What type of analysis should be used to identify high-risk and critical parameters in a manufacturing process?

The appropriate type of analysis for identifying high-risk and critical parameters in a manufacturing process is the Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA). This method systematically evaluates potential failure modes within a process and assesses their impact on the operation's performance and safety. By focusing on potential failures, FMEA helps teams prioritize risks based on their severity, occurrence, and detectability. This structured approach enables the identification of critical parameters that could significantly affect the process’s efficiency and safety, thus facilitating proactive measures to mitigate those risks.

Other methods like fault tree analysis, preliminary hazard analysis, and process capability focus on different aspects of risk and performance. While they are valuable in their own right, they may not specifically target the identification of high-risk parameters as effectively as FMEA does. Fault tree analysis is more suited for understanding the logical relationships leading to a particular failure, while preliminary hazard analysis provides a high-level assessment of risks without detailed failure consequences. Process capability, on the other hand, primarily measures how well a process can produce outputs within specified limits, rather than focusing on identifying high-risk parameters specifically. Thus, FMEA stands out as the most relevant tool for the task at hand.