A client had a high reject rate on one step in the manufacturing process. This is a complex item with several parts and at this stage, near the end, rejects were costing just over $15,000 every month. The defect was causing a leak at a particular location on the part and many efforts over many months were not successful.
I was invited to assist in this problem solving project and in my line of work, I never accept things as facts without evidence. I've seen too much waste. We rented a high speed camera to record what was happening at the point in the process where the defect was created. To everyone's surprise, we saw the leak start in a different location. It was centrifugal force that moved the fluid to the spot that everyone had thought was the leak.
The high speed camera showed us where the problem started. Tools that enhance human perception can often provide clues.
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