Why redesign loops keep happening
Teams often start strong on concepts, then struggle to translate the voice of customers into clear, testable specs. Gaps show up later as tolerance conflicts, hard-to-make geometries, or control plans that ignore real variation. Engineering adds patches. Ops fights fires. Quality writes more checks. Time slips, cost rises, and the next program repeats the pattern.
What DFSS does differently
Design for Six Sigma builds quality into the design, not after it. The method uses a structured path, commonly DMADV, that moves from business need to verified design with evidence at every step.
- Define the customer problem in measurable terms, not slogans
- Measure voice of customer, convert it into CTQs and target ranges
- Analyze risks, physics, and process capability before freezing choices
- Design concepts that meet the CTQs within real manufacturing limits
- Verify performance with data, pilots, and reliability tests that mirror use
The goal is simple. Fewer design changes late in the game, fewer field escapes, and faster ramp to stable yield.
How BMGI India applies DFSS consulting
BMGI India brings DFSS into daily work, not just workshops. The team pairs designers, process engineers, and quality leads around a shared set of facts.
- Voice of customer to CTQs Interviews, complaint data, and usage studies become measurable CTQs. For a dispenser, “no mess” turns into a drip rate at given angles and temperatures.
- Translate CTQs into specs CTQs map to functional parameters and part features. Tolerance stacks include real process capability, not wishful thinking.
- Model before metal DOE and simulation test the trade-offs early. Teams learn where the design is sensitive and choose options with wider process windows.
- Design for manufacture and test Poka-yoke features, datum schemes, and gauge plans are set before release. PPAP or validation plans reflect actual risk, not a template.
- Plan verification like production Pilots use production intent materials and tooling where possible. Reliability tests reflect real duty cycles, not ideal benches.
Example: Packaging film tear strength in FMCG
A consumer goods company faced repeated issues with packaging films tearing during filling, which led to stoppages and wasted material. BMGI India helped define the customer need as “film that withstands filling without tearing” and translated it into CTQs for tensile strength and elongation. The consulting team designed a DOE around film thickness, sealing temperature, and dwell time. Client engineers sourced film variants, ran line trials, and captured defect data. BMGI India then analyzed the results and showed the optimal window for sealing temperature and dwell time. The updated process cut film tears by 35 percent, reduced stoppages, and improved line efficiency.
Tools that matter most
You do not need the full toolbox on day one. A focused set delivers most of the gain.
- CTQ flowdown that ties user needs to part features
- QFD to align design decisions with customer value
- DOE to find robust settings rather than perfect ones indoors
- Tolerance analysis that uses real Cp and Cpk from similar processes
- FMEA that drives preventive controls, not just detection checks
These are standard DFSS moves, yet many teams skip them under time pressure. The result is rework later. DFSS consulting makes them routine and fast.
How this improves business metrics
- Fewer redesign loops cut engineering hours and tooling changes
- Fewer escapes reduce warranty, returns, and field service calls
- Better first-pass yield shortens ramp and stabilizes cost per unit
- Clearer specs speed supplier onboarding and reduce NCRs
Small improvements add up. One program that avoids a tooling change and a late ECO can pay for the whole effort.
Getting started without slowing down
- Pick one active program with recurring changes.
- Convert two customer wants into measurable CTQs.
- Run a compact DOE on the feature that is causing the delay.
- Update the tolerance stack with actual process data from a similar line.
- Pilot the change on production intent parts, then lock the lesson into your design checklist.
BMGI India coaches teams through these steps and sets up a repeatable template. That way, the next project starts smarter.
Why BMGI India
Plenty of firms talk about the process. BMGI India works inside yours. The team links design choices to manufacturing reality, teaches your staff while doing the work, and measures results the business cares about. If you need a partner for DFSS consulting that reduces redesign loops and field escapes, start here.
Source: https://medium.com/@bmgindia/fewer-redesign-loops-and-fewer-escapes-bmgi-indias-dfss-approach-turns-customer-needs-into-3c76726f7a36