Quality Documentation Automates Aerospace Company
Lilly Software's VISUAL Suite
Universal Propulsion Co. had
recently replaced its mainframe-based inventory control
and order entry software with Visual Manufacturing, an integrated,
Windows-based enterprise resource planning system from Lilly
Software Associates. When the company decided it needed
a quality management system as well, it evaluated Lilly's
Visual Quality software as a solution to the problem. The
system included 16 modules for managing engineering documents,
skills and training qualifications, outside services, and
equipment and tooling records. UPCO's plan was to implement
each module separately as needed. Using the modular approach
fit into the company's step-by-step plan.
Visual Quality is a fully integrated enterprise quality
management system that addresses quality assurance issues
in specific areas of operations. Users can establish, track,
and manage engineering activity and supply chain expectations
while supporting business growth and profitability goals.
Critical manufacturing specifications can be created for
products, processes, equipment and measuring devices, and
enterprise team collaboration can be improved with vendors,
customers and employees. Visual Quality provides tools to
help automate associated design, preproduction, production
and post-production activities; expertly manage business
performance; and easily collect, control and analyze quality
system data with focused and objective action.
In the past, UPCO managed quality documents manually.
There were several drawbacks to this approach: It took too
long to locate archived information and to handle the large
amount of paperwork. Several positions throughout the company
were specifically dedicated to copying, distributing and
filing documents.
"Because we build explosive devices, we can't test
every item," says Rick Todd, vice president of quality
at UPCO. "Customers must trust the quality of our operations.
Therefore, documentation of what we build is critical, and
so is the accuracy of that documentation. The ability to
control different quality-related documents is one of the
most important challenges we face."
Calibration was the first process that UPCO automated.
The company tracks nearly 5,700 gages and other devices,
keeping records regarding purchase and installation history,
date of last calibration, and next calibration due date.
UPCO used an in-house DOS program with reporting capabilities
and accuracy that laboratory technicians didn't fully trust.
They kept duplicate information on cards. Visual Quality's
calibration module replaced the DOS system, keeping accurate
records of all calibrated devices and automatically generating
reports indicating which devices need calibration.
The next area that UPCO automated was document management.
The engineering and document control departments use the
software to maintain 5,000 of the company's CAD drawings
and almost 21,700 manufacturing and test procedures. An
interface to Visual Manufacturing makes document and drawing
numbers available to manufacturing applications.
The third module to be implemented was Non-Conforming
Management. Previously, a nonconforming condition report
went through the mail to the appropriate engineer, then
traveled back to the quality inspector and was finally disseminated
to the affected departments for archiving. Nonconformance
module reports are generated with the software's pre-established
values, which has improved the uniformity of nonconformance
reporting. The digital reports are stored on a Windows server,
and access is immediate.
UPCO continues to implement additional quality modules
in order to quickly respond to customers' suggestions and
document requests. Quality management software has educed
the time is takes UPCO to handle nonconformances.
Quality-related documents, which were previously paper-based,
are now generated, routed and managed by the new software.
"The new system gives people a single source for
data, which has improved the information flow within our
company," says Todd. "That in turn makes many
processes more efficient."
Lilly Software's VISUAL Suite
- Document management
- Process capability and statistical process control
- Automated preventive maintenance scheduling
- Nonconformance traceability
- E-mail integration
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