SPC Collection Software Saves Time and Reduces Waste
Hertzler's GainSeeker SPC
HyTech Spring and Machine,
founded in 1984, was recognized as an outstanding business
in Allegan County, Michigan, and one of the fastest-growing
private companies in the state. The Plainwell-based corporation
was collecting statistical process control data by hand
and realized the unnecessary amount of time this wasted.
The company began looking for a product that would replace
its current SPC collection method.
HyTech wanted to find a software product that would not
only collect, manage, analyze and report information, but
would also be flexible enough to fit the company's particular
needs and be compatible with its existing ERP system. After
researching products from a number of companies, HyTech
chose Hertzler Systems' GainSeeker SPC.
GainSeeker SPC software is a comprehensive tool for managing
quality data that provides seamless communication at all
levels in an organization and interconnectivity to other
critical information systems.
Hertzler Systems Inc. has been providing software and
consulting services to manufacturers and businesses throughout
the world to help collect, manage, analyze and report quality
information for 20 years. The company was founded in 1982
as Paul Hertzler & Co. Inc., specializing in information
systems for manufacturers and products for quality departments
of parts suppliers in the automotive industry.
HyTech chose GainSeeker software because it integrates
with many other software systems. The company wanted the
system to integrate with Made2Manage, its job shop ERP system.
None of the other systems HyTech considered would have been
able to do so.
"The integration with Made2Manage was very easy,"
says Charles Smith, quality assurance manager at HyTech.
"We wanted to be able to use the bar code information
on our floor travelers and paperwork that accompanies each
job. We set up the Hertzler system so that our personnel
can scan the job using a bar code scanner. The Hertzler
system then uses the scanned job number to query the Made2Manage
data tables and acquire the part number. Once the part number
is returned, GainSeeker allows us to automatically pull
up and display the appropriate standard and template needed
for that particular job."
The GainSeeker interface with Made2Manage was an original
requirement. However, HyTech discovered that target-nominal
charting was not in the original specification. In short-run
SPC using the target-nominal method, the data is normalized
for display. The data is plotted after subtracting the target-nominal
value and dividing by the variance factor. This allows HyTech
to compare one characteristic to another and observe long-range
trends for a given machine or process. The Hertzler system
also has the ability to display multiple capability data
on one graph.
Automating these necessary and crucial tasks allows operators
and quality control officers to respond immediately to quality
issues. Load cells are interfaced to personal computers
connected to a local area network. Operators check spring
loads, and with a push of a button the result is entered
into a database. Operators, supervisors and quality managers
instantly monitor and analyze the database. Furthermore,
many trigger events are programmed into the system, alerting
operators and quality managers in real time. HyTech installed
the Hertzler software on an older NT server, allowing the
system to remain available to personnel on the floor if
the main network server goes down.
HyTech staff began to look at Cpk and Ppk results over
time, and on one of their highest producing jobs, they found
they were consistently above 2.0 Cpk. They needed to maintain
a 1.33 Cpk, so they opened up the machine tolerance, reducing
the amount of scrap they were generating and increasing
their yield.
"It's been quite a labor saver," adds Smith.
"Many of our quality control operations are now automated,
and as we continue to roll out the implementation, we expect
to dramatically decrease rejects, narrow control limits
and increase production levels. Although resistant at first,
those on the shop floor are now demanding that all jobs
running SPC utilize the Hertzler system. We are well on
our way to accomplishing this goal."
HyTech Spring has saved 38 hours of data entry per week
and has had a 20-percent time reduction at inspection stations
on the shop floor. Upgrading to a real-time enterprise quality
data system that is tightly integrated with its ERP system
has enabled HyTech to save time, improve product quality,
and reduce waste and rework.
Hertzler's GainSeeker SPC
- Multi-user network system with complete ODBC support
- Real-time charting, feedback and alarms
- Comprehensive reporting tools and automatic data acquisition
- Root-cause analytical tools
www.hertzler.com
|
