Forschungsseminar: Lecture by Heike Kerwin, FHNW School of Life Sciences

Have you ever wondered what unexpected consequences a minor error in an industrial process can have? Or how a misinterpreted quality measure can jeopardise entire production runs? In industrial engineering practice, risks often lurk in the most inconspicuous deviations from the standard.

In this fascinating research seminar entitled “Errors and their Impact”, three real-life case studies will be used to illustrate how seemingly minor errors can lead to major project risks and production downtime.

Experience: moment when an incorrect figure was entered during a manual test, leading to a critical phase in the process and a dangerous pressure rise in within the plant – and how decisive intervention at the last second prevented disaster. The audit in which an overloaded measuring device was seen as a sign of success by the supplier, but by the customer as worrying evidence of a lack of safety in the product flow. The physical mystery in which a large quantity of material vanished without trace from a container – only to reappear in a surprising location and pose an environmental risk.

Note

To ensure that the research seminars are an enjoyable experience for everyone, please bear the following in mind:

• If you arrive late, enter the room quietly, close the door gently and take your seat.
• It is fine to eat a light snack discreetly, but please do so without making any noise or distracting other participants.
• Please give the guest speaker your full attention and do not use your laptop or phone.

Thank you very much.