Integrating FMEA and the Kano Model to Improve the Service Quality of Logistics Centers

Abstract

This study uses the logistics center of a large organic retail store in Taiwan to analyze service blueprint and workflow, identifying the potential points of failure and thus serving as a basis for quality improvement. The failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA) model is an effective problem prevention methodology that can easily interface with many engineering and reliability methods. The utilized method integrates the failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA) and the Kano model to explore the possible occurrence of failures in the internal workflow and services of the studied logistics center. A two-stage survey was conducted. In the first stage, an investigation was conducted by 20 logistics experts on the FMEA’s key service failures. In the second stage, a questionnaire was filled out by 220 store staff to summarize the logistics service quality factors found in the Kano model. The results show that the degree of attention and satisfaction in the priority improvement items when there were service failures vary among the opinions of different internal employees and customers. The participants jointly believed that the items that need improvement are “Damaged incoming goods” and “A shortfall in the quantities of delivered goods”.