A case study on FMEA-based quality improvement of packaging designs in the TFT-LCD industry

Nowadays enterprises are encountering diversified customer requirements, and using market information well is critical to product development. It is extremely important to conduct risk planning, prevent potential failures, and reduce uncertain factors by transforming customer requirements into exact development targets. This study is based on the method of quality function deployment (QFD) and failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA). The package design for semi-finished products of thin film transistor-liquid crystal display (TFT-LCD) modules in the photoelectricity industry was selected as a case study. First, customers conducted a questionnaire survey which helped determine the items they demanded. Second, QFD has been combined with FMEA to serve as the standard of evaluating the importance of customer requirements. Through mutual assessments and investigations by QFD and design failure mode and effects analysis (DFMEA), the key factors of a product design can be determined. The results of design of experiments verified that this method indeed effectively reduced defective products and customer complaints. The average number of customer complaints per year has been reduced from 9.5 to just only one after the introduction of the proposed method, which has been verified to assist in rapidly developing new products during the early design stage. This approach also reduces possible losses and enhances competitiveness.