Materials Selection

Adhesive Selection

Adhesive selection for a new cab roof design in the Class 5-7 truck market

Problem: A new roof design called for a unique heat-cure bonding process to achieve part quality and cycle time requirements; there was no specification or approved material for this application.

Solution: I surveyed candidate adhesives from (6) different suppliers, performed key screening tests to downselect options, and developed a test method to simulate the unique cure process. I collaborated with Engineering to define the specification for the adhesive, validated the preferred product according to the specification, and audited prototype and early production parts by teardown to confirm bonding process quality.

Outcomes: An adhesive compatible with the desired process was identified and approved. Material requirements and test methods for determining material performance were standardized for management of change and use in future part designs. Prototype parts meeting the new requirements were available for critical tests to keep the program on schedule.

Business value: Supported launch of $900M product line.

Sealant Qualification

Body sealer qualification to eliminate assembly-line rework

Problem: Variability in supplier quality of sealant applied to the (4) highest volume cab models led to application defects (intermittent, up to 3% defect rate) at drum change-out (once per shift) and required additional operator time to adjust the application parameters and rework cabs.

Solution: I engaged the incumbent supplier to improve quality and engaged (2) new suppliers to provide an alternative solution. Incumbent was not able to improve quality. I managed technical relationships with the prospective suppliers by communicating product requirements and guiding them through key screening tests to generate a preliminary product data package. I reviewed and vetted supplier data by reproducing key tests in-house and at third-party test labs. I then planned and executed validation of the preferred supplier’s sealant according to company standards and verified key performance requirements (sealant adhesion and paint adhesion) of the new sealant on prototype cab builds. I collaborated with Manufacturing Engineering to deploy a safe-launch process for sealant quality while the new sealant was launched.

Outcomes: A new sealant was approved for use and implemented in the factory. Application defects were eliminated enabled production of $125-250k worth of additional product per day.

Business value: Eliminated 45-minutes rework per shift. Increased plant output by $350K finished product per day.

Root-Cause Analysis

Windshield molding failure analysis

Problem: Windshield moldings on the (2) highest volume models exhibited severe blistering and degradation after system checkout; defect started intermittently and rose to a >75% failure rate. This resulted in a large quarantine pool, large rework queue, and delayed deliveries of finished product.

Solution: I inspected defective parts (qualitative flexibility, microscope, FTIR) and used these observations to identify potential root-causes with Engineering, Quality, Tier 1 and Tier 2 suppliers. I developed a test method to reproduce the failure and deployed this test method to Quality teams to audit inventory and product in the field. The root cause was supplier equipment failure leading to improperly cured moldings.

Outcomes: A rapid test procedure was developed to inspect parts at all stages of the supply chain and prevent installation of defective parts into our products while the supplier resolved the root cause. Observations made in the lab narrowed down possible root causes to help focus the response team on evaluating those related to the molding process.

Business value: Resolved an issue affecting $40M of product

Test Standards

Standardizing destructive analysis of prototype and production parts

Problem: Procedures for documenting bonding process quality of body panels was not standardized and was not practical for tier suppliers to perform on a routine basis. The supplier’s procedures were inadequate. Bonding process defects could escape detection for long periods of time.

Solution: I integrated requirements from all joining and sealing standards (adhesives, sealants, tapes, rivets, hems, welds) into a comprehensive analysis procedure for components. I defined methods for documenting and quantifying bond and joint quality using readily available tools. I developed a workflow for tabulating and scoring component quality and participated in a pilot trial of the standardized process with our largest tier supplier.

Outcomes: A procedure for documenting and quantifying bonding process quality was standardized and gave Engineering, Quality, and Tier suppliers a common framework to discuss bond quality. Supplier engagement and feedback was positive and identified aspects of the quantification process that could be streamlined given supplier automated vision system capability and areas that could be simplified to aid implementation. Quality had a tool to use in reducing the pool of potentially defective parts.

Business value: Reduced warranty risk pool from $8B to $640M.

Materials Standards

Standardizing foam tapes used in vehicle assembly

Problem: The company did not have documented specifications for foam tapes; engineers would select products based on prior experience or supplier recommendations and did not have standard methods for validating performance or for identifying alternative products when necessary. This led to confusion among design engineers and line operators about which tapes could and should be used in different applications. Lack of acceptance criteria made rejecting suspected defective material nearly impossible.

Solution: I identified the (4) different use cases for foam tapes across (6) product lines at (3) different factories. I authored the standard defining the specifications and test methods for each use case, reviewed this standard with Engineering for approval and validated the performance of the approved products for each use case.

Outcomes: Engineering drawing callouts for foam tapes were made consistent with company best practices and reduced the risk of incorrect application. Material requirements and test methods for determining material performance were standardized for management of change, use in future part designs, and quality control.

Business value: Standardized tape products used in badging, reinforcement, sealing, and assembly on vehicles with build volumes over >60K units per year and $8B in revenue.

Vetting External Test Labs

Sourcing analytical service providers for biopolymer analysis

Problem: Early stage startup needed to quickly identify and engage analytical labs capable of performing specialized polymer analysis to support process and product development.

Solution: I engaged 8 third party analytical labs to determine capabilities, capacity, and cost. I identified and vetted preferred service providers within 4 weeks and I gathered and organized key source selection criteria for an objective selection process to meet the startups requirements.

Outcomes: Expanded startup's access to analysis necessary for product development and customer engagement to find product-market fit.

Business value: Accelerated startup's selection of testing labs by schedule crashing. Allowed startup to initiate product analysis on schedule.

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