If you are a proud business owner and want your company to run as smoothly and seamlessly as possible, it is wise to invest in a comprehensive quality management software solution. In a nutshell, this software can reduce costs for your business, while also improving quality and streamlining your processes.
Moreover, with quality management software you can maintain compliance internally and across your entire supply chain. This great tool for businesses big and small is a must-have and can make all the difference to your success and efficiency levels.
Read on for a guide to the technicalities and various solutions your business could employ to maximize performance and quality.
What Is Quality Management Software?
A quality management system is a collection of business processes focused on consistently meeting requirements for success and enhancing customer satisfaction. This system is aligned with a company’s purpose and strategic direction.
A comprehensive quality management solution will offer an end-to-end supply chain and quality management software that you can securely access through any web browser. Business owners can select which solutions to adopt. Each solution on its own is powerful, but they are even more effective when used together.
First Article Inspection
A first article inspection, or FAI, is an authentication method for a manufacturing process. It is a detailed verification and comparison of the product design to the manufactured part. The FAI ensures that all parts and materials are manufactured to the design (drawing or model) requirements. Furthermore, it ensures that the proper manufacturing process and tools are used to make the product.
Both suppliers and customers understand the specifications and can rest assured that the product is quality. Typically the supplier performs the FAI and the purchaser reviews or approves the report.
With a first article solution, your business can instantly retrieve and manage internal and supplier FAI records. On top of this, you can link sub-assembly and detailed FAI reports to build assembly FAI reports, and track and review advanced FAI metrics. This solution eliminates the need and use of paper in first article inspection reports, and you can digitally send reports to customers for approval digitally instead.
Supply Chain Management
A supply chain management solution is gold dust for a business. With this software, you can manage your approved supplier list (ASL), track audit due dates and supplier certifications, and map all tiers of the supply chain for risk management. This will save you a lot of time with disorganized paper management methods, and boost efficiency in your supply chain management.
A good business has to effectively manage its suppliers, and its suppliers’ suppliers. With good supply chain management software, you can send requirements down the supply chain and retrieve data back up the chain to your business. The supply chain management tools offered by the solution include the ability to geographically map suppliers, gain advanced warning of quality issues or production delays, systematically quarantine issues at their origin, and securely send and receive quality-related information and data.
This software is essential for supply chain visibility, which is the ability to track individual components, sub-assemblies and final products as they travel from supplier to manufacturer to consumer.
Quality Management Solution
A quality management software solution has many valuable tools for a business to keep it running smoothly, recognizing issues quickly and resolving them as fast as possible. This solution is key for monitoring the manufacturing process, picking up on non-conformance issues, and managing machines and tools efficiently.
Measurement Collection/ SPC
Statistical Process Control (SPC) is a method of measuring and controlling the quality of a product. This is done by monitoring the manufacturing process. Quality data is collected in the form of product or process measurements or readings from various machines or instruments. The data is collected and used to evaluate, monitor and control a process.
Non-Conformance Tracking
Non-conformance is a sign that something has gone wrong in a service, process, product or within the system itself by not meeting a certain set of specifications. When a non-conformance occurs, this implies that some aspects of a business’ standard operating procedures are not being followed or that they need to be modified or updated.
Tool Calibration
This is the process of ensuring that tools used in a manufacturing process comply with regulations. You can use software to track all tool-related data and receive tool calibration email alerts.
Machine Management
Configure and record preventative maintenance checks, capture machine downtime, which is when a machine is not running due to faults or maintenance measures such as repairs, and view cost reports and time loss analytics.
Add-On Applications
On top of the above solutions, you can add various applications to your quality management software to optimize productivity and minimize risk. These include a measurement collection service, quality audit management and advanced product quality planning, among others.
Analyze what your business needs to run smoothly and minimize time-wasting and human errors. These add-on applications may be invaluable to you.
To Sum Up
This has been a guide to understanding quality management software solutions and how they can benefit your business. While each one individually can be hugely beneficial to the running of a business, combined they are even more powerful. From first article inspection to supply chain management, you can employ comprehensive quality management software that will ensure your customers are satisfied and that your suppliers and processes are meeting regulations and driving success.
With supply chain management and its various solutions, your business can track issues of non-conformance and quickly rectify the situation, as well as ensure your tools and machines meet regulations and are cost-effective. Finally, you have seen that there are several add-on applications that you can elect to employ to further ensure that your business runs smoothly, maximizes productivity and minimizes risks.
Go online today to find a trusted supplier of quality management software and ask for a free demo to see if it is right for your business and its processes. You will not believe you ever functioned without it.
