the designers ability to define requirements that are verifiable. It will quickly become difficult to track opportunities for structural failure in product design because we are move from one DFMEA check to four DFMEA checks to meet new standards.
Furthermore, design criteria specificity, increased focus on incorporating past fialures and improved linkages to The Cost of Quality are all changes that suppliers must implement in order to satisfy new AIAG-VDA DFMEA requirements.
With additional checks and verifications in the design process comes increased reliability and reduced risk of failure in the product. By adding the additional analysis with enhanced guidance, there is increased focus to improve transparency and awareness of FMEA activity across different teams that contribute to product design.
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Technology continues to advance at breathtaking speed which leads to incredible advances in the parts and systems in our automobiles. As systems within the automobile become more complex, the processes to prevent those systems from failing should also evolve. The AIAG-VDA DFMEA structure provides manufactures with a more comprehensive tool for these more complex products.
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