FMEA (Failure Modes and Effects Analysis) is an essential tool for automotive suppliers, enabling them to secure the development and production of complex products. Trico, a leading developer of windshield wiper blades, uses this methodology to meet the stringent requirements of the automotive industry.
In this interview, Eric Coos, Development Manager at Trico, shares his expertise on the challenges of FMEA and the benefits of using dedicated software like Skill FMEA Pro. His expertise accumulated over several decades in the development of products for new-generation vehicles offers valuable insight into the importance of securing every stage of the process, from design to production, with a dedicated FMEA tool. He also underlines the importance of a responsive customer relationship on the part of the FMEA solution provider, enabling continuous adaptation to the specific needs of the industry and constant improvement of the tools used.
"I've been Development Manager for wiper blades for the original market at Trico for around thirty years. We work closely with customers to meet their specifications for new vehicles. This includes design, approval, production and vehicle assembly.
For us, FMEA is a requirement of our industry, in particular to comply with IATF certification. It is an essential tool for securing the development and production of our products. Historically, we used Excel forms for FMEA, but this involved a lot of manual coding, making the process tedious and error-prone. We needed a tool that allowed us to capitalize on the experience accumulated from one project to the next, making analysis more efficient and reliable."
The use of dedicated FMEA (Failure Modes, Effects Analysis) software brings many key benefits to automotive OEMs, particularly in the context of the stringent requirements of the automotive industry. The software is designed to meet specific industry requirements, including IATF 16949, and incorporates the latest methodologies and formats recommended by AIAG and VDA, ensuring compliance with international standards.
Unlike Excel spreadsheets, FMEA software offers a centralized database, enabling better traceability, more efficient version control and improved collaboration between different departments and production sites. These tools also make it possible to create libraries of failure modes, effects and potential causes, facilitating the reuse of knowledge acquired from one project to another.
Modern FMEA tools offer advanced analysis capabilities, making it possible to examine the complex interactions between different components and processes. They can often be integrated with other quality, production or design management systems, enabling a smoother flow of information. They also facilitate the continuous updating of analyses in line with feedback, customer complaints or design changes.
The advanced reporting and visualization features built into FMEA software enable the rapid generation of detailed reports and graphical visualizations, particularly useful for audits and management reviews. What's more, these tools enable you to quickly assess the impact of design or process changes on the whole system.
By automating many repetitive tasks and facilitating data reuse, FMEA software enables teams to concentrate on critical analysis and problem-solving, thus optimizing the use of human resources. The adoption of dedicated FMEA software therefore represents a strategic investment for automotive suppliers, not only improving the efficiency and accuracy of risk analyses, but also helping to reinforce the culture of quality and continuous improvement within the organization.
What were the initial motivations behind the choice of Skill Software as the chosen solution?
"We looked at several solutions, and Skill FMEA Pro's approach convinced us, not least because they were based in France, making training and support easier. Their approach and the relationship we developed with them were decisive in our choice. The 'Just One Click' concept appealed to us, even if in practice it can sometimes take a few extra clicks."
Choosing a local FMEA software publisher, or at least one close by (in this case France - Belgium), offers several technical and strategic advantages, particularly in terms of the speed and responsiveness of the support service, as well as for the development of local customer relations.
Indeed, a software publisher located in France can offer more responsive technical support thanks to its geographical and cultural proximity. With support teams available in a nearby time zone, response times are reduced, enabling problems to be resolved more quickly.
Geographical proximity also facilitates the planning of on-site training sessions, enabling a better understanding of the context and environment in which the customer operates. The software publisher can offer training tailored to the specific context of the company, integrating its processes and products into the examples used.
This geographical proximity fosters the development of a relationship of trust and collaboration between the software publisher and its customer. More direct and frequent communication means that services and support can be rapidly adjusted to meet the company's evolving needs. This close relationship also enables ongoing, proactive collaboration, where the editor can provide strategic and technical advice based on an in-depth understanding of the company's needs, thus contributing to continuous process improvement.
Can you tell us about the benefits and results you've seen from using Skill Software's solution?
"Using Skill allows us to save time on each FMEA project and to work more serenely. Once the databases are well established, we can launch FMEA projects more quickly, without starting from scratch, and with better anticipation of potential problems.
The software also facilitates the tracking and integration of product and process modifications, and enables us to work in multiple languages, which is a major asset for our different sites. Incidentally, we have developed Skill mainly on our Belgian site, and we are planning to extend it to our other sites in Europe."
One of the most significant advantages of using dedicated FMEA software is the time it saves. Thanks to the ability to create and use pre-existing databases, it becomes possible to launch new FMEA projects using data from one project to another. This considerably reduces the time needed to start up new FMEA analyses, enabling you to concentrate on the critical, specific aspects of each project. The use of well-established databases also ensures better anticipation of potential problems, improving the reliability and robustness of analyses.
The software also facilitates the tracking and integration of product and process modifications. This is particularly important in the automotive industry, where changes are frequent and need to be integrated quickly and efficiently to avoid any negative impact on production. Change tracking is automated, reducing the risk of human error and ensuring that all changes are documented and taken into account in FMEA analyses.
It also ensures that all analyses are carried out according to industry standards (e.g. IATF), facilitating audits and inspections. By automating part of the process and providing robust tools for documentation and reporting, it becomes easier to demonstrate compliance and ensure product and process quality.
For an automotive supplier with multiple sites in Europe, the ability to work in multiple languages is a major asset. The ability of software to offer multilingual operation enables smooth collaboration between teams at different sites, eliminating language barriers and ensuring consistency in FMEA analyses and reports. This functionality is essential for harmonizing processes across different sites, facilitating standardization and the sharing of best practices.
Finally, dedicated FMEA software encourages continuous improvement by providing tools to analyze historical data and identify trends and opportunities for improvement. This ability to capitalize on accumulated experience not only helps to solve current problems, but also to prevent future ones, thus strengthening the automotive supplier's long-term competitiveness.
Which elements of the Skill FMEA Pro solution and Skill Software support do you find most beneficial?
"The main advantage of Skill FMEA Pro is the integration of the product and the FMEA process. Everything is connected, from product development to production, enabling us to manage changes consistently and efficiently. This helps us to anticipate potential problems and guarantee the quality of the parts produced.
Another advantage of the software is the link between DFMEA (Design) and PFMEA (Process), which enables us to monitor the entire manufacturing process to ensure product conformity.
And our relationship with the Skill Software's team is excellent. We regularly request training, which keeps us up to date with software developments. They are very responsive to our needs and suggestions. Updates are frequent and they are open to our requests for specific improvements."
The use of dedicated FMEA software brings global analysis consistency for automotive OEMs, meeting the industry's stringent requirements. This consistency manifests itself on several levels, starting with product-process integration. The software provides a direct link between product FMEA and process FMEA, ensuring complete traceability from critical product characteristics to production parameters. This integration facilitates the identification of complex interactions between product design and manufacturing processes, enabling a more in-depth analysis of potential risks.
Centralized data management eliminates the inconsistencies and redundancies often observed with the use of separate Excel files. This ensures that all teams work with the same up-to-date data, reducing errors and improving the reliability of analyses. What's more, the automatic propagation of changes across all related analyses ensures global consistency and considerably reduces the risk of oversights or errors during manual updates.
The software also imposes a consistent structure and methodology for conducting FMEAs, ensuring that all analyses follow the same principles and use the same evaluation scales. This standardization facilitates comparison between different projects and improves the overall quality of analyses. The traceability of decisions is ensured, making it possible to document and track the history of corrective and preventive actions taken, which is particularly important for demonstrating compliance with IATF requirements.
At the same time, a close customer relationship enables the editor to gain an in-depth understanding of the OEM's specific processes and constraints, making it easier to adapt the software to the particular needs of the automotive industry. Regular training sessions enable users to maintain and deepen their skills, ensuring optimal use of the software and offering the opportunity to discover new functionalities and share best practices.
The editor's responsiveness to user feedback and suggestions for improvement contributes to the ongoing evolution of the software, ensuring that it remains aligned with the changing needs of the automotive industry. In a production environment where deadlines are critical, responsive technical support is essential to quickly resolve problems and minimize interruptions to FMEA analyses. Finally, a close relationship facilitates the sharing of best practices between the editor and its customers, enabling the OEM to benefit from experience accumulated in different industrial contexts.
In a few words, how would you describe Skill Software and their Skill FMEA Pro solution?
"A team that listens to our needs, finds solutions for us, and efficient software that saves us time."
