The most general answer to the question of what FMEA is; It is the whole of the systematic studies carried out to identify the elements that pose risks or possible problems in a product or production process and to prevent errors before they occur by identifying these problems before they occur.
An effective FMEA study prevents the release of a faulty product that may harm the relevant parties by preventing errors that may occur in advance.
FMEA, which stands for Failure Mode Effect Analysis, is known as Failure Mode and Effect Analysis in Turkish.
The US Army published FMEA as a military instruction for the first time on November 9, 1949. It was used as a kind of reliability analysis by evaluating potential failures in systems and equipment.
In 1963, NASA developed FMEA for the Apollo Project, and it started to be used in the aerospace industry in 1965 and in the nuclear energy field in 1975.
In the automotive industry, FORD was the first to use FMEA as a preventive activity. In 1986, it was introduced as Series 4 by the German Automotive Industry Association specifically for automotive.
After more than 3 years of joint work, AIAG and the German Automotive Industry Association published the joint "FMEA Handbook" guidebook in June 2019.
FMEA analysis, or FMEA study, is also a risk analysis approach that documents and tracks all efforts to mitigate a risk. FMEA risk analysis supports manufacturers in setting priorities and preventing errors. We can list the objectives of FMEA as follows.
There are two basic methods in FMEA studies; Design FMEA (DFMEA) when focusing on the function of a product and Process FMEA (PFMEA) when focusing on a production process.
In addition, Reverse FMEA (RFMEA) studies can be performed in both product design and process design phases to support these two methods.
DFMEA or Design FMEA makes it possible to identify potential design errors or weaknesses. The design team uses DFMEA to identify potential defect types, causes and effects before releasing a product to production.
PFMEA or Process FMEA addresses potential errors and risks that may arise in these processes in order to ensure that the product is produced in accordance with the design purpose at every stage of production, assembly, logistics, etc. processes. It analyzes all process risks that may arise from a process change or a new product process. In more general terms, its aim is to avoid errors in production processes and their effects before mass production.
R-FMEA studies, which can be carried out in both product design and process design stages, are the most effective preventive tool used to identify and eliminate the causes of potential problems with the designed product or process, especially in the manufacturing sector.
DQS has been the solution partner of many companies in the automotive sector for many years and serves with its auditor staff with deep sector experience. Please contact us for more detailed information on FMEA types, FMEA examples, FMEA training and similar areas.
You can find detailed information about FMEA training here.
You can find detailed information about Reverse FMEA training here.
While the training contents are prepared by Lead Auditors who also carry out training and audits, the Blog contents are prepared by Experts and Researchers who have been active in Lead Auditors and DQS Centers of Excellence for many years.
