Top 10 best practices for inspection operations

Sometimes it’s the small things that make the biggest impact. The following tips might seem elementary, but when put into practice, your line will see the benefit.

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1. Put the horse before the cart. If possible, design the packaging line properly to avoid the need for inspection. If you can’t eliminate inspection, you can at least minimize the amount of inspection needed by having the right equipment and line orientation for the job.

2. Place the code correctly. Don’t let the brand manager place the code in a place where it has a marginal success rate. The new vision cameras for 1D or 2D barcode reading are very accurate. They can make a tough job easy, like adapting for out of focus or lighting changes. But the code needs to be large enough and in a repeatable location.

3. Perform a feasibility study. Invest in a professional feasibility study with thorough reporting. Get false reject rate and “no read” rate projections.

4. Develop detailed “one-point” lessons. Create lessons with pictures and examples of problematic issues in the plant for your line inspections. Have operators perform inspections twice a shift and provide the results, including issues with conveyors and belts, to the mechanics. Have supervisors collect reports and verify when action has been initiated and work orders filled out.

5. Practice good line cleaning. Clean before and after operation to ensure that no residual product or materials affect operations. Dedicate the last 20 minutes of every shift to area cleanup. Avoid oil, dust, and debris around the scale area. Perform a final vision inspection of the packaging just prior to starting the line to make sure you’re using all the same dimension packaging.

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