Robert Kluttz

Neat tricks with text files?  I suppose I could also do derivatives with a slide rule. 
Do you have any neat slide rule tricks?

So what do I win?

Excel is limited to 65,536 rows.  Minitab is not. 
That may not seem like a significant difference.  But if you’re trying to analyze the output of a high speed data historian (ie 1.4MM data points per hour) it rapidly becomes a big deal.

No, Excel cannot do everything Minitab can do.  And I do think it’s a student version limitation.

In this case, the torque analyzer would be the prime standard. 
The Mountz torque drivers are pre-set to the desired value (5 in-lbs for example).  The operator would apply the driver to the torque checker and turn in the tightening direction until the driver clicks.  The difference between specified torque (5 in-lbs) and actual torque (the re…[Read more]

And therein lies the rub.
People seem to think that using sigma as a barometer allows us to rationally compare industry to industry, company to company & process to process.  That couldn’t be farther from the truth.  A 3.5 sigma company can have far less true variation than a 6.0 sigma company (if the 6.0 company has a far more liberal ope…[Read more]

I may be wrong, but I believe the “500” reference was to the number of torque drivers being used on the floor rather than the number of fasteners.  Mountz is a brand of drivers.

Its only destructive if you’re using actual fasteners and mating surfaces.  Using a desktop torque tester allows you to avoid that.

To piggyback on Annon, I’d put together a decision matric and score each potential project on estimated time to complete, savings potential (hard and soft), potential solution costs, commitment of stakeholders, relationship to key business goals, etc.  Rate each potential project under these categories, do some math and voila

A few questions;

How did you verify the resultant torque from each of the 3 operators?
What was the range of torque values that you have them tighten to?
How did you select the 6 tools & 3 operators? 
I would set it up as follows;
Select ten torque values representative of the range used in your shop (if you torque from 1 – 10 in lbs,…[Read more]

Are you doing a GR&R just because someone asked you, or are you actually trying to solve a production problem? 
You can do a fantastic GR&R and still not know why you’re getting loose terminations.  Torque drivers are only one small contributor to termination integrity.  So I’d take a step back and figure out what you’re trying to accomplish -…[Read more]

I was going to recommend trying a best subsets regression to prioritize your inputs, but it sounds like you may need to take a couple steps back (C&E matrices, FMEA) to whittle down your inputs.
So I second and third the other recommendations

The first lesson I like to teach anyone who wants to learn/implement Lean Six Sigma methodology in any process is….
“If you can’t measure it, you can’t control it”.
In order to imrove any fast food process, he first has to know where they are now in terms of performance (avg time to process a drive-thru order, avg time that a burger sits under…[Read more]

DMAIC can be applied in a highly automated environment.  However, some of the tools that you may need are non-traditional to Six Sigma.
I would start out any automation DMAIC process by doing a pre-measure phase – validating the repeatability, accuracy and reproduceability of all measurement systems.  What I’ve tended to see in many m…[Read more]