Software for Quality Management in Manufacturing

Tips for improving productivity in manufacturing

Manufacturing on time, in the proper manner and required quality – these are the challenges that our clients present to us. We look for what separates successful companies from the rest when resources are almost identical. Manufacturing processes, how companies do it; this is the difference. This is the most valuable know-how, the “family jewels” of every manufacturer.  

Over 100 years ago, when Henry Ford introduced the first moving assembly line, it reduced the manufacturing time for one vehicle from over 12 hours to 1.5 hours. Increased manufacturing productivity meant sustained worldwide success for Ford. The basic principle of the moving assembly line has remained practically unchanged. Today, the incoming generation of flexible, adaptable, automated and intelligent manufacturing systems, improves productivity by dozens of percentage points. This is the age of the boom of digital technology, using innovation which gradually builds a SMART FACTORY. In many cases, the elimination of waste is not enough for the radical growth of productivity to propel you beyond your competitors.

Part one – focus on quality

Quality is one of the fundamental requirements for manufacturing; this refers to the quality of input components, the quality of the assembly technology itself and the quality of the final product.  Each defective product means additional costs for repair or for the manufacturing of a new piece. But if the defect is not identified until it reaches the customer, the negative impacts are much greater and frequently not only of a financial nature. 

Thus, if the company management establishes the requirement  “No defective product leaves the factory,” the production and process engineers think of terms such as Poka Yoke or Jidoka. Effective methods for the interaction of the aforementioned principles are possible today with the support of the EMANS manufacturing information system (manufacturing operations and logistics management) designed by ANASOFT.

No defective product leaves the factory – quality control during manufacturing

When supporting the Poka Yoke principles, the EMANS system controls whether the manufacturing operations were carried out properly and in the proper order. Thus quality control is introduced during the assembly process and unwanted methods of implementation are eliminated. If, for example, assembly operations are not carried out properly, or at all, the subsequent operations are suspended, by blocking the tool or the conveyor belt. It is very similar with picking materials for manufacturing – if a component is not picked properly, the picking of components from other warehouse positions is not enabled.  

In order to eliminate the manufacturing of a defective product, the EMANS system can be implemented for the visualization of manufacturing operations for operators, the blocking of manufacturing devices in the event of the failure to adhere to the established operating conditions or for system cameras to control the presence of parts. Another possibility is the monitoring and assessment of the causes of the defects through the recording of the presence of the operator at the workplace, the collection of data related to the manufacturing parameters from manufacturing devices and the scanning or assigning of the results of the product quality test. All such data are also entered in the product’s birth certificate and evaluated according to the criteria set by technicians and the quality control department.  

Automatic distribution of manufacturing orders

Currently there is a wide selection of innovative solutions which help to ensure the required level of quality in manufacturing processes. Sensors can monitor the presence or position of a specific part and the scanning of bar codes can control the accuracy of assembled components.  PickToLight systems navigate and control the selection of suitable parts which can be appreciated by operators who work with parts in various color variants that are quite similar to each other.  

The automatic distribution of manufacturing orders and the navigation of operators through monitors in the course of the entire manufacturing process enable the company to achieve higher flexibility in custom made manufacturing.  The line operator doesn’t have to think about the type of product he/she is assembling. Individual assembly operations are depicted on the monitor and thus all of the necessary information on how and what to make is available instantly (no need to look for technological procedures in paper documents).  

Such visualization can also accelerate the process of training new workers – something that can certainly be appreciated by many manufacturing companies with high employee turnover rates.

Price for Quality for HBPO

HBPO has also experienced the benefits of the principle of eliminating defective products through ongoing control by implementing the applied controlled mechanisms. This company won a significant award from Porsche thanks to its monitoring and management of manufacturing processes through EMANS. HBPO has become one of Porsche’s ten best suppliers and EMANS has been deployed in its factories in Germany, Great Britain, Mexico, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. 

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