Aligning Departments toStreamline Process
In any industry, it is extremely important that your various departments are aligned and working toward
common goals. Departments that are aligned communicate regularly and clearly, moving smoothly
through the phases of the product lifecycle, from design through purchasing to operations. It is very
important that all the departments share the same understanding of the importance of quality.
When your departments aren't sharing information and working together toward the same goal it canhave a serious impact on your product quality, costs, and delivery schedule. If the design department
isn't communicating their needs clearly to purchasing, purchasing can't order the right components. If
operations doesn't know what design is working on they can't schedule work properly. If purchasing
doesn't understand how other departments evaluate components, they can't make the right decisions.
Departments working toward different goals can disrupt your entire production process.

What puts departments out of alignment?
Alignment between departments or the lack thereof, is mainly a function of communication. If departments aren't

communicating clearly with each other, it's inevitable that misunderstandings will arise. In machine manufacturing, aserious cause of disconnection and misunderstanding is the different ways suppliers approach accuracy variability
and quality assurance. People from the operations department interact with machinery constantly and have strong

opinions about the quality of suppliers and the components they provide. Lower-quality components vary more widely

within their speciﬁcations which can cause operational headaches that are more difﬁcult to detect than componentsthat are simply defective. And they also have higher rates of non-conformance, which can lead to inventory problems.
A stock of components won't last as long as you think if a signiﬁcant number are non-conforming.

It's clear to the operations department that components with high accuracy variability will produce lower quality

products because the tolerances stack up as components are assembled. This can cause an entire machine toperform in unexpected ways or be outside its own specifications. To prevent these issues there need to be clear
channels of communication for operations to discuss concerns about component quality with purchasing.

Purchasing may not have a clear idea of all the beneﬁts of using high-quality components. When the purchasing

department doesn't understand the impact of zero non-conformance as opposed compensation for non-conformance,
they won't necessarilychoose suppliers thatoffer low accuracy

Components

MachineCustomer(Including LM Guides)

variability. By improving

the ﬂow of communication
between operations andpurchasing to include

more than just purchaseorders, you can help thetwo departments work inalignment.

1

Processed Parts
Purchased Products

Diﬀerencesamong Components

e.g. : 2σ or 4σ

Inspection aligning with theQuality Standards(Accuracy etc)

Diﬀerent accuracies ofcomponents end up being
diﬀerent accuracies formachines

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Accuracy variability and quality assurance
There is always some dimensional variability in components. Speciﬁcations for components list the nominal size

along with the tolerance range that is considered to be conforming. Products that conform to the speciﬁcation vary
within the tolerance range, which is called accuracy variability.

Accuracy Variability (Sample)
2σ=4.55%

45,5001,000,000=±200μm Tolerance

About 10,000 Times Diﬀerence4σ

61,000,000= 0.0006% =FailPass

Pass Pass

FailFailAccuracy ﬂuctuates case by case with metalworking.

How to Achieve 4σ（1）Set Stricter Manufacturing Conditions(e.g.)Manufacture with ±150μm tolerance instead of ±200μm（2）Set Stricter Inspection Conditions(e.g.)Inspect with ±150μm instead of ±200μm
Reason: When the inspection is conducted with inspection machine with +/-20um
accuracy, products that are ±220μm will still pass even though it should be ±200μm.

ResultAnother CompanyTHK±200μm tolerance±150μm tolerance

FailPass＋220μm＋170μm(Measuring with ±20μm Tolerance)±200μm±200μm−220μm(Measuring with ±20μm Tolerance)±150μmPass

Fail2σProduces MoreFailed Products−170μm4σ

Produces Inspect
ProductsThe level of accuracy variability in components is a consequence of how the manufacturer approaches quality

assurance. There are two ways of thinking about quality assurance. Some companies simply provide compensation
for components that don't conform. Other companies strive to ship only components that conform to speciﬁcations.

Under ISO guidelines, non-conformance means that something has gone wrong and corrective action needs tobe taken to address it. In the context of machinery components, this means that a component does not meet its
speciﬁcations.

Suppliers that believe quality assurance simply means providing compensation for non-conforming components

expect a certain portion of the products they ship to be defective. These suppliers set their manufacturing
tolerances only as tight as needed to keep the defect rate below a certain critical amount. When non-conforming
components are shipped, they happily replace them with new product. Because the tolerances are relatively loose,

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the variability among parts that conform to the specification is relatively high. Components made under these

conditions tend to be cheaper, but they can cost time when replacements are required and can harm your brand if
the non-compliance isn't noticed during assembly or initial testing.

When a supplier pursues zero non-conformance, they need to implement tighter process controls and tolerances
to reduce the number of non-conforming components that need to be discarded after manufacturing. These tighter
tolerances naturally lead to lower accuracy variability than the stated specifications. Though components madeunder these conditions can be more expensive, the improved reliability can reduce the total cost of ownership.

How can your departments get into alignment?
The answer to this kind of disconnection is improved communications both internally and with suppliers.

1. Make sure everyone understands your company's quality goals
All of the departments in your company need to have a shared understanding of what quality
assurance means and the value of working with suppliers, like THK, that pursue high-quality
and zero non-conformance. Suppliers can communicate with different departments acrossyour company so they offer another way for information to travel to make sure everyone
stays aligned. This can eliminate friction in the supply chain and make interactions between
departments smoother.

2. Choose suppliers that share your commitment to quality
Mechanical component suppliers committed to high quality and reliability are also an excellent
source of valuable tips when selecting components, based on their deep experience withthose components, preventing errors earlier in the design process. Evaluate your suppliers'quality assurance methods and defect rates, and then work with the ones that ﬁt with yourcompany's goals.

3. Select and standardize high-quality components
Create a list of standard components from suppliers that offer reliable quality. With that list in hand you can prepare and sharequantitative data that shows how purchasing components based only on lower prices can lead to overall losses. This information
will make your sales representatives more conﬁdent when talking to customers and let departmental managers clearly explain theadvantages to top management, who often demand immediate cost reduction.
Standardized components make communication clear and error free. When components are selected in advance the design,purchasing, and operations departments can all conﬁdently select, purchase, and use parts without mistakes or miscommunication.

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Aligned departments get more done
When the departments in your company are aligned they operate like a finely tuned machine, communicatingclearly and collaborating on projects with a minimum of waste or friction. Clearly identifying the goals and baseline

assumptions to every department and ensuring they can communicate creates a foundation for success. Quality
focused suppliers, like THK, that help improve communication are another important part of that foundation.

When you work with THK you're not just buying components; you're gaining a partner that will work with yourcompany throughout the lifecycle of your product and that can draw on extensive knowledge gained by helping
customers in many industries around the world.

THK has an unwavering commitment to quality and reliability in our DNA. Our goal is to provide the highest-quality
cutting-edge products with zero non-conformance. We manufacture all of our components to standards much more
stringent than the speciﬁcations, and international quality standards are only the starting point for our testing. Ourstaff works tirelessly to improve our manufacturing processes and testing regime. When you work with THK you canrest assured that accuracy, quality, and reliability are our top concerns.

About
THK is the pioneer of Linear Motion Systems. Today, our LM Guide is an indispensable component of mechanical andelectronic systems in a wide variety of industries. The versatility of our products and their wide use across applications
have made us an industry leader with sales upward of $2.6 Billion.
thk.com/us/resources/
Learn more at

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