Anyone who has faced a production problem with a need to solve it by using production data can relate to the notion of a brain teaser. The brain teasers presented here are based on real-world situations 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 need answered for continual improvement.
As a process engineer, Wilma manufactures gel capsules for a variety of vitamins. She recently received information from the customer that their gel caps are performing poorly in the customer's capsule filling machine. Specifically, the capsules are sticking in the filling chute. Her team of engineers has agreed to assist the customer in locating the cause of the problem. Capsules were sticking to the chutes on the production line and the throughput was severely compromised.