Prescriptive Quality Engineering (PQE) Project No: 12
?Background: It was very impressive quality improvement project with VF 3rdway manufacturing excellence & few other reputed factory. Remembering significant contribution of VF quality engineering team to support implementation of this project.
Purpose of this study: We were committed to zero defect approach and thinking outside the box to find all contributor factors. Aim of this project to reduce DHU, SQL as well as provide healthy work environment to QC team focusing eye fatigue in visual assessment.
Observation & Finding Report: Healthy eye & light plays a HUGE role in color perception, garment visual assessment & defect capturing ability of apparel QC. Neglecting work station environment & apparel QC eye health we can’t achieve lower SQL% & improve 1st pass rate for in process and final audit.
We conducted a case study and survey to verify different color effect on final audit SQL and 1st pass rate in a reputed garment factory. After reviewing one year final audit pass/fail records at 2018 we found that:
1.???72% final audit fails in dark color and 28% audits fails in light color. It proofs the color sensitivity of QC eyes during audit.
2.???Naturally apparel QC having more capability to capture defect in white color and comparatively less in black or dark color. We know from color engineering white surface reflect all the color and nothing absorbed but black surface not reflect any color and absorbed all the color then transform into heat.
3.???Especially after being reviewed & over-stimulated by a strong/dark color QC eye got fatigue and tired. A tired eye cannot make good color judgments & missed to capture other visual defect significantly.
4.???Quality Checking is a repetitive work and eyes can get tired and stressed. As a result, defects can escape during quality checking process for whole day.?Compare to morning QC will fail to capture higher rate of defect at evening due to eye fatigue
5.???We found workstation light lux from 350 lux to 2600 lux. Many lights directly reflecting to the QC eyes due to smaller light shade cover height
6.???Common complaints due to eye strain are : Sore or tired eyes, Eyes watering, Redness, dryness, headaches after prolonged near work, neck-shoulder and back muscle pain from poor posture , Light sensitivity, vision quality, blurry vision etc.
Action taken:
1.????Grouping garment color in two groups: ?Light color and dark color. For white or light color garment need min 1000 lux but for black or dark color need min 1400 lux at audit station
2.????Work station light should not directly reflect to the auditor’s eye. Light position & shade cover must be setting correctly based on workstation review
3.?????Rest QC eyes before viewing, view quickly, and rest again before the next evaluation. Give your eyes a break by following the 20-20-20 rule. - Every 20 minutes look at an object at least 20 feet away for 20 seconds (Few Points will be given about 20 feet away from the workstations in the floor to focus)
4.????The easiest way to relax your eyes is to close them for 3-second intervals 5 times in a row. After doing it quickly a few times, close your eyes very tightly and hold the pose for about a minute. Focus on your breathing to help you relax even further. Do it in every two hour
5.????Wash your eyes with cold water frequently. Cold water has a soothing effect that can help your eyes to relax.
Result: Reduced final audit SQL 0.60% with 100% first pass in year.
