Humble Beginnings

1
Humble Beginnings

• Expanding basic Quality Tools into the EMS

2
Statistical Process Control

• Controlling processes based on statistical
  measures of key process characteristics. The
  goal is to reduce variation in the process and
  thereby improve the quality and consistency of
  the output.

3
What does that mean?

• Analyze the process
• What should be happening?
• What is happening?
• Common Cause Variation
• Achieve control
• Maintain the process
• Monitor the process to detect and act upon
  special cause variation
• Improve the process
• Understand and reduce common cause variation

4
What does that look like?
Incoming pH
Each swing in pH chemical addition

• Real Time SPC - the initial picture
• The Goal Post Mindset - top and bottom of the
  graph indicate internal control limits, set
  within regulatory limits
• No discernable trends all common cause
  variation

5
and over time

• If you turn SPC on its ear, you can measure
  process capability (Cpk) over time.
• This allows you to measure the potential for
  performing outside your specification limits

6
So what do you do with data?

• Analyze the causes of variation
• Incoming pH?
• Temperature?
• Additives?
• Flow rates?
• Feed rates?
• Feedback loops?

Wastewater pH
Ask What can we control? What effect will
that have?
7
What does it look like now?

• Made minor changes to the pump feed rates - cost
  0
• Raised set point -- potential to exceed upper
  spec had dropped to 0 from 3213 ppm
• Reduced chemical costs
• But, that was only the beginning

8
The Long-term Impact

• Monitor changes
• Investigate causes and respond
• Fix problems instead of fixing blame
• Improve other processes
• Cleaner chemical use
• Water use / reuse

Culture Change!
9
Lessons Learned

• We had data but we didnt have information
• Never assume people have understanding of the
  tools just because theyre there. Plan for
  cross-training and replacement training.
• Dont despise the day of small beginnings