Improving productivity with errorproofing--Better processes through poka-yoke and design techniques

摘要

Shigeo Shingo introduced the concept of poka-yoke (pronounced POH-kah YOH-kay) in 1961, when he was an industrial engineer at Toyota Motor Corporation. The initial term was baka-yoke, which means "foolproofmg." In 1963 a worker at Arakawa Body Company refused to use baka-yoke mechanisms in her work area because of the term's dishonorable and offensive connotation. Hence, the term was changed to poka-yoke, which means "errorproof-ing" or "mistakeproofing." Technically, errorproofing occurs in the design phase to prevent assembly errors such as design features that are upside-down, backwards, or reversed. It often entails designing in snap-together features to eliminate the chance of missing or incorrect fasteners. Mistake-proofing, on the other hand, is applied to the process to prevent mistakes from occurring, stop the error from progressing further, and to warn that the error has occurred. Most people use the terms interchangeably, however.