August 15, 2011
DataNet Quality Systems has announced that one of the world’s largest producers of folding cartons and a global leader in coated, recycled boxboard has selected DataNet to provide its corporate-wide statistical process control (SPC) system.
DataNet Quality Systems, developers of WinSPC® and QualTrend® quality control software, has announced that one of the world’s largest producers of folding cartons and a global leader in coated, recycled boxboard and specialty bag packaging has selected DataNet to provide its corporate-wide statistical process control (SPC) system.
The company has over 15,000 employees and is respected as an innovator in package design and carton manufacturing. The company determined that a corporate SPC system was a necessary element of its goal to continuously improve process management. The consumer packaging division is the first group to implement WinSPC software across its facilities to track those characteristics deemed “critical-to-quality.”
SPC had previously been implemented in various forms through the years, with several plants managing the data manually on paper or in Excel, or using an older SPC software system. These methods had limitations that restricted the number of product and process variables the company was able to track and strained the quality teams who had to manually generate quality reports (COA’s). After successfully piloting WinSPC at multiple plants, the company launched a corporate initiative to meet the growing customer quality and reporting requirements and to provide a unified quality system across its facilities.
The company plans to roll the system out to sheet-fed and web facilities and thereby increase its capacity to monitor both product and process variables. Quality teams at the respective facilities will use the system to capture data from multiple inspection devices, color measuring systems, and various PLCs throughout the forming, sealing, print (color properties), lab inspection, and other operations. The quality teams will benefit from the built-in reports in WinSPC to quickly access and generate customer-specific COA reports that were historically time consuming to produce. Additionally, corporate reporting tools will unify the COAs across multiple plants that produce similar products and provide a global view of performance that was not previously available. Plant and corporate teams are keen on comparing performance metrics across sites using standardized scorecards and dashboard-style quality KPIs.
The company anticipates a 1-year return on investment for the corporate-wide system purchase and implementation based upon reduced cost of variation from improved process control and product quality. Expected quality improvements include scrap reduction, minimized downtime, and increased line speeds while still maintaining world class quality standards.
DataNet’s services team worked with the company’s quality, process engineering and IT staff in rolling out the pilot installations, and will now assist with the next stage implementation initially encompassing 20 plants. DataNet engineers will conduct onsite product training, installation, and assist in the integration of WinSPC within the company’s current manufacturing systems.
About DataNet Quality Systems
DataNet Quality Systems empowers manufacturers to improve products, processes, and profitability through real-time statistical software solutions. The company’s vision is to deliver trusted and capable technology solutions that allow manufacturers to create the highest quality product for the lowest possible cost. DataNet’s flagship product, WinSPC, provides statistical decision-making at the point of production and delivers real-time, actionable information to where it is needed most. With over 2500 installed facilities worldwide and distributors across the globe, DataNet is dedicated to delivering a high level of customer service and support, shop-floor expertise, and professional Continuous Improvement, Six Sigma, and Lean Manufacturing services.