Eliminate Potential Trouble in Day-to-Day Business

July 16, 2009 (Thursday)

There is no end to trouble(*1) that threatens safety and quality. In today’s business climate, these troubles inflict great damage upon company activity and business continuity. Prevention requires thorough analysis of past examples and taking appropriate measures. It can be said that most trouble is inevitable because such analysis and measures have been neglected.

While understanding this, many of our customers feel they are “up against a brick wall” as they are unsure of the method of analysis, lack confidence, have difficulty drawing out appropriate measures, and so on. “Preventative Risk(*2) Management Consulting” helps find answers to these concerns.

Manufacturer A was struggling to reduce obstacles (trouble) related to system operation. Specifically, it recognized issues such as causal analysis that depends on individual skills and spotty quality, as well as uncertainty over what measures to prioritize and initiate.

To solve these problems, FRI recommended that Manufacturer A establish its own “trouble” analysis and know-how regarding measures. To do this, it was important that it set up a firm foundation for analysis and measures, and turn “know-how into knowledge.”

First, the “target points” were organized and systematized as the foundation for the causal analysis, and were summarized in a user-friendly “guide for uncovering root causes.” Next, the problems highlighted by using this guide were structured and weighted using the tree analysis method, and priorities for the measures were determined. As a result, Manufacturer A reported that it was able to “homogenize the analysis” and “identify measures to be prioritized.” In this way, FRI was able to support the formation of Manufacturer A’s “trouble knowledge.”

Transport Company B was collecting trouble reports including “hiyari-hatto”(*3) from past data. It recognized that its use of these reports was insufficient and valuable data was “sitting idle,” and sought a way to use it to improve the quality of safety control.

FRI applied its Risk Mining Technology(*4), which makes possible the quantitative and objective analysis of a large number of trouble reports. FRI efficiently employed its practice-honed and multifaceted trend analysis as well as root cause analysis, which focuses on the relationship and link between causes, and endeavored to find the “hidden facts.”

As a result, Transport Company B obtained many new findings as well as quantitative and objective evidence of what had only been a vague awareness. Based on this, it was also able to develop previously non-existent risk assessment and measure review. Transport Company B was “able to conduct essential analysis based on the facts and effectively plan convincing measures,” and use massive amounts of accumulated data as information with value to “improve the quality of safety control.”

Management will increasingly be expected to accurately visualize and nip the buds of potential trouble in day-to-day business. “Preventative Risk Management Consulting” supports the realization of such management for our customers.