About the Company
Maintaining a global viewpoint, Honda is dedicated to supplying products of the highest quality, yet at a reasonable price for worldwide customer satisfaction. Specifically at their location in Lincoln, AL, Honda has been pursuing its mission by producing automobile models such as the Odyssey, Pilot, Ridgeline, and Passport since 2001.
(Pictured above is Honda announcing its plan to launch an automobile plant in Lincoln, AL from 1999.)
Responsibilities and Results
My first term at Honda Manufacturing of Alabama was in the Product Engineering Department which focused on vehicle quality assurance and consistency. More specifically, my position was with the Materials Analysis Team where I would support cross-functional investigations into product quality issues by providing quantitative testing and results.
Under mentorship from the Product Engineering Department, I learned proper problem-solving strategies such that I conducted Root Cause Analysis (RCA) with the Paint Department to solve coating quality issues while recovering $350,000 and 9,500 associate-labor hours lost to post-production vehicle repairs. By performing elemental composition analysis on defected parts, I was able to determine the type of debris interferring with the coatings and identify factors, such as poor room ventilation and inadequate equipment maintenance, causing the debris.
(Pictured above is a portion of my coating quality investigation with the Paint Department.)
Additionally, those problem-solving skills would carry over into other investigations. I reviewed product design specifications, tolerances, and past-problem history for Frame Assembly and Parts Quality Departments to carry out Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) and issue new reoccurrence prevention strategies. In doing so, I supported cross-functional investigations with the Materials Analysis Team by performing destructive and non-destructive testing to evaluate material properties of parts causing issues. Through elemental composition, structural inconsistency, and environmental corrosion analysis, it was my responsibility to provide an initial understanding and solution from a materials perspective.
(Pictured above is a summary sheet of my cross-functional investigations and results.)
Aside from supporting the Materials Analysis Team, I repaired over 280 vehicles on Production Line to assist Frame Assembly Department regarding asymmetric appearance issues found by consumers survey reports on Honda's mid-size truck, the Ridgeline. During the initial installation of the dual exhaust pipes, either the left or the right exhaust pipe was significantly higher and closer to the chassis. My responsibility was to measure the pipe heights after first installation and reinstall the pipes on defected units before they moved onto the next manufacturing process.
(Pictured above is an exhaust pipe that needs realignment.)