Reduce Unique ICDs by Redesigning the Product or the Process

The objective of this activity is to reduce the number of ICDs by reducing the occurrence of an ICD in producing a unit of Output, or by reducing the number of separate ICDs used in the Output. A unique ICD is one of the key activities in the work center's contribution to the final product (O). It is separate and distinct from any other activity in the work center. For example, the fastening of a part onto a subassembly and a quality control check of the subassembly would be unique ICDs.

B. Redesign the process of producing the ICD or Output

Change the process used to produce the ICD or Output to eliminate activities.

5. Reduce errors in process

Remove sources of error:
Poor supplier procedures

No.	Industry SIC	Year	Notes
1	0	1988	Manufacturers today are working more closely with suppliers to ensure that their quality-assurance programs are up to par–to minimize the need to inspect parts at the receiving dock.
2	0	1988	In some cases, companies require vendors to perform quality control to the companies' specifications–in some cases, requiring them to practice statistical process control.
3	0	1988	Besides spreading risk, one reason to single source products is to receive consistency in parts purchased. Helps both quality and productivity.
4	0	1993	More and more companies are requiring suppliers to meet ISO 9000 requirements for quality management. Companies must prove that they're following their own procedures for inspecting production, updating engineering drawings, maintaining machinery, calibrating equipment, training workers, and dealing with customer complaints.
5	3559	1990	Milacron moved to single-sourcing, offering suppliers years of business in return for improving such things as quality control and delivery schedules.
6	3700	2005	To further offset the higher costs of health care besides higher co-payments and deductibles, companies are testing new ways to find more savings. A group of big employers and insurers found the Leapfrog Group back in 2000. The idea: to identify hospitals that meet criteria such as moving toward computerized systems for ordering drugs, which reduce the risk of dangerous medication errors. Fewer medical errors would mean lower costs. Health plans and insurers now post that information on Web sites in an effort to show employees which hospitals have the highest quality. And under a 2002 contract with machinists and engineers, Boeing Co. agreed to pay the entire cost of a hospital stay after the deductible instead of the normal 95% if the workers use hospitals that use Leapfrog standards.
7	3751	1987	At both Huffy and Unisys, suppliers must now certify that parts and materials meet specifications. Those who can't or won't are dropped. Not only improves quality, but eliminates inspectors who formerly culled out bad parts.
8	8062	2006	To reduce errors, hospitals are prescribing innovative designs. The new St. Joseph's Hospital facility will have lighting that best simulates natural light. And since window blinds are a known breeding ground for germs, the hospital installed windows that enclose the blinds within the glass. Heating vents above the windows reduce the condensation that usually lets germs thrive.
9	8062	2006	To reduce errors, hospitals are prescribing innovative designs. At SSM Health Care's new hospital in St. Louis, MO., set to open in 2008, nurses will pass medicines to patients via a small sliding drawer from an adjoining alcove. This limits the number of times a nurse enters the room, thus lowering the infection risk for a patient.
10	8062	2006	To reduce errors, hospitals are prescribing innovative designs. HCA Inc. of Nashville, which runs more than 180 hospitals, says it will no longer use vinyl coverings on exterior walls because the material attracts mold, causing infection.
11	8062	2006	To reduce errors, hospitals are prescribing innovative designs. The University of Michigan Health System's new children and women's hospital virtually has all corners in the hospital interior being built with round edges. The new building will also not recycle its air at all, reducing the risk of spread of infections.
12	8062	2006	To reduce errors, hospitals are prescribing innovative designs. At St. Joseph's Hospital in Wisconsin, the new facility will contain identical rooms, slip-proof floors, and soundproof walls. Nurses stations are placed so that all patients are visible – without pillars to block the view. Filters and ultraviolet devices trap and kill germs and other particles, making for healthier airflow throughout the hospital.

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