Everyone who has faced a production problem with a need to solve the problem by using production data can relate to the notion of a brain teaser. The brain teasers presented here are based on real-world situations that are encountered by workers in manufacturing environments. The brain teasers have three parts: (1) the situation, (2) available data or other supporting information, and (3) questions that various workers want answered for continual improvement. Recommended solutions follow in the next issue and on the Web at Quality Online (www.qualitymag.com).
Situation
Miranda is the production manager for a company that assembles large quantities of frames in various sizes for photographic studios. She recently experienced a high volume of customer complaints that the frames were not built correctly and included gaps between sections and warped frames. During her investigation, Miranda discovered that assembly workers had to force fit the individual frame sections. The operators were convinced that the angles were the problem, but every time they checked the angles, they were within specification.