The Japanese term Poka-Yoke means integrating a mechanism into a process to prevent human errors from being made - such as mis-identifying parts that look alike, or packing the wrong part or quantity into a shipping container.
Mistakes can be prevented by automating a manual task and eliminating the human touch point. Or they can be prevented by alerting the operator in real-time that an error is being made, requiring a correction before the operator can proceed further.
SPEDE Poka-Yoke solutions can error-proof processes such as:
- Routing WIP through the correct sequence of operations
- Identifying parts /components at issue to WIP, pack/ re-pack
- Counting parts for pack count
- Packing dunnage layers
- Printing the correct container label
SPEDE Poka-Yoke solutions can use:
- PLCs to control container labeling by supplying the part number, run data and piece count
- PLCs to control part counts at start and end of run and to control partial packs
- Vision sensors to identify / validate parts or components
- Vision to detect scrap; trigger defective parts to be diverted
- Vision or OCR to read a 2D serial number or text data for traceability
- Vision to control packing and labeling
- Weigh scales to control piece counts / full pallet validation
- Weigh scales to trigger a container label when count or weight is correct
- Cameras at packing to ensure dunnage layer is packed correctly before the next layer can begin
