Continuous Improvement and Benchmarking to Achieve Zero Defect Manufacturing

This paper presents methods for continuous improvement to achieve Zero Defect Manufacturing (ZDM) with focus on the shop floor and machine level. Benchmarking and best practices a part of Total Quality Management (TQM). To make a good product or production processes system it is important to focus on the working performance efficiency. Best practice or Benchmarking are then methods to focus on the best possible method to understand working processes, systems and performance ability. The EU-Project IFaCOM (Intelligent Fault Correction and Self-Optimizing Manufacturing systems) has five end-user demonstrators where Zero Defect Manufacturing (ZDM) solutions are to be implemented. The main goal for the project IFaCOM is to reach near ZDM. The ZDM framework is a quality controlled process system. The added value of the quality improvement is both a part of the continuous flow process; and the continuous improvement of value to the costumer. It is here where the usage of Benchmarking and Best practice methods will be considered for the project industry demonstrator implementations.