Hello, Bisma,
I'm not clear what type of response you are asking for, but I'll venture a personal experience.
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My first job out of school was as a chemist in the International Division of a major consumer products company. Within 2 weeks of my arrival, a major problem occurred in a Latin American plant. An important product could no longer be made because the mixture of the product's ingredients suddenly began precipitating in a manufacturing step in a 4 story mixing unit. Tons of product were ruined and I was asked to investigate. After 2 weeks of analytical work, I could not find any problem with the raw materials, so I requested a trip to examine in person. I was scared and worried that I was overlooking something simple, and wanted a last chance to fix the problem.
After a couple of hours of touring the process steps, I arrived at the 4th floor platform where the ingredients were weighed and transferred to the top of the mixing unit. A large scale was used for weighing, so I asked when was it last calibrated. "It is calibrated," was the answer. "When?" I asked.
"Two weeks ago"
I was shocked. "When did the problem start?" I asked.
"Two weeks ago."
"Was there a problem with the scale?"
"Yes, but it was fixed."
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The problem was that the scale had been incorrect since before the product began manufacture, so the formula that worked, was not the same as was recorded, due to the faulty scale. When the scale was corrected, the formula that was thought to be correct, was not stable. Reformulation after correcting for the error solved the problem, and I was placed on a "fast track" career. It included promotions, extra training, and an opportunity to work on novel projects. I was very fortunate.
Bob
