Quality is very often seen as customer satisfaction, but is that enough? (We all have our biases depending on our trade and our position in the organisation.) From an industrial point of view, quality management is an objective whose standards are precisely set (at a given date, by recognised bodies).
Industrial quality is the result of a production process that follows a bill of materials through the various stages of product design, in order to reach and control the desired level.
We could talk at length about the definition of quality, which is almost personal to everyone. It is also possible to have a tool that acts as a builder of consensus: the MES.
When people talk about MES software, they mostly think of real-time production tracking and rarely of quality management. As a continuous improvement tool, quality management is within the scope of the MES, but it is often seen as an auxiliary function that other information systems can cover alongside the MES.
However, quality has a direct impact on performance and on OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness). That is why good quality management built into the MES lets quality managers and operators identify all the causes of non-quality, enter critical data and receive instructions in return to improve effectiveness and efficiency.
Quality management is at the heart of performance improvement. It ensures better monitoring of all quality control processes in the plant, in particular through the integration of lean management tools.
Quality management in KmProd:
With MES software, production tracking can be done in real time, and so can quality management. The KmProd MES lets operators report a quality problem on their production directly and enter a scrap cause. They are offered example causes (from our statistical models based on 30 years of data), and can also comment on the problem if needed.
A quality check can be triggered after a scrap entry, as a pop-up.
It is worth combining quality entries with connected tools such as calipers, torque wrenches or other metrology devices. These tools send the measured data straight to KmProd, removing the human check, which is tedious, repetitive and a source of inaccuracy. The aim is always to save time and reduce the error rate.
The built-in quality check editor also lets you add documents, images and videos, as well as many types of characteristics, for maximum customisation and ownership by operators, even temporary ones.
To go further, Meta 2i offers the PDCA and FMEA modules built into its KmProd MES. These modules help you target and identify the problems encountered on the shop floor and resolve them as effectively as possible.
For more information: PDCA and FMEA
KmProd stands out from its competitors through its flexibility! Adaptable up to 50%, KmProd can be implemented whatever your business sector. We can meet all your quality management needs, and those of your entire industrial process. Don’t hesitate to contact us to explain the challenge you want to take on.
