Recently, Apriso, a provider of adaptive software solutions for global Manufacturing Operations Management (MOM) announced expanded quality planning capabilities within the latest version of FlexNet Quality 3.0.
The solution functions as a "hub" for Enterprise Quality Management across manufacturing operations. It allows for quality characteristics to be collected according to an Inspection Plan residing within FlexNet, instead of relying on external systems such as ERP.
The integrated solution creates and expands sampling procedures, which can then be scheduled to integrate inspection priorities across manufacturing, warehouse and supply chain operations. Results are available in real-time, to support immediate corrective actions as well as to quickly provide valuable information to corporate planning and reporting activities within enterprise applications, such as Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Product Lifecycle Management (PLM).
"Quality sampling performed after production may improve customer satisfaction, but does little to reduce the total cost of quality. Manufacturers applying Six Sigma and Lean are eager to remove waste completely from their value streams, which includes avoiding the production of defective materials in the first place," states John Fishell, director of product management at Apriso. "Manufacturers can leverage FlexNet Quality Planning to perform inspections within production, warehouse and supply chain processes before final assembly. Based on the inspection results, corrective actions can then be performed in a timely manner, whether that involves containment, process adjustment or a complete shutdown of production. The direct result is a lower total cost of quality, and an overall reduction of 'muda' or waste."
Recognizing that 'one size' seldom fits all, manufacturers can complement and leverage existing IT, QMS or ERP investments, adding FlexNet Quality where appropriate, addressing unmet Quality assurance needs without "over-purchasing" software with redundancy in functionality.
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