Meaning
Corrective processes repair nonconforming units within the manufacturing facility to bring them into compliance with original drawings. This activity, called factory rework, must occur before the products are packaged and submitted for final inspection. It excludes normal manufacturing steps and represents an unplanned cost for the producer.
Operational Sequence
Workers move rejected items to a designated area to prevent them from mixing with conforming stock. The execution of factory rework must follow a documented repair procedure to avoid damaging the components. After the repairs are done, the parts must go through the entire inspection process again.
Financial Impact
Repairing parts increases the labor cost and delays the shipment schedule of the order. While doing factory rework is usually cheaper than scrapping the material, it still reduces the profit margin of the supplier. Efficient operations keep this extra labor to a minimum by improving the initial process control, which ensures that machines operate within their planned capabilities.
Quality Standard
Buyers often limit the amount of repaired material they will accept in a single batch. If the factory rework changes the appearance or performance of the product, the buyer must be notified. High rates of repair usually lead to a full audit of the supplier production line.
