Measurement systems improvement in a tire industry process

Purpose – Organizations’ success strongly depends on their ability to collect, analyze andtake swift decisions based upon data. Also, both evaluation of a products’ conformance tospecifications and process capability studies require measurements, measurements that may lead to wrong conclusions if collected with high-variation systems. Thus, having accurate and precise measures is at the basis of any analysis. This work focuses on the application of measurement systems analysis’ techniques in a Portuguese tire factory. The goal is to evaluatethe capability of the measurement systems of two critical quality features of the calendered sheet, an intermediate product of the tire that results from the calendering process: weight and thickness.
Methodology and approach – The analysis of historical data, as well as the on-site monitoring of production, exposed problems concerning (1) the handling of the thickness gauge, (2) the ambient conditions (e.g. temperature) at which the measurements are taken and (3) the fact that the current equipment does not allow the computer storage of the registers. First, to assess bias and repeatability effects, a Type 1 study was applied to each measurement system. Subsequently, repeatability and reproducibility (R&R) tests were applied to assess the intrinsic variation of the measurement equipment and the variation resulting from the action of the operators and the measurement method used. Finally, some recommendations are made to improve existing systems, including the suggestion of using alternative equipment.
Findings – The results of the bias and repeatability (Type 1 study) and R&R studies show (i) that the weight measurement system is accurate and precise and (ii) that the thickness measurement system is accurate, but its precision is questionable.
Practical implications – A concrete proposal was made for an alternative thickness measurement system that should reduce the associated variability and allow an effectivemonitoring of this characteristic. Both the Quality Department and the Production Technical Support Department consider the new system to be appropriate and useful, and its acquisition and implementation should take place in the coming months.
Originality and value – This paper addresses a real and concrete application of measurement systems analysis in a business environment.

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Measurement Systems Analysis (MSA), Repeatability and Reproducibility (R&R), Quality Improvement.