This is the 3rd blog in a series of 4 blogs concerning the topic of Integrated Quality Assurance.
When a global chemical company’s operations fail to meet quality standards things get messy. Recalls, unestimatable costs, and a loss of customer trust are just a few of the immediate affects that come to mind. Although complete prevention of quality issues is nearly impossible, having the right systems in place to quickly catch and react to any problems reduce damages immensely. These systems not only provide numerous ways to record and evaluate the quality of the produce/processes, but will also help manage nonconforming materials, deviations and complaints in compliance with industry standards and legal regulations.
Through the various SAP applications (SAP QIM, QM and SAP Manufacturing Executing) companies are able to ensure the execution of quality controls. These applications provide them with multiple options for inspection result recording and evaluation. In our power cleaner example, the company was able quickly recognize the issue and analyze the data to figure out the origin of the problem. To prevent the same issue from happening again in the future, the company can enhance their quality controls to include looking at the new issue recognized. Over time, the system will adapt and include a vast amount of specific quality controls unique to each company’s operations process giving the company a unique advantage. These operations improve operational efficiency, which at the same time reduces costs for the company.
The data that companies collect with these systems can also be shared and collaborated on with both internal and external partners in real time. This changes the game completely. With the help of mobile apps and the cloud the data is available to anyone, anywhere, anytime allowing employees to quickly respond to any issues. These systems help companies streamline quality processes, increasing the accuracy of the data and response time in unforeseen events. With high expectations and regulations from the public and government in regards to the eco-friendliness of products, employees are able to obtain and deliver real-time information on their operations to anyone at any time.
What are your thoughts on improving operational efficiency? Do you have any experiences that relate to quality operations in the chemical industry?
Be sure to check back for the rest of the blogs being released in this series.
Quality by Design- http://scn.sap.com/community/chemicals/blog/2013/07/25/achieving-quality-excellence-while-reducing-c...
Item Serialization and Product Traceability- http://scn.sap.com/community/chemicals/blog/2013/07/30/achieving-quality-excellence-while-reducing-c...
Product Genealogy- http://scn.sap.com/community/chemicals/blog/2013/08/13/achieving-quality-excellence-while-reducing-c....
