APC Intern Creates Poke Yoke at Toyota Motor Manufacturing

Situation

Since 2013, Toyota Motor Manufacturing of Alabama (TMMAL) has partnered with the Alabama Productivity Center to provide University of Alabama students with internships that align with Toyota’s annual goals and objectives. Interns are assigned special project work that challenges them, builds valuable skills, and prepares them for their future careers. Throughout the project period, APC staff provide support and coaching as needed.

In the summer of 2019, Hayden Bevil, a senior in Operations Management at The University of Alabama, interned with TMMAL. He was assigned to work on the TNGA and 2GR engine assembly lines, where one of his key projects involved addressing recurring defects with the oil jet (OCV) installation.

The OCV is installed before the timing chain cover, making it invisible once the cover is in place. If it was missed, the defect could only be detected at final inspection. Engines were failing final testing on average twice a month, forcing the company to scrap costly units.

Solution

Hayden collaborated with a coworker to design a Poka Yoke (mistake-proofing) device. They created a hand-held jig suspended over the assembly line with a built-in proximity sensor:

• If the OCV was installed, the sensor turned green, and the engine could continue down the line.

• If missing, the line stopped immediately, alerting the team member to correct the issue on the spot.

This solution ensured defects were caught at the point of assembly instead of at final testing—saving both time and resources.