Taking White Goods to the Next Level of Quality

Whirlpool Corporation, the global leader in white goods, with an astounding 60 million products sold across 170 countries in 2018. As part of this journey, Whirlpool EMEA plays a pivotal role in distributing approximately 20 million appliances in a dynamic and competitive market. The cornerstone of quality assurance is product conformity testing conducted in laboratories, primarily on pre-series or new variant products. While this phase is crucial for mass production, it is not typically replicated during the product's life cycle due to time and cost constraints. This limitation makes it challenging to identify potential manufacturing process issues, impacting the overall product quality. In the meantime, i4Q is addressing the feasibility of conducting extensive conformity tests across our entire product range. Traditional testing methods are time-consuming and incompatible with our just-in-time production model. i4Q is harnessing the power of data to transform our quality assurance process. By correlating various data sources, such as shop floor metrics, customer service data, and environmental factors, they aim to identify critical correlations that will enable us to focus our testing efforts more effectively.

This approach will lead to:

- Faster problem detection

- Early warning system

- Reduced laboratory costs

The pilot project is underway at the Dishwasher factory in Radomsko, Poland. We are collecting data from various sources within our production process, including assembly lines, equipment, functional tests, and aesthetics control. i4Q will utilize this data to assess product conformity without the need for time-consuming mass testing.

The expected results are remarkable:

- 50% reduction in Time-Cost-Quality expenses

- 15% reduction in ramp-up time 

- 20% reduction in scrap and rework

- 10% decrease in time to market

Join the i4Q community and stay tuned for more updates on this exciting journey for better quality assurance!