Manufacturing Industry Terminology

“We’re using AM to 3D print fixture prototypes overnight.” “AM reduced our tooling lead time from weeks to days.” “Switching to AM cut weight by 30% on the bracket.”

“Update the BOM to reflect the new fastener size.” “The ERP exploded the BOM to generate component purchase orders.” “Engineering released a multi-level BOM for the assembly.”

“The heat-treat oven is the bottleneck limiting throughput.” “We elevated the paint line to relieve the bottleneck.” “TOC analysis identified CNC #3 as the system constraint.”

“Open a CAPA to address the recurring leak test failures.” “The audit found weak verification of CAPA effectiveness.” “Our CAPA included design changes and operator retraining.”

“We posted G-code to the CNC mill for the new job.” “CNC offsets were updated after the tool change.” “The 5-axis CNC enabled one-setup machining.”

“Our CI team runs monthly Kaizen events.” “Small daily CI wins reduced changeover by 20%.” “CI boards visualize ideas and actions at each cell.”

“COGS rose due to higher steel prices.” “Reducing scrap lowered COGS by 1.2%.” “COGS includes direct materials, labor, and factory overhead.”

“Trim press cycle time is 42 seconds per part.” “We mapped cycle time vs. takt time for each station.” “Automating inspection cut cycle time in half.”

“We use a hybrid of ARIMA and POS data for forecasts.” “Forecast error drove excess MTS inventory.” “Sales and Operations Planning reconciles demand forecasts with capacity.”

“DFM simplified the housing from four parts to one.” “DFA reduced fasteners, cutting assembly time 30%.” “Early DFM/DFA review prevented a tolerance stack-up issue.”

“We validated the new line layout in the digital twin.” “Sensor data syncs the digital twin to the physical asset.” “The twin predicted a throughput gain from buffer changes.”

“Unplanned downtime was 5.2% due to jams.” “SMED reduced changeover downtime significantly.” “We track downtime by cause in the MES.”

“Release the ECO to update the BOM and drawings.” “The ECO requires disposition of existing WIP.” “ECO approvals include design, quality, and supply chain.”

“ERP integrates BOMs, routings, and work orders.” “We moved from spreadsheets to ERP MRP runs.” “ERP ATP dates improved order promising.”

“We prioritized high RPN items for mitigation.” “Process FMEA flagged a sealing risk at station 5.” “DFMEA drove a design change to lower severity.”

“FPY improved from 89% to 96% after tooling fixes.” “We track FPY by station to find hidden factories.” “Low FPY increased rework hours.”

“%R&R dropped below 10% after fixture upgrade.” “The MSA showed operator variability dominating.” “We ran a 3-operator, 10-part Gage R&R.”

“We stream vibration data via IIoT for PdM.” “IIoT sensors fed OEE dashboards in real time.” “Edge devices preprocess IIoT data before the cloud.”

“Daily milk runs enable JIT delivery to the line.” “JIT reduced WIP and floor space.” “We aligned supplier shipments to takt for JIT flow.”

“The two-bin kanban triggers replenishment at min stock.” “We replaced paper kanbans with e-kanban in the MES.” “Kanban sizing was recalculated after demand changed.”

“OEE and FPY are core shop-floor KPIs.” “We set KPI targets in the Hoshin plan.” “KPI dashboards refresh hourly from the MES.”

“Lean events eliminated motion and waiting waste.” “We implemented 5S and standard work in each cell.” “Lean flow cut lead time from 14 to 6 days.”

“We rebalanced tasks to meet a 60-second takt.” “Yamazumi charts exposed station overloads.” “Balancing reduced WIP queues between stations.”

“We audited MRO spend on spares and lubricants.” “Critical spares were added to the MRO storeroom.” “MRO kitting cut tech travel time.”

“High runners are MTS to maintain service levels.” “Incorrect forecast caused MTS excess inventory.” “We shifted a family from MTO to MTS after demand stabilized.”

“MES dispatches work orders and collects traceability.” “We use MES for electronic batch records.” “MES feeds real-time OEE to dashboards.”

“The MRP run generated planned orders for week 34.” “We updated lead times to improve MRP signals.” “BOM errors caused MRP shortages.”

“MTBF improved to 1,200 hours post-rebuild.” “We plot MTBF trends by asset class.” “Low MTBF on pumps drove a redesign.”

“An NCR was issued for out-of-spec dimensions.” “Quarantine NC material pending MRB disposition.” “We trend NCs by defect type for CI.”

“OEE rose from 58% to 72% after TPM.” “Availability losses were mostly changeovers.” “We broke out A×P×Q to target the right losses.”

“A go/no-go gage is a simple poka-yoke.” “We keyed the connector to prevent misassembly.” “Software poka-yoke blocks advancing without torque entry.”

“PdM flagged bearing wear from vibration spectra.” “We used oil analysis to schedule a gearbox swap.” “PdM cut unplanned downtime by 40%.”

“Quarterly PM includes alignment and filter changes.” “We optimized PM frequency using failure data.” “Skipped PMs caused premature failures.”

“Cpk>1.33 met the customer requirement.” “Centering improved Cpk without changing Cp.” “We calculated capability after a stable SPC run.”

“We updated the PLC ladder logic for the new sensor.” “A PLC fault halted the conveyor.” “PLC tags feed data to SCADA.”

“Our QMS is certified to ISO 9001.” “The QMS defines document control and CAPA.” “Process audits are part of the QMS calendar.”

“5 Whys led us to a missing torque spec.” “The fishbone diagram grouped potential causes.” “RCA actions included poka-yoke and training.”

“SCADA displays line status and alarms.” “We trended tank levels in SCADA’s historian.” “SCADA commands start/stop pumps remotely.”

“Scrap rate fell from 4.5% to 2.1% after tooling repair.” “We track scrap by defect code and shift.” “High scrap increased COGS and missed shipments.”

“SMED cut press changeover from 90 to 12 minutes.” “We moved internal setup steps to external.” “Color-coding sped tool staging in SMED.”

“DMAIC reduced CTQ variation significantly.” “Black Belts led the gauge optimization project.” “We moved from 3.2σ to 4.1σ process capability.”

“Operators must follow the torque SOP.” “We revised the SOP to include the new inspection step.” “Training verifies understanding of SOPs.”

“X-bar/R charts caught a drift before out-of-spec.” “We calculated control limits after a stable run.” “An out-of-control signal triggered a setup check.”

“With 28,800 seconds/day and 480 units, takt is 60s.” “We sized staffing to meet takt time.” “Stations exceeding takt created queues.”

“We subordinated non-bottleneck flow to the constraint.” “Buffer management improved throughput.” “DBR scheduling stabilized the line.”

“Autonomous maintenance cleaned and inspected daily.” “TPM pillars drove OEE gains.” “We use OPLs to standardize TPM tasks.”

“The current-state VSM showed 4% VA time.” “Future-state VSM introduced supermarkets and pull.” “We used VSM to prioritize CI projects.”

“Excess WIP masked quality issues.” “We capped WIP with kanban limits.” “WIP aging reports highlighted bottlenecks.”

“Final yield was 97.2% after rework.” “Rolled throughput yield exposed hidden scrap.” “Improving first-pass yield raised overall yield.”

“Zero defects is our assembly quality vision.” “Poka-yoke supports a zero-defect launch.” “We track near-misses toward zero defects.”