What is First Time Right and How to Improve It

First time right (FTR) involves making sure that all procedures on the shop floor are performed correctly the first time and every time. Basically, manufacturers can implement this concept to prevent product deficiencies and ensure high-quality goods to increase customer satisfaction.

FTR originates from Six Sigma, a process that incorporates statistics and data analysis to decrease production errors. The two approaches go hand-in-hand to boost product cycle times while reducing manufacturing flaws.

It’s important for manufacturers to evaluate existing inefficiencies on the production floor and make any necessary improvements to progress their FTR score.

Explore this article to learn how to enhance your first time right score and stay ahead of the curve:

First time right defined
How to improve your FTR score
Takeaways of implementing FTR and how we can help

First time right defined

First time right in manufacturing is a valuable way to determine and assess any mistakes in the design and procedure stage of product development.

It boils down to this formula: FTR = (number of usable products divided by the total number of products) x 100. Once you’ve calculated your score, you can set a target to exceed it.

Measuring your FTR score alone, however, won’t make a difference if it’s not part of an ongoing strategy. Manufacturers need to take steps to continuously improve their processes on a daily basis.

Read on to get a better idea of what steps a manufacturer should take to improve first time right throughout their production model.

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How to improve your FTR score

In order to reap the benefits of FTR, it’s crucial to implement DMAIC, which stands for define, measure, analyze, improve, and control. This concept is a data-driven quality strategy for enhancing processes.

It’s a great way to identify and eliminate the root cause of an issue while making sure that product improvements are sustained on a continual basis.

Below are five steps businesses can take to improve their score over time while keeping DMAIC in mind.

Step 1: Define what’s wrong with the process

Once you’ve established your baseline FTR score, you’ll have a better idea of what’s wrong with your production process.

For instance, a plant’s score may show that it’s creating too many products with deficiencies. Think about ways you can improve your procedures to decrease the number of defects.

Step 2: Measure defective product impact

Measuring the impact of your defective products can illustrate how it’s affecting worker efficiency and productivity on the shop floor.

This measurement shows that it may be costing the plant X number of hours of rework time and Y number of wasted goods. In return, the number of product imperfections you have can contribute to the number of dollars lost.

Step 3: Analyze the cause of the issue

It’s important to consider why product deficiencies are occurring. Is equipment malfunctioning? Are cheap materials to blame? Are your operators following outdated procedures, or are there areas where training can be improved? Ask yourself these questions to analyze the root cause of the issue.

Step 4: Improve flawed processes

Sometimes you discover that a procedure needs to be updated. If you can improve defective procedures, you can implement long-lasting change.

For example, if your FTR score is low due to human error, review your procedural documentation. You may need to introduce visual work instructions or provide better training opportunities for workers to help close the knowledge gap.

Step 5: Implement quality control

Once you’ve established ways to improve your production processes, it’s time to monitor and support the implementation of those procedures.

For example, are operators fully equipped with what they need to carry out processes? Are there ways to deepen their understanding to yield better product output?

This QC step focuses on continuously checking in with your staff and evaluating their progress to decrease any deficiencies on the shop floor. QC checklists are a great way to standardize and optimize quality control for reduced defects and rework, and to improve your First Time Right score.

Quality Control Checklist

Free Template

Standardize and optimize QA for reduced defects and rework with our free Quality Control Checklist Template. Download our PDF template to get started, and learn more about digitizing your quality data collection and inspection procedures with Augmentir.

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Takeaways of implementing First Time Right and how we can help

Achieving a high product yield score will significantly depend on how well you implement the five steps outlined above.

In a nutshell, it’s vital to do the following to increase your score:

Monitor and analyze in real-time how well workers are executing production processes.
Create and share digital standard operating procedures (SOPs) with your frontline workers.
Engage employees with continuous training and resources to produce sustainable improvement.

Augmentir offers solutions to help increase your first time right score. Our connected worker solution will help you digitize and transform how you create SOPs and monitor frontline operations to eliminate product shortcomings and improve quality. Learn more about our quality use cases.

Interested in learning how Augmentir’s connected worker solution can help you reduce defects and improve quality within your manufacturing operation? Get in touch with us for a free demo.