Quality Preliminary Report

8/9/2019 Quality Preliminary Report

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[QUALITY SYSTEMSPROJECT]------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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Preliminary Project ReortProject !ro" #

11/11/2014

$ila%& S"nil O&ol

Olatej" Omolara Olanre'aj"

Al%ert C $na(ili

S"c&i)mit&a $i%&an""(i

Teja)'i M"le

*en+ata Sai Santo)& Pra%&a



Introduction

Upper management has put our team in charge of developing a concept for a new niche

market for their electric toothbrush. Our team has developed new concepts for an electric

toothbrush. We have gathered the proper data to determine what this new brush will be.

Also, we have compared the current product to what is already on the market. We assessed

customer needs, revised our problem statement, did external research, created a concept

generation, and created a final design for our new travel electric toothbrush model.

Uses and Benefits

There are uite a few benefits of owning an electric toothbrush over a manual brush. !ot only

do you not have to do all the work, but an electric toothbrush also does the work moreefficiently too.

An electric toothbrush can move thousands of times per minute as opposed to a few hundred

when using a manual brush. "#t$s impossible to try to match the speed of an electric

toothbrush, compared to manual toothbrush, trust me #$ve tried and my arm hated me that

day%, exclaimed one customer. Our electric toothbrush reviews list each toothbrush$s

movement speed so you can make sure you get the best electric toothbrush.

There are two types of electric toothbrushes on the market today & vibration or rotation'

oscillation. There are also different techniues for brushing your teeth with the different types

of electric toothbrushes as well. #f you end up purchasing a vibration electric toothbrush then

you would brush your teeth the same way you would with a manual toothbrush going over

each tooth (but without all the back and forth effort). #f you purchase a rotation'oscillation

electric toothbrush then you simply move the toothbrush slowly from tooth to tooth.

#f you have sensitive gums, make sure you select a toothbrush that has a sensitive mode for gentle cleaning. Other modes that you might find useful are deep cleaning, whitening mode

and gum massage mode. *urvey showed that most of the customers usually go by the mantra

of, the more modes the better+ ust as long as you don$t feel you are overpaying for features

you will not use.

One feature where most of the customers find that$s really helpful is the automatic shutoff.

After several minutes the toothbrush will automatically stop so you know when you have



brushed your teeth long enough. Also an electric toothbrush comes with rechargeable

batteries therefor the cost of buying batteries freuently is minimi-ed.

efore purchasing an electric toothbrush based off our reviews, also pay attention to how

much the replaceable brush heads cost. /ost manufacturers recommend changing your brush

head every three to sixth months so you will have to purchase brush heads in the future. *ome

electric toothbrushes come with a few heads which is also a nice bonus. 0ertain brands also

have an indicator on the brush head itself when it is time to change out the head. Usually the

indicator will be a group of colour bristles.

Market Overview

1lectrical Toothbrush is the next step in toothbrush sector thus in oral health field. #ts

innovative concept is the best solution that provides the most effective and healthy cleaning.

#n the following years, we believe that this new concept will replace the current toothbrushes

and cover the market shelves.

0onsidering the overall market si-e of current electrical toothbrushes, our product has a huge

business opportunity. We will be only player in this emerging market.Targeting mostly

students and travellers all over the world.

/arket researches in toothbrush industry reveal that there is a 234 billion annual turnover in

1urope and U*A of electrical toothbrush sector. We aim to take over 567 of total market

within two years with the new and improve product.

Bill of Material

elow is the list of ill of /aterials that goes into the manufacturing of an electric toothbrush

Bill of Materials

Part

NameQTY Function

Mass

(lbMaterial

Manufac!

Process"imensions #ost

Time to#om$lete

Part

"issectio

n

8asket 3

*eals

battery

negligibl

e 9ubber

#n:ection

/oulding r;3.< cm 2.7< < seconds

AA

battery

= >ower

source

7.7<? /etal

(alkaline

)

Outsourced r;3 cm, h;< cm 26 '''



rush

head 3

rushing

teeth 7.73=

>lastic

nylon

#n:ection

/oulding @ cm tall 2.<7

37

seconds

rush

cap 3

>rotects

bristles 7.77 >lastic

#n:ection

/oulding cm tall 2.6< 6 seconds

atterycap 3

0overs batteries 7.73=

/etal B plastic

#n:ection/oulding

r;= cm, h;=.<cm 23 < seconds

Cower

shell 3

0overs

batteries 7.73

>lastic B

rubber

#n:ection

/oulding ?.< cm tall 26

3<

minutes

Upper

shell 3

0overs

motor 7.76

>lastic B

rubber

#n:ection

/oulding 37 cm tall 26

3<

minutes

/etal

piece 3

*upports

circuit 7.33=

/etal,

wires B

plastic Outsourced @ cm tall 2.<7 3 minute

#ustomer Needs% "ata #ollection and &esults

efore creating a set of problems, the team decided to understand the customer, the team is

divided into two subgroups where sub'team 3 created survey uestions and collect data

concerning the electric toothbrush design, while sub'team = get hands on experience of the

product so that they can understand the customer reuirements in real time and a session of

brainstorming will take place to highlight some untouched problems. We created a five'

uestion survey to learn more about consumer preferences concerning toothbrushes. We then

posted the survey on *urvey/onkey.com and put a link on Dacebook to encourage our

friends and peers to take the survey. ecause we have a diverse group of friends, the results

were probably not skewed to any personality type. #n total about ? people answered our

survey. The survey uestions focused on the consumer$s preferences regarding the si-e and

shape, cost, effectiveness (functionality), strength, and user'friendliness of the tooth brush. #n

general, consumers most valued the si-e and shape of the toothbrushE they preferred a

toothbrush with a medium si-e shape of head that will be able to go all the way to the back of

the teeth (i.e. effective at cleaning teeth). After performance, consumers valued the user'

friendliness of the toothbrush. 0oncerning sustainability, the ma:ority of people surveyed

responded that they would pay up to a price of 237 for a more sustainable and "greener%

toothbrush. We will be sure to take these consumer preferences into consideration as we make

design decisions.



Table '! Initial #ustomer Needs ist Obtained from

Focus )rou$ and Individual surve*s

*i-e of the headshape0leans well9otational OscillationsCow noiseCightAd:ustability of speedristle strength

User friendly9echargeable battery0omfortable grip1asy to operateDlexibility9etails under 23<

Table +! ,ierarc-al #ustomer Needs ist Obtained from

Focus )rou$ and Individual surve*s

3.Functionalit*

3.3 cleans well3.= 9otational'oscillation

=. #ost

=.3 cheap=.= low maintenanceF easy to replace bristles=.6 retail under 23<

6. .i/e

6.3 easy to hold 6.= small shape of head

?. User friendl*

?.3 Cow noise ?.= 0omfortable grip ?.6 1asy to operate ?.? 0omfortF 8entle on 8umsG/outh

<. .tren0t-

<.3 bristle strength should be soft <.= flexible



<.6 effective

1ei0-tin0 of #ustomer Needs

Drom the results of the customer needs assessment we concluded what would be the most

important features in an electric toothbrush. We applied weights to these features by using the

pair comparison chart to help us rank the design ob:ectives and determine the hierarchy of

importance. We used these to determine the concepts to be used in our final design.

Dunctionality

0ost *i-e User friendly

Total Weight

Dunctionalit

y

3.77 3.77 7.=7 7.66 =.<6 7.7H

0ost 3.77 3.77 7.3@ 7.=6 =.?7 7.74

*i-e =.77 7.=7 3.77 7.4 ?.77 7.3?

User friendly 6.77 6.77 7.=7 3.77 @.=7 7.7=Table 2F Pairwise #om$arison #-art to "etermine 1ei0-tin0 for Main Ob3ective #ate0ories!

Drom table 6, we have noticed that the most important design ob:ective moving forward in

our pro:ect is the si-e because it has the highest weight compared to others and the strongest

consideration is given to this ob:ective in our final design.

Understandin0 t-e Process

#n this section we talk about the supply chain process involving manufacturing, packaging

and shipping implemented for the product under consideration.

*tarting with resources, handles are made out of plastic and the bristles are made out of

synthetic fiber such as nylon. Dor electric toothbrushes, items such as tiny rechargeable

batteries and an electric surface board are prepared.



Manufacturin0 $rocess involves t-e follow ste$s

'! Mouldin0

>lastic pellets are placed in an in:ection moulding

machine, which heats and melts the plastic. 9otating

screws then turn the molten plastic into the handle

moulds. The handle moulds form the entire handle

including the small holes called cores in which bristles

are later inserted. The mould is tightly clamped onto a

pressuri-er which cools it down. Once it is cooled, the

handle is pushed out of the mould using small pins.

+! Insertin0 Bristles

The bristles are automatically positioned into the core

of the handle, where they are attached with small metal staples. There are different types

of bristles & they can be very soft, soft, medium, or hard. The bristles are long and

uneven, and must be cut into shape.

2! Trimmin0 t-e Bristles

After they are applied to the handle, the bristles must be cut into the right shape and

length. The toothbrushes pass through a trimming machine which cuts the bristles to the

correct length. The length and shape vary depending on the type of toothbrush being

made. Typically, they are cut straight across or in a -ig-ag pattern.

4! 5dditional Procedures For Toot-brus-es 1it- .$ecial Features 5re Undertaken

1ven though they are all moulded the same way, there are many different types of

toothbrushes. 1lectric toothbrushes, for example, have a semi'rotating head. There is a



special mechanism inserted inside of the handle which makes the brush to rotate back and

forth.Other product designs include interproximal brushes, which have triangular heads, and

sonic toothbrushes which have a removable brush head containing a spring mechanism.

Dor people with sensitive teeth, special polished nylon is used for the bristles.

Packa0in0 and .-i$$in0

The Dinished >roducts Are >ackaged #nto >lastic or 0ardboard 0ontainers

Qualit* #ontrol

American Dental Association (AIA) tests various toothbrushes and dental products to check

if the product matches their standard of efficiency and comfort. Once the toothbrush meets

the standards set, AIA approves it and the seal of acceptance is stamped on the container.

Cabels providing product details such as usage, recommendation and bristle hardness are

attached.

Dinally, the toothbrushes are packed into crates or shipping boxes and transported to

distributors to be sold at the retail outlets.

Qualit* 5nal*sis

Understanding the customer proved to be an essential tool inn highlighting some of the

uality characteristics that needs attention. The survey helped understand problems faced by

the customer in terms of fit of use and additional features that could be incorporated in thedesign of the electric toothbrush. The second team that took the ownership of the product by

using it for a week also brought out potential complaints that might have been overlooked by

the customer. This exercise was essential since uality is all about delivering service that

exceeds the customer$s expectations. This was perceived as an essential step in establishing a

stronger ground in the market in comparison with the competitors. The problems highlighted

in this section ranges from the performance uality that has its roots in the manufacturing

process to packaging and sales. All the essential problems are analysed and solutions using

http://www.dienamics.com.au/

http://www.dienamics.com.au/



practices such as *ix *igma and 0ontinuous #mprovement are developed. The I/A#0 and

>I*A methods are implemented to improve the uality characteristics.

/anufacturing an electric toothbrush is a high precision process. This assembly line is highly

automated and the minute detailing that goes into making the product makes the process

labour almost labour free. The production line is a continuously operating line which

produces electric toothbrushes almost every minute. Jence uality checks are done when the

entire product is produced. The uality inspector selects a set of toothbrushes at random from

a batch and tests it by scrubbing them on an artificial set of teeth for approximately 6=7

hours. #f these e'toothbrushes pass the test, the entire batch is deemed ok. Thus uality check

becomes an important criterion here. elow are some of the uality problems for an electric

toothbrush.

.-a$e and si/e of t-e electric toot-brus- -ead

The customer survey revealed that about ?<5 of the users found the shape and si-e of the

electric toothbrush to be odd. Out of which about @65 of the users preferred medium si-ed

head. >ossible reasons for preferring larger si-e head is that the users might want the

toothbrush cover a larger area while brushing thus saving on time spent while brushing teeth.

*ince most of the survey customers are University *tudents, it makes sense for them to opt

for such an option. Another set of comments highlighted that the users complained of the

shape of the toothbrush being less ergonomic and not being able to reach the corners in the

mouth. *ince while using an electric toothbrush, lesser effort is exerted on the brush and

more importance is given to manoeuvring the brush in the mouth, a round shaped toothbrush

head was not adeuate in cleaning corners in the mouth. After a careful consideration and a

session of brainstorming, it was proposed that the si-e of the head would be increased by

375 and the shape of the toothbrush would be changed from round to diamond so that the tip

of the head of the toothbrush would effectively clean the corners in the mouth.



Fi0ure% Old and new -ead s-a$e

A method of continuous improvement was used to implement the new design changes.

0ontinuous improvement method follows the >lan, Io, *tudy, Act method in which,

Plan% this phase consists of identifying the problem and carefully examining that changes

that needs to be done.

"o% this phase consists of implementing the proposed changes

.tud*% the results from the new action are studied to check if they fulfil the reuired

specifications

5ct% if the new action is successful, this is implemented and kept as a datum for future

reference.

The ob:ective of the planning phase was to brainstorm to identify the problems with the

process. 9eacting to the feedback from the customers, it was decided that the toothbrush head

can be improved by increasing the si-e of the head and altering its shape. The process chart

below shows the process map of manufacturing the toothbrush head.



Fi0ure% Process Ma$

The toothbrush head is made of composite material in which the porous composite material is

first heated into a furnace to melt them into a liuid. This is then in:ected into a mould where

the toothbrush head takes its shape and si-e. Joles are then drilled onto the upper surface of the head to provide attachment points for the bristles. This head is then attached on a

automated chuck which rotates while a spindle and a needle arrangement attaches bristles on

to the head. Once the bristles are attached, the head is then moved on to the next station

where a sharp blade cuts excessive log bristles to make them uniform. Dinally before they can

be attached on the neck of the brush, a roller grinder files the sharp bristles. A cause and

effect diagram was created to identify the ma:or and minor cause associated with this uality

characteristic and is shown belowF

Fi0ure% #ause and 6ffect "ia0ram

#t was noticed that the uality of the toothbrush head is highly affected at the manufacturing

phase. When the uality inspector checks the sample toothbrushes, it was noticed that some

of the toothbrush head had two ma:or uality problems

3) The holes drilled on the surface of the head were not uniform.=) The bristles were not attached uniformly over the toothbrush head.

This was a ma:or concern for the company because the number of toothbrushes with these

problems was significantly high and hence flagged a ma:or uality concern for the company.

Pro$osed .olution



This is the "do% phase of the continuous improvement process. The variation in the process is

controlled by using *ix *igma methodology and developing control charts at various phases

of manufacturing. Drom a session of brainstorming, it was highlighted that the company was

still using the old machine settings for drilling holes in the new larger head surface due to

which there were higher products with abnormalities. The company proposed that the drill

machines should be setup according to the new si-e and shape of the head to align the holes

on the central area of the head surface. A uality inspector was assigned to measure any

variations in the dimensions of the new head before these parts could be moved to the next

station. Kariable control charts were implemented to keep a check whether the process is in

control. Dor the second problem where the bristles were not uniformly attached to the head

chuck settings were altered and the spindle needle arrangement was ad:usted so that it can

uniformly fix the bristles over the new shape of the head. Another uality inspector was

assigned to monitor the number of defective parts coming out of this production line.

Attribute charts were created to keep a check on the process control. The new process flow is

shown below.

Fi0ure New Process Ma$

A sample variable control chart for the process is shown below. The initial length of the

toothbrush head was ==< mm. After the customer survey, the new proposed length was =<7

mm plus or minus < mm. To study the results of the new design and to determine whether the

process is in control or not, the uality inspector measured < toothbrush heads in arrow in

every 3< minute time interval gap for the first shift until lunch time. The data of the measured

values are shown in table below

Time .am$le' .am$le+ .am$le2 .am$le4 .am$le7

7@F3< =?H.777 =<3.777 =<3.777 =?4.777 =<7.777

7@F67 =<3.777 =?.777 =<=.777 =?4.777 =<7.777



7@F?< =<7.777 =<7.777 =?.777 =<7.777 =<3.777

74F77 =?H.777 =<6.777 =?<.777 =<?.777 =?H.777

74F3< =<7.777 =?.777 =<3.777 =?H.777 =<7.777

74F67 =<7.777 =<7.777 =<3.777 =<3.777 =<3.777

74F?< [email protected] =<3.777 =<6.777 =<7.777 =?H.777

7HF77 =<7.777 =<3.777 =<6.777 =?H.777 =?4.777

7HF3< =?.777 =<7.777 =?4.777 =<7.777 =<3.777

7HF67 =<3.777 =?4.777 =?H.777 =?H.777 =<7.777

7HF?< =<3.777 =?H.777 =?H.777 =<3.777 =<=.777

37F77 =<3.777 =<<.777 =?4.777 [email protected] =?H.777

37F3< =<7.777 =<=.777 =<=.777 =?H.777 =<3.777

37F67 =<7.777 =<3.777 =<?.777 =<3.777 =<3.777

37F?< =<=.777 =<3.777 =?4.777 =<=.777 =<3.777

33F77 =?H.777 =<7.777 =?H.777 =<3.777 =<=.777

33F3< =<7.777 =?H.777 =<7.777 =<7.777 =<7.777

33F67 =?4.777 =<7.777 =?H.777 =<3.777 =<3.777

33F?< =<3.777 =?4.777 =<7.777 =<7.777 =<=.777

3=F77 =<?.777 =<3.777 =<?.777 [email protected] =<3.777

Table% "ata collected

The freuency histogram of the data collected is shown below. #t can be seen from the figure

that the histogram follows an approximate normal distribution.



051015202530

,i)to-ram.re/"ency 0) Len-t&

Fi0ure% Fre8uenc* ,isto0ram

The L'bar and 9 charts for the process are shown below.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

245

246

247

248

249

250

251

252

253

254

Averages LCL CL UCL

Fi0ure% 9:Bar #-art

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1011121314151617181920

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

78

9

10

Ranges

LCL

CL

UCL



Fi0ure% & #-art

Dor L'bar chart, U0C ; =<=.6, C0C ; =?@.<<, 0C ; =<7.7H

Dor 9 0hart, U0C ; H.673, C0C ; 7, 0C ; ?.?

#t can be seen from the chart that all the points lie within the control limits thus concluding

that the process is under control.

5dditional Problems

Apart from the above discussed problem, we have also determined some other potential

uality problems faced by customers through our survey.

i. Fle;ibilit*% *urvey showed that about ?65 of the customers are facing difficultywhile manoeuvring the toothbrush during brushing. >robable reason for this is

assumed to be the stiffness of head, due to which the toothbrush becomes more

rigid while handling. >ossible solutions to improve the flexibility of the

toothbrush are being looked upon.ii. Material Qualit*% Another potential problem where about 6H5 of the customers

are dissatisfied is the uality of material that is used to manufacture these brushes.

After an initial time period the toothbrushes are either breaking into half or have

finishing problems. One reason could be most of the manufacturers are using

cheaper plastic in order to minimi-e their costs so as to reach wide range of

customers. A through uality analysis is being done and effective solutions are

being developed to overcome this problem.

.ummar*

After conducting a thorough survey by the team, ualitative analysis has been performed and

the potential problems identified are being studied. The team has already identified one ma:or

problem and conducted a detailed analysis regarding this in order to understand the customer,

understand the process and an ideal solution has been given using the continuous

improvement techniue and proper control has been achieved. Durther analysis is being

carried out to determine and improve other potential problems.

#onclusion

The goal of this study is to identify and eliminate the potential uality problems of an

electronic toothbrush and thereby develop new concepts for improving the market capability



of an electronic toothbrush. Our team has taken up this challenging task and is performing the

analysis with utmost determination. We are confident of bringing out the best possible results

before the given time period.

&eferences

M3N. A textbook for uality #mprovement, 9th Edition by Iale J. esterfield.

M=N. *>0 *implified, >ractical *teps to uality textbook, by 9obert T. Amsden, Joward

1.utler and Iavida /.Amsden.

M6N. >hilips *onicare JL<37G73 1ssence 1<677 >ower Toothbrush, on walmart website.

httpFGGwww.walmart.comGipG>hilips'*onicare'JL<37'73'1ssence'1<677'>ower'

ToothbrushG=3=?63

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Philips-Sonicare-HX5610-01-Essence-E5300-Power-

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Philips-Sonicare-HX5610-01-Essence-E5300-Power-

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Quality Preliminary Report