What is the FMEA method and how do you implement it?

FMEA is a process analysis method; the acronym stands for: Failure Mode and Effects Analysis. It is a tool used to identify failures, along with their causes and effects, at every stage of any process carrying risk, thereby improving its reliability. FMEA is therefore a tool used within a quality and control approach, and in the context of operational dependability.

This tool is widely used in businesses to combat time losses arising from unexpected failures.

What are the different types of FMEA?

The identification of these failures depends on the stage of the process in which they occur. That is why FMEA is divided into different categories.

– Functional FMEA, which is the analysis of failures and their causes at the design stage.

– Product FMEA, which is the analysis of failures in a product due to its design, manufacture, or operation, in order to improve its quality and reliability. It also makes it possible to address the prevention of issues relating to product safety and regulation.

– Process FMEA, which is the analysis of failures in the production methods of a product as well as the procedures implemented to carry out a task.

– Production Means FMEA, which is the analysis of failures in the production chain and in the machines and equipment involved in manufacturing a product.

– Flow FMEA, which is the analysis of risks related to supply, reaction and correction times, and their costs.

How do you integrate FMEA into a business?

To integrate FMEA into businesses, it is advisable to follow these steps:

• Build the working group and define the study

This step involves defining the scope of the study — that is, clearly defining the process being studied in order to analyse it effectively. Those responsible are then tasked with defining the objectives.

• Identify and assess failure modes

The purpose of this phase is to list, step by step, all the potential failures that may occur during the execution of the tasks within the process being studied. It is also important to identify, for each of these failures, the effects and causes, in order to better limit them. To identify the causes of potential failures, the fault tree can be used — a graphical representation of the sequence of events that led to the malfunction.

• Prioritise failures and identify solutions

This step is critical, as it consists of eliminating or reducing failures by implementing corrective or preventive actions.

Finally, the actions to be implemented must be planned and their effectiveness and relevance monitored throughout the project.

How do you assess failures?

To assess failures, there is an evaluation grid consisting of scoring 3 indices. These 3 indices, together with their definitions, are as follows:

– Frequency is the probability of the failure occurring over time.

– Severity corresponds to the seriousness of the consequences caused by the failure.

– Detection depends on the probability of not correctly detecting the failure using existing or planned means.

Each of these indices is therefore assigned a score between 1 and 10. This makes it possible to calculate the criticality of potential failures, which is defined below.

How do you calculate the criticality score?

To determine the significance of the failure, criticality must be calculated. It is calculated as follows:

𝐶𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑦=𝐹𝑟𝑒𝑞𝑢𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑦 ×𝑆𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑦 ×𝐷𝑒𝑡𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛

The higher this value, the more significant the failure. Companies generally set a criticality threshold not to be exceeded.

Criticality thus makes it possible to rank failures and prioritise improvement actions on the highest criticalities.

Finally, if you are looking to optimise your production or improve the overall organisation of your business, implementing FMEA can prove highly beneficial. When correctly applied, following the steps outlined above, this method makes it possible to pursue a continuous improvement approach.