Introduction
When the production operator conducts a quality inspection on the bicycle, they complete the bicycle manufacturing process if the quality criteria are met. However, if the quality inspection criteria are not met, the production operator logs a nonconformance (NC) code against the bicycle being inspected to indicate that it does not conform. For example, there may be an issue with the bicycle frame paint.
Record Nonconformances
The production operator can log nonconformances in the Production Operator Dashboard (POD) using nonconformance plugins. The NC plugins enable different nonconformance functionalities:
- Nonconformance Data Entry: Use this plugin to manually log nonconformances in the POD. The production operator can browse all available NC codes and log the desired ones. They can also fill in additional data if the chosen NC code is assigned a data type.
- NC Selection: The production operator can view all available NC groups and their assigned NC codes. They can choose an NC code and automatically add it to the Nonconformance Data Entry plugin.
- NC Data Tree: The production operator can view all NC codes that have already been logged against an SFC and their hierarchy. When they select a logged NC code, its assigned secondary NC codes appear in the NC Selection plugin. They can also view the status of the logged nonconformances and choose to open or close them.
In the POD Designer application, there are several default PODs already configured with nonconformance plugins, such as the NONCONFORMANCE_POD and DEFAULT_WC_POD. You can use them as they are or copy them to build upon the preset layouts and plugins.
You can use a Standalone Nonconformance POD to log nonconformances against an SFC regardless of its status. You can log nonconformances regardless of work center, resource, operation activity, or completion status. For example, even when an SFC has been completed and is no longer in the manufacturing process, you can still inspect its quality and log nonconformances to trigger a repair process.
In our example, the bicycle is in the main production routing when the paint NC is identified. The production operator needs to perform further analysis to identify the cause of the paint issue. The paint NC has an associated disposition routing to perform further analysis.
Process Nonconformances
To handle the nonconformance, the SFC is dispositioned and sent to a disposition routing.
In our example, the production operator starts the bicycle SFC again and performs further analysis to identify the cause of the nonconformance. Once the cause is identified, the paint is scratched, and the production operator logs another NC code to indicate the cause. The scratch NC has an associated disposition routing to repair the issue.
The bicycle is then moved to the repair disposition routing for the shop floor operator to perform the required repair actions. If the repair is successful, the production operator closes the nonconformance and completes the bicycle production. The bicycle is then returned to its original routing. However, if the repair is unsuccessful and no other repair actions can be performed, the production operator scraps the bicycle.
When the production operator scraps an SFC, they are required to choose an NC code that is assigned to a scrap reason code.
Monitoring Nonconformances
In the SFC Report app, you can view nonconformance information about SFCs, including operation activity, resource, nonconformance code, state, nonconformance log history, and custom data.
Note
For more information about nonconformances processing, refer to the SAP Application Documentation.
In some production environments, you might even want to automate NC logging, for example using automated camera systems and image processing. SAP Digital Manufacturing offers APIs to implement this on the shop floor.
You can also leverage Production Processes in SAP Digital Manufacturing to ensure that a SFC with open NC codes cannot be further processed. For example, you can define a production process that does not allow you to complete the final product inspection unless all open NCs were closed. For more information, refer to the SAP Application Documentation.