168 • Relentless Improvement: True Stories of Lean Transformation
product development and engineering (PD&E) department was responsi-
ble for producing tooling internally. e PD&E area did not have a formal
quality process for producing a tooling, which is a very expensive asset.
Accountability and verication were minimal. Tooling gelcoat shelf life
was not always managed, or was questionable at best. e gelcoat spray-
ing equipment was not consistently maintained, and evidence of proper
calibration was absent. e use of mil-gages to control material thick-
nesses and other process controls was inconsistent. e lack of quality
controls and standard work for tooling production yielded poor-quality
tooling.
ere was a lack of understanding of ...