The move to digital quality management

Digital quality measurement has many advantages. However, changing work methods can be a barrier to seize the opportunity. It's probably complicated and working with paper works too, right? In this article we explain how this move works and how much it will bring you. The fact that none of our clients want to return to the old situation after the pilot is testimony enough.

Why would you move from paper-based to digital quality measurement?

In practice, our customers especially like to work paperless and be able to carry out traceable audits at a certain time. It gives a lot of verifiable assurance on your quality - for customers, auditors, and the company. Also, it saves a lot of time when you can retrieve specific audit data at the push of a button, compared to when people actually have to walk through the entire company to collect all the data they need.

But there are more advantages. We recently wrote about them in our blog Eight reasons for digital quality measurement . Here’s the summary:

1. Paper-free working
2. You know for sure that a measurement took place, and when
3. You can manage the forms centrally
4. You can retrieve all measurements digitally
5. More exact numbers are available
6. You can analyze trends and prevent errors
7. You can store temporary anomies in a different auditing schedule
8. You can do secured and audit-proof checks

How do you get a grip on your quality management?

You gain insight into your quality process and can continuously secure quality by using specialized software. Cierpa Quality allows you to design auditing forms for the line you want to monitor. The required checks will appear on the line in real time. The operator inputs the numbers digitally, making the data available and secured. The auditing process will move faster, you eliminate paper-based logistics, and you simplify the measuring process for the operator.

The transition process

Many of our clients already measure OEE digitally. So digital quality measurement is the appropriate next step. We like to do that transition in stages. We start with a one-month pilot on one line. We chart which measurements are necessary to guarantee compliance with legal norms and customer requirements, such as weight or metal checks.

Our consultants generally set up the pilot and the initial control forms in one day. They also show the quality manager(s) how the screens work and how to instruct the operators. Operation is straightforward; the operators require little training.

In the pilot phase, the switch often proves to be very easy to make.

During that month, we keep in touch regularly and do weekly evaluations. When necessary, we fine-tune the forms for that particular line. After this month, we will decide whether we will continue and expand to other manufacturing lines. That’s also followed by additional training, where we zoom in on managing the measurements and all other options the software offers, like trend analysis.

The transition is often quite easy to make during the pilot stage. In general, operators don’t have issues with the software because it’s easy to use, and makes their work easier. The operator can remember everything now, and the entire company profits from a better grip on quality, saving time on data retrieval, and fewer issues with auditing or deliverance.

Those who engage in the pilot continue using the software because it has many advantages.

The project visualized

Consultant Willem Siebers on the transition project

“In my experience, those who engage in the pilot continue using the software because it has so many advantages. There are many organizations where it takes an employee two hours to collect all the data: go to the cupboard where quality data is stored. Look for the right day, look specifically for the proper order and product combination, then hope that all checks have been done correctly and are legible. With digital measurements, you literally have all the data within 30 seconds, and you can retrieve SPC-charts of all running audits in real-time.

When you take on the process step by step, it remains manageable. Even for the operators. And because the result is so apparent, you also discover that there’s no resistance during further deployment: everybody knows what they are doing it for.”