• Personalized Service – Each production environment is unique. As your vendor of choice, you want to talk to someone who understands your implementation of the software. You want to work through issues with someone that retains the knowledge of past issues related to your implementation.
• Persistent Service – Sometimes issues are complicated. Issues may take time to be resolved. When you are working through an issue, you want someone that will stay with you until the issue is resolved.
• Prompt Service – Because every minute counts, you want someone that will respond promptly and knowlegably to your issue or concern.

The SPC software you are using should reflect your own quality standards. Remember that in addition to building a quality product, the software vendor should provide you excellent customer service as well.

What does this mean for those in Quality? With the workload of Quality Managers these days being “very busy” the outlook looks positive. At Zontec, we are just coming off one of our best years in our history. Although growth may be slow, we believe that companies will continue to look at ways to drive down costs and increase revenue.

Because our software enables companies to reduce scrap, reduce rework, increase user productivity, and leverage existing equipment for new business, we believe that quality software will continue to be seen as a means to enhance corporate productivity. More than ever, companies are looking at ways to increase efficiency. Because this is what we do, the future looks promising.

Where does this data come from? From your quality data. Your quality data is your warehouse of information related to how to monitor your production company-wide, to ensure your processes are operating optimally, to increase the productivity of your personnel, to manage the lifecycle of your machines, and to leverage your existing equipment to produce new products.

Statistical Process Control (SPC) data provides you insights into your people, your processes, and your products that uncover areas to where your company excels, where your processes need to improve, and, based on past performance, where your company can pursue new business opportunities. This is the data you need to fine-tune your business now and for the future.

Our customers are pleased with the new enhancements as well. “I think the new features will help to provide more information to both myself, as well as operators. It will provide a better understanding of the capabilities of our machines during our production runs,”said Jake Mohn, Process Engineer, United Gear & Assembly.

Here is a brief highlight of some of the new cutting-edge features:

• A new Scorecard Report Card that enables a user to instantly get a snapshot of their vital production metrics for up to 6 characteristics
• A Cost of Analysis Report which is generated using Six Sigma methodology
• An automatic Certificate of Analysis Report that generates information
• The ability to ‘hyperlink’ often-referenced documents, images, websites, videos with one-click access, regardless of the filename or location
• More versatility related to trend tests and trend test rules
• Provide users one view to see control limits, specification limits, trend test violations and notes

Visit Quality Digest to see the full article, also available on Chem.info. and Thomas.net

About Zontec

Zontec is a major world player in the statistical process control (SPC) software market, carrying on a longstanding tradition as one of the first companies to offer SPC software for personal computers in 1983. Today, Zontec is highly respected for its focus on innovation and applying new technologies that help businesses address quality issues, maximize profitability and strive for long-term continuous improvement. Zontec is unique in the industry by offering a full suite of products to meet the needs of companies of all sizes. Zontec software has been adopted worldwide by more than 5,000 companies, spanning virtually every industrial category.

“Quality Assurance (QA) is more than just a process or department that ensures your products meet your customers’ requirements. It is a philosophy, a mindset shared between the corner office and the shop floor to achieve excellence. Quality standards must be enmeshed into the fabric of your company’s culture. Striving to reach excellent quality with zero defects involves the commitment of resources, cutting-edge technology, and continuous fine tuning.”

Read the complete article

Quality assurance is focused on manufacturing a precise product. There are several tools available to assist in reaching such standards. Statistical process control (SPC), Six Sigma, and Lean Manufacturing are implemented to eliminate scrap, reduce rework and optimize personnel’s times. In addition, quality assurance enables you to take on new business and produce new products without the risk of losing efficiency.

The complimentary eBook is being offered in connection with the publication of the second edition of the reference guide, which will be available in print on August 1, 2010. The second edition marks the fifth printing of The Book of Statistical Process Control since its initial release in 2002.

Written for the non-statistician, the book helps to demystify SPC methods, techniques and calculations by emphasizing its value as an important quality improvement tool and driver of business success.

The 206-page work draws on Zontec’s 25+ years of experience with manufacturing applications, SPC software development and automating data collection from plant floor systems and hardware devices. Each chapter is filled with many examples, charts, tables, diagrams and checksheets that can be readily adapted within the reader’s own environment.

Anyone from the production line to the boardroom can appreciate the addition of The Book of Statistical Process Control to their Quality Department resource library.

• Batesville Casket Company, is a leader in the North American death care industry through the sale of funeral services products, including burial caskets, cremation caskets, containers and urns, selection room display fixturing, and other personalization and memorialization products.
• Engbrecht Tools, the mission of Engbrecht Tool is to provide superior precision machining, pricing, and service. We are an ISO 13485:2003 certified company that has been assisting the medical device industry in the Silicon Valley and beyond since 1995. By constantly upgrading our skills and expanding our machining capabilities, we continue to provide the highest quality prototyping and production services. Our expertise with 4th and 5th axis milling, conventional and Swiss style turning, and 3D profiling is what sets us apart from other shops.
• Fastco Industries, as Fastco heads into the 21st century, it stands ready and poised for substantial growth. Committed to excellence and continual improvement in all aspects of its operation, Fastco is committed to becoming the best producer of special fasteners in North America. “We began looking at Zontec because our SPC System we developed in house was not meeting our customers’ expectations. After a thorough search of the competitors, with input from our customers and vendors, we selected Zontec. We really liked the ease of use for our operators while providing the charting and reporting needs we were looking for. We believe the e-mail alerts when a process is out of specification or out of control will be very helpful once we complete our implementation” said Jim Wolters, Quality Manager for Fastco.
• GKN Driveline, is the world’s leading manufacturer of automotive driveline components. GKN Driveline has 18,000 people in more than 40 facilities in over 20 countries working in partnership with vehicle manufacturers to develop driveshaft and geared component technologies for the future.
• Pleasant Precision is proud to be considered a world class moldmaking, molding, design and product development facility.
• Stanley Black & Decker, an S&P 500 company, is a diversified global provider of hand tools, power tools and related accessories, mechanical access solutions and electronic security solutions, engineered fastening systems, and more. Zontec welcomes the HHI Mexico location.
• NSK Precision America, was established in 1916 and headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. Operating in the Americas, NSK Corporation has a network of sales and engineering teams working in partnership with customers to deliver high performance products, application-specific solutions, superior technical support and exceptional service to the Americas market.“NSK Precision America is constantly trying to improve our processes and one of them is a big push to work towards Six Sigma,” said Mike Arney, Technical Specialist at NSK Precision Americas Franklin Indiana location. “Our company did not want to reinvent the wheel. We learned that another division in NSK was using the product, so we decided to look at what the product had to offer. What we like about this software is that it is very easy to set up and the support on the product is very good.”

Here is a brief list of these cutting-edge new features:

• A new Scorecard report that enables a user to instantly get a snapshot of their vital production metrics for up to 6 characteristics.
• Any videos related to the production can now be viewed within the application.
• Users now have the ability to define an often-referenced file as a “hyperlink” for one-click access to documents, images, websites or other software applications that are pertain to the product.
• To view more information about a specific data point, users can simply rollover it with their mouse.

SAP certification signifies that Synergy 3000 software has been developed and tested in accordance with strict guidelines for best-built applications that integrate with SAP. After review by the SAP Integration and Certification Center, Synergy 3000 is able to successfully exchange critical data with instances of SAP ERP application Release 6.0.

Now SAP software users can complement their Quality Management functions with Zontec’s production floor-based SPC activities for real-time data collection, process monitoring, alarms, charting, lot traceability, analysis and reporting for all critical quality characteristics. The Synergy 3000 Quality Management Interface has been designed to work with SAP Quality Planning, Quality Inspection, Quality Certification, Quality Notification and Quality Control modules. Zontec strengths in support of SAP technologies enable manufacturers to improve quality, raise customer compliance and lower costs through timely detection, troubleshooting and resolution of quality issues.

“More and more Zontec customers are also implementing SAP software solutions to run their businesses,” says Zontec President Warren Ha. “Integration with SAP Business Suite is a key element of our strategic plan to partner with key ERP vendors and give our mutual customers the ability to respond to process variation the precise moment it occurs.”