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How software can streamline corrective action
Anyone who runs a factory knows that there are always areas that can be improved. Maybe staffing levels aren’t optimized for current demand. Perhaps maintenance schedules are causing too much downtime and eating into profitability. Or, maybe your quality control and quality assurance procedures are disorganized, leading to non-compliance, rejected orders, and clients requesting rework. Whatever the case may be, these are all issues that every service-based manufacturing company must deal with at some point.
Most companies realize that they have inefficiencies and parts of their operations that require corrective action. The tricky part is nailing down exactly which mistakes are costing the most money and how to fix them. It’s difficult to identify where corrective action is needed without robust, real-time data and constant oversight. Harnessing that data gives manufacturers the power they need to take action and gain back lost time, wasted materials, and missed profits. It also leads to a happier, more productive workforce.
Bluestreak’s QMS/MES software is an essential part of running a service-based manufacturing company. It ties quality control and quality assurance directly to individual work centers and processing steps on the production floor, all in one inclusive database, with no separate silos of disjointed data. The platform is a powerful tool that provides deep insight into every key performance metric that an operations manager needs in order to identify where corrective action must be taken to remedy mistakes that are cutting into profit margins.
First, identify the corrective action that must be taken to remedy a problem. This is different from simply correcting an issue one time. A true corrective action must fully eliminate the cause of the nonconformity or defect, rather than simply fix it once. The root cause is the reason for the breakdown or inefficiency in the process. It is easier to identify nonconformities when using a dedicated software platform like Bluestreak, to zero in on the root cause of the issue, and to take corrective action that eliminates problems later.
When implementing corrective action, you should follow a defined procedure so the corrective action sticks and you don’t have to return to the drawing board looking for another fix in a month or two. First, do your best to understand your system’s requirements. The corrective action can’t be effective without a strong grasp of how the system works and where it can go wrong. Next, plan out your process and address personnel decisions and how the action will be integrated into your current operating system. Then, develop and document the plan and system and conduct training. Finally, implement, test, and continue to refine and improve as more data becomes available.
It should be every manufacturer’s goal to avoid being forced to develop corrective actions. You can do this by having the right practices in place, accurate management systems and data, defined and documented procedures, continuous tracking and monitoring, and properly trained staff. This is made easier by gathering and analyzing the right data. Bluestreak’s software does all of that. Track every part from the beginning to the end of the job, see what key staff is doing at all times, and utilize real-time data from the shop floor.
Bluestreak users benefit from the software’s scheduling tools to better plan out daily operations and minimize machinery being offline at crucial times for maintenance. The ability to analyze schedule data makes it easier to identify inefficiencies in operations and optimize staffing levels and production times. The advanced control and sampling plans feature of the software is another key selling point for service-based manufacturers. Sampling and properly following a defined quality control plan makes it easier to catch errors and deficiencies before they snowball out of control and wreak havoc on the shop’s output levels.
Additionally, the advanced specifications manager allows Bluestreak users to build an extensive database of industry standards and specifications that can be used to streamline and improve the quality control process. This helps eliminate nonconformities before they develop by holding the production to the proper standards. The advanced specifications manager also provides feedback and makes it easy to create an audit trail to showcase conformance to specific requirements and standards.
With Bluestreak, service-based manufacturers gain valuable insight into every part of their production floor. Manage the schedule and workforce, prioritize orders, track every part on the floor (from raw material to finished product), and develop advanced quality control and sampling plans to catch errors more efficiently. With the reporting capabilities of the software, managers can create comprehensive plans for corrective action and ensure that their shops are running better than ever. Bluestreak’s capabilities cover all aspects of daily operations and give every operator the ability to rapidly make corrective actions on the fly.
Bluestreak’s QMS + MES solution helps service-based manufacturers increase production floor productivity and profits.
If you’re ready to leave manual, time-consuming service-based manufacturing tasks in the past, drastically reduce your scrap and rework percentage, gain visibility of your production floor processes, and build better relationships with your customers, contact us today for a free demo!
About Bluestreak™:
Bluestreak™ is a powerful Manufacturing Execution System (MES) and a fully integrated Quality Management System (QMS), designed for the manufacturing environment and service-based manufacturing companies ( metal-treating/powder-coating, plating, heat-treating, forging, and metal-finishing), businesses that receive customers’ parts, perform a process (service) on them, and send those parts back to the customer). Companies need MES software tailored to specific functionality and workflow needs such as industry-specific specifications management, intuitive scheduling control for both staff and machinery maintenance, and the ability to manage work orders and track real-time data. If different work centers on the production floor aren’t “speaking” to each other via the MES, the data loses value and becomes disjointed or lost in disparate silos.
Bluestreak | Bright AM™ is an QMS + MES software solution specifically designed to manage and optimize the unique requirements of Additive Manufacturing’s production of parts and powder inventory usage.