Enhancing Air

Pods 1
Production
Quality
BY ROHIT CHAKOR
RISHAB SINGH

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC

TEAM MEMBERS
PRESENTER
1
ROHIT CHAKOR
PRESENTER
2
RISHAB SINGH
 The purpose of this project was to elevate the
BUSINESS production quality of Air Pods 1, aligning with
our commitment to delivering cutting-edge
CONTEXT OF technology and meeting the evolving demands
of our discerning customer base.
PROJECT

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND

 • HDR - High defect rate
ACRONYMS AND • ICT - inefficiencies in cycle times
DEFINITIONS • CSC - customer satisfaction concerns
• PCB - Potential Customer Benefits
• PDS - Potential Direct Savings
• PIS – Potential Indirect Savings
EXECUTIVE
SUMMARY

The successful execution of the "Enhancing

Air Pods 1 Production Quality" project is
instrumental not only in meeting the
immediate goals of improved quality and
efficiency but also in securing the long-term
competitiveness of Air Pods 1 in the market.
This project report provides a detailed
account of the initiatives undertaken,
challenges faced, and the achieved
enhancements in production quality, thereby
reinforcing our commitment to delivering
exceptional products to our valued
customers.
 • Current production processes and quality control
PROBLEM measures are not optimized, leading to a higher-than-
desired defect rate in Air Pods 1. This compromises our
STATEMENT ability to consistently deliver a premium product,
impacting customer satisfaction and potentially eroding
our market position.
• CHALLENGES
1. High Defect Rate(HDR)
2. Inefficiencies in Cycle Times(ICT)
3. Customer Satisfaction Concerns(CSC)
 IMPROVEMENTS
Defect Reduction:
• Objective: Achieve a 20%
reduction in product defects.
• Proposed Actions:
Implementing rigorous quality
control measures, employee
training programs, and
technology upgrades.
• Expected Outcome: Targeting
a defect rate reduction from
8% to 6.4%, enhancing overall
product quality.
Cycle Time Improvement:
• Objective: Achieve a 15%
reduction in production cycle
times.
• Proposed Actions:
Streamlining production
processes, optimizing
workflow, and investing in
automation where feasible.
• Expected Outcome:
Anticipating a reduction in
cycle times from 12 days to
10.2 days, enhancing
operational efficiency.
Customer Satisfaction
Enhancement:
• Objective: Strive for a 10%
increase in customer
satisfaction scores.
• Proposed Actions:
Implementing a customer
feedback loop, addressing
product defects promptly, and
improving communication
channels.
• Expected Outcome: Aiming to
elevate customer satisfaction
scores from 75% to 82.5%.
POTENTIAL PROJECT BENEFITS
• Potential Customer Benefits (External and Internal):
1) Customer Type 1: Retail Consumers
Potential Benefit 1: Enhanced product quality leads to increased customer satisfaction.
Assumed Value: A 10% increase in customer satisfaction scores, resulting in improved brand loyalty and repeat purchases.

2) Customer Type 2: Distributors and Retail Partners

Potential Benefit 2: Reduced product defects result in decreased returns and warranty claims.
Assumed Value: A 15% reduction in returns and warranty claims, leading to improved relationships with distributors and retail
partners.
3) Customer Type 3: Internal Teams (Production and Quality Assurance)
Potential Benefit 3: Streamlined production processes lead to increased efficiency and job satisfaction.
Assumed Value: A 20% reduction in production cycle times, improving overall efficiency and employee morale.
Potential Direct Savings (Hard Savings):

Cost of Defects Reduction:

• Potential Benefit 1: Decreased defect rates lead to reduced production costs
Assumed Value: Achieving a 20% reduction in defects results in direct savings of $500,000 annually.
Operational Efficiency Gains:
• Potential Benefit 2: Streamlined production processes result in reduced labor and operational costs.
Assumed Value: Achieving a 15% reduction in production cycle times leads to direct savings of $300,000
annually.
Supply Chain Optimization:
• Potential Benefit 3: Improved supply chain integration reduces material waste and procurement costs.
Assumed Value: A 10% reduction in material waste and procurement costs results in direct savings of $200,000
annually.
Potential Indirect Savings (Soft Savings):

Improved Customer Loyalty:

Potential Benefit 1: Enhanced product quality and customer satisfaction contribute to increased brand loyalty.
Assumed Value: Indirect savings of $1 million annually through increased customer retention and positive
word-of-mouth.
Enhanced Employee Productivity:
Potential Benefit 2: Increased job satisfaction and efficiency lead to higher employee productivity.
Assumed Value: Indirect savings of $150,000 annually through improved employee morale and reduced
turnover.
Brand Reputation Enhancement:
Potential Benefit 3: A reputation for delivering high-quality products positively impacts the brand.
Assumed Value: Indirect savings of $500,000 annually through enhanced brand reputation and market
competitiveness.
INITIAL ESTIMATED FINANCIAL
IMPACT

• Assumptions:
1.The assumed values are based on preliminary estimates and may be subject to
adjustments during project implementation.
2.Financial benefits are projected for the first year post-completion of the project.
3.Direct savings are considered quantifiable and measurable, while indirect savings
are estimates that may not have precise monetary metrics.
 DIRECT/HARD INDIRECT/SOFT DIRECT/HARD+INDIRECT/SOFT

TOTAL FIRST YEAR 1000000 1650000 2650000

POST COMPLETION
BENEFITS

TOTAL PROJECT COST 1800000 350000 2150000

TOTAL NET FYPC $1500000 1650000 3150000

BENEFITS
DATA COLLECTION PLAN

TIMEFRAME TIMEFRAME(POST SAMPLING SUBGROUPING METHOD TO

MEASURE SOURCE/SYSTEM (BASELINE) BASELINE) PLAN PLAN MEASURE/COLLECT/ANALYSE DATA

DEFECT PRODUCTION 12/03/2022 ONGOING FOR ALL DATA WEEKLY EXCEL SPREADSHEET;MINITAB
REDUCTION SYSTEM TO 12 MONTH SUBGROUPS CALCULATIONS
12/03/2023 POST
COMPLETION

CYCLE TIME PRODUCTION 06/2023 DURING 10% OF BEFORE AND SHAREPOINT SURVEY;MINITAB
IMPROVEMENT WORKFLOW IMPROVE USERS AFTER CALCULATIONS
PHASE SUBGROUPS

CUSTOMER CUSTOMER MAY 2O22 DURING RANDOM MONTHLY EXCEL SPREADSHEET;MINITAB

SATISFACTION FEEDBACK CONTROL SELECTION CALCULATIONS
ENHANCEMENT SYSTEM PHASE OF 1 EMAIL
PER DAY
 Baseline Defect
Rate: 8%
Defect Reduction: Targeted Defect
Rate: 6.4%

UNDERSTA Cycle Time Baseline Cycle Time:

12 days

ND DATA Improvement: Targeted Cycle

Time: 10.2 days

Customer Baseline Satisfaction

Score: 75%

Satisfaction Targeted
Satisfaction Score:
82.5%
Enhancement:
AIRPODS MANUFACTURING EXISTING PROCESS FLOWCHART:
AIRPODS MANUFACTURING IMPROVED PROCESS FLOWCHART:
 Control Chart

User Facing Issues

160

140

120

100
No of Users

80

60

40

20

0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Weeks

User Facing Issues Mean UCL LCL

Force Field Diagram
Driving Forces Hindering Forces
 ILLUSTRATION OF IMPROVED PROCESSES

1. 5 hours Battery
1. 6 hours battery with single charge
2. M1 Chip ( Normal Connectivity )
2. M2 Chip ( Better Connectivity )
3. Basic Design
3. Improved design
4. More than 24 hours of listening with
4. More than 30 hours of listening with charging case.
charging case.
5. Mag Safe Charging Case (USB-C) with speaker and
5. Lighting charging case
lanyard loop
6. Not sweat resistant
6. Sweat resistant
BASELINE PROCESS IMPROVED PROCESS

Minimalist Design Better design and easy to fit

Single testing of sample Design testing and final product testing

Battery inefficiency Battery effiency increased

Product non sweat resistant Product made sweat resistant

Connectivity dropouts M2 chip for better connectivity

Insufficient Noise Cancellation Adaptive Noise Cancellation

Bluetooth 5.1 Bluetooth 5.3

Summary of Improvements
 CONTROL PLAN
Airpods Quality Improvement Process
Control Plan

Target /
Expected Corrective
Category Task/Action Control Plan Owner Start Date / Frequency
Performance Action
Value

Airpods quality
Design Product Mockup 1 improvement control Product designer 04/08/2022 8.5 Airpods to made heavier
plan

Airpods quality
Backup to be New powerful batttries to be
Battery improvement control Development team 06/09/2022 7.0
increased added
plan

Airpods quality
improvement control Bluetooh 5.3 to be added in
Connectivity Bluetooth Upgrade Development team 08/09/2022 7.5
plan case of 5.2

Airpods quality
Enable compability improvement control
Compatability Development team 15/09/2022 9.0 M2 chip to be insta;;ed
with android devices plan
•FOLLOW UP ISSUES AND NEXT STEPS

• Customer Feedback through apple phones.

• Issue management system to be implemented
• 24/7 dedicated customer support team to be dedicated for airpods.
• User training modules to be made and circulated
• Customer feedback to be shared on everyday basis with the development team
THANK YOU!!!