Customers don’t rank their experiences simply on product quality. Their go-to manufacturers are the companies that deliver products on time, with the correct packaging and labeling, at a competitive price.
However, this is often easier said than done as manufacturers navigate complex, high-speed supply chains while managing global inflation and geopolitical impacts on supplies and distribution. The challenges are compounded if the business relies on disparate systems to support discrete manufacturing steps, which can lead to islands of inconsistent information, process disconnects, and costly delays.
The good news is that manufacturers now have the power to turn discrete process steps into business-wide automated workflows by taking advantage of modern software technologies that are highly integrated, connected to the same data sources, and equipped with workflow and alert systems.
Collectively, these integrated technologies are often referred to as manufacturing enterprise resource planning (ERP), and they enable the continuous flow required to adapt and respond quickly to change. Let’s look at how quality can be infused throughout a seamless, end-to-end workflow that extends across the lifecycle of a product order.
Setting Expectations in Sales
It starts with sales where a capable-to-promise (CTP) process running in the manufacturing ERP system evaluates the resources needed to produce a product, including materials, labor, and equipment. It also identifies any gaps between the desired delivery date and available capacity, suggesting ways to close those gaps. In this way, CTP helps ensure delivery commitments to customers are accurate and achievable.
Getting the Set-up Right in Pre-Production
Next, a production work order is generated, triggering the material requirements planning (MRP) process, which effectively provisions and schedules the job. MRP software automatically orders or reserves necessary materials and allocates required labor, tools, and production equipment. It also creates the lot and serial numbers that serve as the production run’s unique identifiers, enabling documentation and traceability of compliance and processes from pre-production through final shipment.
As production is initiated, integrated software helps to validate the necessary resources. Raw materials are certified as correct through the quality management system (QMS). Tooling and equipment are validated via the maintenance, repair, and operations (MRO) functions. And operator training and certification are confirmed using human capital management (HCM) records.
While these activities may sound like discrete steps, they’re actually part of an automated manufacturing ERP workflow that must be followed and acknowledged before a job can start. Signoffs and records are automatically captured, and failure to complete and acknowledge a required step triggers an alert, which must be resolved before the job can proceed.
Monitoring Quality in Production
Once a job is in production, three real-time quality monitoring processes are at work.
Production monitoring tracks the progress of production, e.g., machine cycles or parts assembled, and transmits the results across the organization. It measures progress against the planned schedule, informs inventory and financial systems of raw material consumption, and updates the MRO module with runtime data on tools and equipment. In this way, it effectively serves as the real-time “eyes and ears” of production operations.
In-line quality inspections often blend manual checks with automated inspections performed by cameras and digital instrumentation. Key characteristics are real-time measurement and automated record keeping within the QMS module. If persistent problems are detected, supervisory alerts are issued automatically, and processes may be halted. Additionally, out-of-specification products are diverted to scrap queues and recorded as defective quantities. This enables the early removal of defects, retention of samples for statistical process control (SPC) analysis, and accurate counts of good parts.
Process monitoring gauges the operating parameters of production equipment, such as temperature, pressure, and amperage, which are strong indicators of whether a process is operating correctly or trending out of specification. Process data is recorded by time, serial number, and lot number, in histogram formats. This data is monitored in real time, and when necessary, can trigger alerts for supervisor intervention or even automatically halt production.
Histograms and other historian data are valuable resources for both real-time intervention and root-cause analysis. Today, manufacturers often share historian data with customers as proof of proper production controls and inspection, a clear value-added service that builds trust.
Extending Quality Through Fulfillment
Final fulfillment also shows how integrated workflows drive quality on the shop floor and across the value chain to the customer. For instance, the combination of production monitoring, in-process inspection, process monitoring, and lot-level tracking provides inventory control with accurate visibility into when, where, and how many finished goods are available for shipment.
Meanwhile, accurate, machine-readable labeling is essential in fast-moving, digital supply chains. By leveraging the manufacturing ERP system, companies can automatically generate and apply digital labels at the point of production, which contain both descriptive product information and machine-readable data. These labeling details support material handling systems; enable traceability through lot and serial numbers, including recall if necessary; and ensure that finished goods are stored in the correct warehouse locations.
Finally, directed, scanner-based pick, pack, and ship functionality within a warehouse management system (WMS) ensures shipping accuracy.
Conclusion
Customers measure quality on the totality of their experience, from products that work as expected to on-time delivery, correct packaging and labeling, and competitive pricing. Adopting an integrated manufacturing ERP software approach enables businesses to meet these customer expectations by automating workflows that infuse quality processes and guardrails throughout the product order lifecycle. Doing so, not only builds customer loyalty; it also positions the manufacturer for long-term profitability and growth.
Contact the DELMIAWorks team to get started.