Proposal of a method for risk prioritization in FMEA, considering the cost of occurrence of the failure mode at the detection stage

Abstract

In traditional FMEA, the product or non-arithmetic order of the three criteria “severity”, “occurrence”, and “detection” is used to determine the NPR. However, one of the limitations of the tool is related to economic factors that are not considered in its creation. In this context, this study presents a proposal for a method to evaluate risks in process FMEA considering the costs of occurrence at the failure detection stage in an auto-parts company. The results obtained show the feasibility of applying the failure mode occurrence costs in the detection stage as a new method for prioritization in the risk analysis, which allowed the company to identify and direct actions at the stages that carried the highest financial impact.