Volume production planning

Plan. Do. Check. Act.

Within the Lacon Group, PDCA is the fundamental maxim that is consistently put into practice for translating customer expectations into a stable production process.

Each article manufactured is given its "personal" PDCA form as early as the quotation process. This form accompanies the module right through until the end of the product life cycle.

Following a detailed feasibility study, the team is defined: customer support, industrial engineering, procurement, manufacturing, quality assurance. This process phase is supplemented by customer consultations for fleshing out the available documentation, any tools and test equipment required, and agreements on additional value chain steps for parts suppliers.

Prototypes if required by the customer or samples produced under simulated production conditions rapidly highlight potential sources of error. Workflows, process tools and test rigs are optimised, calculations of manufacturing times reviewed and all of the items of documentation necessary for zero-defect manufacturing (test plans, visual SOPs) are created.

The first modules are supplied to the customer with an ISIR. Product qualifications to VDA 6.1 (PPAP) and process FMEAs are also completed in this phase in accordance with relevant requirements. Formal release to manufacturing by the customer can also take place if required.

All of the prerequisites for volume production are ensured at the planning level: stocks of critical components, configuration of MRP parameters for subassemblies and common parts, plus the long-term planning of resources for production.