Quality Window 6 is a solution development tool that provides a flexible environment for creating tailored solutions in a variety of areas like Statistical Process Control and Statistical Quality Control (SPC SQC), Process and Quality Audits, Downtime tracking and analysis, Process centerline monitoring, Raw Material verification as well as Defects and process Waste tracking and Analysis. The QW 6 Product provides timely data collection combining manual and automated sources like Weight Scales and Automation system (PLC) interfaces. The intuitive visualization of data paired with in depth analysis capabilities make QW 6 solutions simple to use and understand. The additional use of the data collected for outputs like Certificates of Analysis (COA) – proof positive production meets specifications- and the use of Summary Statistics add greatly to the results achieved by applying the solutions developed using QW6.
Let’s take a closer look at how QW6 can be adapted in your organization
Let’s start with where is your data now. MS Excel is a typical place where people may collect and store their manufacturing data. Like QW6, Excel worksheets can be developed easily. Where QW6 stands out is its bullet proof data entry capabilities, intuitive colors, ability to apply specification and targets, the powerful charting and summary statistics engine and maybe the most important capability is the Rapid Change Capability that is built into the QW 6 tool. You can make changes in minutes and back in use without any data loss.
If your data is in MS Excel worksheets, organized on column and rows, you are almost there in converting it to a QW6 application. The utility QWXLtoQW will take an existing worksheet with all its data and convert it to a QW6application by answering just a few questions. You can then update the QW6 application created with Specification, Control and Target limits and you are ready to go.
Now what if your data is in a SQL type database and you want to view it QW6 and use all the powerful charting tools to analyze your data, well we have a tool for that as well. QWSQLWizard will use the SQL statement you provide to retrieve the data and create a QW6 application “on the fly” ready for your review using the QW6 charting capabilities. Save the QW6 application created and you can run it again anytime you need to see the data.
What does QW6 provide for the frontline Technicians running the lines and monitoring the processes? Tailored solutions for the exact product including limits being manufactured enabling them to understand and react instantly to any deviation. This hands on solution helps to minimize variation in the process and ensures targets are met while decreasing waste. The capability of tying Help systems with Current Best Approaches (CBA) to individual variables helps place the right solutions to issues just a single click away.
In addition to the process monitoring capabilities QW6 provides the front line technicians. it can also be adapted to quickly and accurately capture and categorize both process downtime and waste. Having this data collected at source when it happens ensures that the analysis of the data using tools like the Tri-eto screen in QW6 will help drive the improvement cycle – decreasing losses and increasing productivity.
For Lab personnel it provides a tool that can be used to monitor current production along with the recording and test results to ensure customer requirements are being met and for the creation of the Certificate of Analysis Reports (COA) critical to the lot release process as well as customer acceptance.
Process engineers can never get enough data! QW6 loves to collect that data and provide capabilities to analyze and summarize that data. The charting tools in QW6 along with its powerful statistical engine provide them with a powerful set of tools to understand their process and drive improvement. Capabilities like the ability to adjust specification, control and target limits and understand the impact or monitor the results of introducing new raw materials. All of the tools are at their fingertips for performing things such as capability studies.
Quality Managers can combine data from multiple products or lines and analyze performance data and to search for differences in products and services. These tools allow for the massaging and manipulating of data in a variety ways to see the underlining trends and problems.
Production Managers can review the data in a variety of formats in graphical forms using summary statistics and then prioritize them by individual variables. This provides a whole new way of presenting data that is easily understood. Data can also be combined for similar criteria, such as production lines, and be available for performance analysis of these groupings.
The data collected in QW6 applications is not locked away. It is available to contribute value throughout the organization whenever and where ever it is needed.