Analysis of DFMEA and PFMEA use for enhanced co-development of product and production : A case study in two Swedish manufacturing companies

Abstract: Purpose – In the last years companies are challenged by the increasing of innovation, product complexity and customisation, continuous and rapid changes in technology. A company’s successfulness in the market depends on the ability to quickly adapt to changes through innovation and efficiency in its products and services. Risk analysis might lead to success using different tools within the New Product Development (NPD)process, such as Design and Process Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (DFMEA andPFMEA). This study aims to identify how the integration between DFMEA and PFMEA might enhance the co-development of product and production to overcome the challenges in the NPD. To address the purpose, three research questions have been formulated: (1) Are DFMEA and PFMEA linked in the literature and how are they connected? (2) Which are the main challenges and opportunities to integrate DFMEA andPFMEA from a practical point of view? (3) How to improve DFMEA and PFMEAintegration for enhanced co-development of product and production? Method – The research has an inductive approach and data collection was carried out using qualitative methods, such as documents reviews, interviews and workshops. The chosen strategies were a literature review and a case study. Firstly, literature review was conducted in order to identify the connection between DFMEA and PFMEA and feasible methods to integrate them. Thereafter, documentation from two companies and recorded interviews were reviewed to gain information from a practical perspective. Lastly, two workshops were performed to explore further connections between DFEMA and PFMEA by collaborating with the responsible from the two analysed companies. Findings & Analysis – In the literature, three suitable methods that linked DFMEAand PFMEA were identified. After reviewing the documentation from the companies and the recorded interviews and performing two workshops, two different situations were depicted. The companies are implementing different templates and their processes are slightly different. For this reason, a SWOT analysis helped comparing the two companies to identify their challenges and opportunities to integrate DFMEA and PFMEA. The three methods, the comparison between the companies and other reflections helped contribute to the knowledge and improve companies’ processes. Limitations – The main limitation of the study regards time constraints. There are several paths this research can pursue since there was not enough time to further explore in this thesis. In fact, it was intended to find a method to test in the companies and gain results after the test. In the end, the results are suggestions for further research and methods for integrating DFMEA and PFMEA