InfinityQS - Quality Check

Organizing Charts in Engineering Mode: The Matrix Style

dwright — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 15:37:26 +0000

nle

You have four charts and only one computer screen. How do you consolidate to a multiple chart view to compare data without having to thumb through individual charts? You might be tempted to resort to flashy, "Matrix"-style moves, but fear not, there is a simpler approach that is just as effective and doesn't require stretching.

Simplifying Your ProFicient Environment

dwright — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 12:37:34 +0000

kcahoon

So, your ProFicient SPC system is humming along - you have a number of operator data collection projects, engineering reporting projects, supervisor review projects, and everything is perfectly organized, neat, clean, and easy-to-use - exactly how you dreamt of implementing the software.

Generically Specific: An Oxymoron?

dwright — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:12:39 +0000

jholmes

I recently went to the movie Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, starring an incredible new young actor named Thomas Horn, along with Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock. Have you heard of it?

Customer Success Video: Schiff Nutrition International, Inc.

dwright — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 15:50:32 +0000

iqsblog

Our customer tour continues at Schiff Nutrition's award winning manufacturing and distribution facility in Salt Lake City, UT. Schiff Nutrition is a leading nutritional supplement company with a portfolio of well-known brands that includes Tiger's Milk, Schiff Vitamins and Schiff Move Free.

Defects Defects Defects

dwright — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 22:13:45 +0000

ssanborn

My company is using ProFicient to collect SPC data and we are learning more about our processes every day.

Descriptors Gone Wild

dwright — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 16:55:46 +0000

ssanborn

Descriptors are powerful tools that are used often when we collect SPC data. They perform many functions including filtering data to a more specific level, assisting in the creation of special reports like the Lot Summary, and keeping track of serialized items.

The Other Side of the Coin

dwright — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 11:57:40 +0000

nochoa

Have you ever heard of "the flavor of the month?" The phrase refers to "a change that does not last." Sometimes we feel like we invest so much effort in making changes to our processes and at the end, these changes do not last forever.

Customer Success Video: Rainin Instrument LLC

dwright — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 17:48:45 +0000

iqsblog

Our team traveled to Oakland, CA for the next stop on our customer facility tour to visit Rainin Instrument LLC. The wholly owned subsidiary of Mettler-Toledo is the leading manufacturer of laboratory pipettes and pipette tips in the United States.

Multi-Tasking, The Easy Way

dwright — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 10:45:01 +0000

skoncalovic

Every time you collect data, are you selecting all types of charts and click, click, clicking away before you can even start? Do you have to perform many different types of tests on a sample at several different workstations? Is your index finger beginning to develop a twitch? Well, ProFicient may have a solution for you. It may be your only chance to combat that carpal tunnel syndrome!

Importing “Ugly” Data

dwright — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 10:47:48 +0000

eweisbrod

Perhaps this blog's title is a misnomer. When I refer to "ugly" data I don't mean the actual data, I am referring to the file format that contains the data, but "Importing Data With a Less-Than-Cosmetic File Structure" just doesn't have much of a ring to it.

The Chicken and Egg: Process vs. Test

dwright — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 12:44:43 +0000

jholmes

We've all pondered this question: Which came first, the chicken or the egg? While I'm fascinated by this question I won't bore you with my theories. However, I have visited many manufacturing sites and sometimes there is a little confusion on whether to collect data from certain processes using the Process or Test functions in the Data Entry Configuration. Which is best, Process or Test?

Quality System Integration: Closing the Loop with OPC

dwright — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 16:55:18 +0000

ckearsley

InfinityQS DMS and ProFicient DCS recently support new handshaking features that allow them to communicate at improved data rates. The Data Collection Service no longer needs to wait for the Data Management Service to publish new values.

But That's Not When MY Day Starts!

iqsblog — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 12:36:41 +0000

eweisbrod

ProFicient SPC Software offers a lot of great ways to select, filter and sort data. Users often take advantage of Part, Process, Test, descriptors and time to ensure they’re getting the data they need.

Who'll Stop The Rain?

iqsblog — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 20:41:49 +0000

rsloop

Did you ever take the time to stop and watch the rain? I’m not talking about a sprinkle, I mean a real downpour or as we say in the South, a “gully washer”. Ok, I’ll translate that. A “gully washer” means that it rained so hard that the ditches were overflowing. This is a serious storm where the rain falls in sheets so thick that it’s hard to see through.

Thankful for Quality

iqsblog — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 13:55:59 +0000

iqsblog

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, we asked our customers what they were most thankful for with regards to their quality control systems. Our goal at InfinityQS is to make our users' jobs easier and help them be more successful, so we wanted to know what they were most thankful for. Here's what they said:

The Elusive 2nd Signature

iqsblog — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 14:50:41 +0000

ssanborn

We’ve all experienced it from time to time-- one of your test results fails and you need to have your supervisor sign off on the subgroup. Or once you complete your setup, you need to have another operator or your supervisor sign off on the results. Essentially, you need to take the data you've captured in ProFicient to a higher level for approval.

Customer Success Video: Brooks Food Group

iqsblog — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 19:53:09 +0000

iqsblog

Continuing on our tour of customers' manufacturing facilities to view our quality control software in action, our next stop was Monroe, NC to visit Brooks Food Group.

A ProFicient Hidden Jewel: Serial to File Utility

iqsblog — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 17:50:12 +0000

kcahoon

If you have been using ProFicient’s COM port integration with Gage Server then you are probably like most users who have locally-connected devices from which data is read into your Data Entry Configurations in real-time.

Infusion 2011: Event Recap & Customer Video

iqsblog — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 15:25:24 +0000

iqsblog

Last week, we had our 5th annual user conference in San Francisco, CA. With over 100 customers gathering to learn best practices, share ideas, and receive hands-on training the conference was a huge success.

Getting More out of Quality: ASQ Certifications

iqsblog — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 20:25:44 +0000

dfair

You may have guessed it, but we take continuous improvement pretty seriously here at InfinityQS.

Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon-- SPC Style

iqsblog — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 13:50:10 +0000

rsloop

I just recently heard about the “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon” theory (thanks to Peter Goral). You probably already know the concept so I guess I’m a little late to the party. Anyway, the theory is that anyone in show business can be linked to Kevin Bacon through their film roles within six steps, or six degrees of Kevin Bacon or less.

Case Study: Wireless Data Collection

iqsblog — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 20:14:27 +0000

ssanborn

It sounds like such a great concept – using wireless connections to import gage data into ProFicient SPC. But how to implement it? To follow is a case study of a bottling company that I recently visited.

Quality Expo 2011

iqsblog — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 14:01:03 +0000

dfair

A few weeks ago, I was attended the Quality Expo in Chicago, IL. I was there to give a presentation on global quality management and also represent InfinityQS at our expo booth.

Customer Success Video: NorthStar Battery

iqsblog — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 13:51:05 +0000

iqsblog

Continuing on with our customer tour, our next stop after General Cable was NorthStar Battery in Springfield, MO.

Quality Goes Global at Infusion 2011

iqsblog — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 14:02:38 +0000

mlyle

With our 5th annual user conference less than a month away, I’d like to provide a “sneak preview” into one of the sessions that will frame many of the concepts and tools to be presented at this event.

SPC Software Powers Industry's Top Food Manufacturers

iqsblog — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 14:09:45 +0000

iqsblog

Food Processing magazine recently released its annual "top 100" list of food manufacturers. The good news is that the food industry is steadily growing, with 19 of the top 25 seeing an increase in sales in 2010, and 18 of them also improving profitability.

SPC Best Practices at Infusion 2011

iqsblog — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 17:49:21 +0000

iqsblog

Industry leading manufacturers will be presenting best practices for using SPC software at InfinityQS' fifth annual user conference this fall in San Francisco.

What's Hiding In Your Database?

iqsblog — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 13:27:01 +0000

rsloop

You are likely using your InfinityQS SPC database to collect a wide variety of data types for many different purposes. While this information might be collected in different locations and for difference purposes, there is probably some information that would be useful during another data entry or that may even be duplicated for another process.

Lean Six Sigma Enters the 2012 Presidential Race

iqsblog — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 15:32:08 +0000

mlyle

Did you hear Newt Gingrich discussing lean manufacturing in last night’s Republican Presidential Debate in Ames, IA?

Consistent to his approach as an "ideas" candidate he said: "They should institute Lean Six Sigma across the entire federal government. A hard idea for Washington reporters to cover, but an important idea because it’s the key to American manufacturing success."

Customer Success Video: General Cable

iqsblog — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 12:51:34 +0000

iqsblog

In my previous blog post, I shared a video that we shot at one of our customer's manufacturing sites, C-Axis. Our next visit was to Highland Heights, Kentucky where we met up with Rachel Humphrey, master black belt at General Cable.

Modifying Control Chart Sensitivity

iqsblog — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 14:04:31 +0000

dfair

Control limits are typically set at +/- 3 standard deviations for the statistic being plotted. That‘s how traditional Shewhart control charts have been constructed for nearly a century.

Customer Success Video: C-Axis Medical Devices

iqsblog — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 14:26:23 +0000

iqsblog

Over the past few months, we've been visiting our clients at their manufacturing facilities to talk to them about how they're using our SPC software. We were able to see our software in action and capture it on video.

Control Charts: Which One Should I Use? Part II

iqsblog — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 14:51:18 +0000

swise

Selecting the right control chart starts by knowing something about what you want the chart to say about the process – what questions do you want the chart answer?

Control Charts: Which One Should I Use?

iqsblog — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 13:54:32 +0000

swise

Control charts, ushered in by Walter Shewhart in 1928, continue to provide real-time benefits in today’s most modern factories. When first introduced, there were seven basic types of control charts, divided into two categories: variable and attribute.

Manufacturing Adds Value with Track and Trace

iqsblog — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 14:41:09 +0000

iqsblog

We've often talked about traceability in terms of the food supply chain and the importance of being able to trace ingredients back to the supplier. But what about the automotive industry? Just as important as the safety of the food we eat is the safety of the vehicles we drive every day.

The Tabular Cumulative Summation (CUSUM) Chart

iqsblog — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 14:06:29 +0000

dfair

Dr. Shewhart’s original control charts have been around for nearly 100 years. Since then, many different quality control texts have been written which highlight modifications to his techniques. Most of these enhancements have been born of the need to better support modern manufacturing methods and challenges.

A "Fresh" Perspective on the Food Supply Chain

iqsblog — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 18:16:13 +0000

iqsblog

ChainLink Research just came out with a new study on the most pressing challenges within the food supply chain. Not surprisingly, quality was high on the list:

Let’s See Your Toolbar Do This!

iqsblog — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 15:07:23 +0000

rsloop

The Situation: The shop floor operator is using a basic data entry project, such as the one shown below. When the operator finishes taking measurements for a lot, you would like for him to print out a certificate of compliance with minimum effort.

Dr. Douglas Montgomery: A Sampling of His Expertise

iqsblog — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 20:23:16 +0000

iqsblog

We recently announced that Dr. Douglas Montgomery will be the Keynote speaker at our fifth annual user conference, Infusion 2011, on October 16-19 in San Francisco.

The Top 3 Drivers For Supply Chain Visibility

iqsblog — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 19:49:38 +0000

mlyle

Over the past several years, we at InfinityQS have seen countless examples of manufacturers who are challenged to improve the quality of the materials coming from the supply chain. As a quality control software company, our mission to help customers improve product quality is no longer limited to the production floor.

Mobile Data Collection Extends Quality's Reach

iqsblog — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 12:46:16 +0000

dfair

This month's edition of Quality Magazine features an article I wrote about how mobile data collection technologies are extending quality systems beyond the plant.

ASQ World Conference on Quality & Improvement

iqsblog — Wed, 25 May 2011 15:40:31 +0000

rsloop

I spent part of last week working the InfinityQS booth at the 2011 ASQ World Conference on Quality and Improvement. I won’t go into the booth stories here, but I would like to share a few interesting things about the show. Well, they were interesting to me so I hope you find them as such!

CONTROL International Trade Fair

iqsblog — Mon, 23 May 2011 16:07:32 +0000

dfair

I recently returned from a week in Germany where I attended the 25th annual Stuttgart CONTROL show and international trade fair for quality assurance. There, our new channel manager, Michael Hines, and I jointly manned a booth with one of InfinityQS’ European distributors in Germany, STATCON.

Traceability in Food Manufacturing

iqsblog — Thu, 12 May 2011 20:18:03 +0000

dfair

A few weeks ago, I spoke at the Innovations in Food Safety Conference in Harrisburg, Pa. I was featured in the "Profiles in Innovation" session which highlighted mini-keynotes from three different perspectives in the food supply chain.

Predictive Analysis for Quality Management

iqsblog — Fri, 06 May 2011 16:23:49 +0000

iqsblog

A few days ago, Industry Week published an article titled Prescriptions for Supply Chain Success. The article focuses on building quality early in the process, instead of relying on "back-end testing".

Using Acceptance Sampling to Improve Quality

iqsblog — Wed, 04 May 2011 13:34:18 +0000

dfair

How do organizations confirm that supplier products comply with critical quality standards? For the most part, companies rely on inspectors to check incoming materials. Their results are compared with the company’s own quality standards and supplier-generated documents such as Certificates of Analysis (COA’s). Based on results, inspectors either accept or reject a shipment.

Food Safety Summit 2011

iqsblog — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 13:27:41 +0000

iqsblog

Last week, InfinityQS exhibited at the Food Safety Summit in Washington, DC. This two-day event provided food safety professionals with an opportunity to learn new strategies and discover new solutions for ensuring the safety of their products.

Quality Conference 2011

iqsblog — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 14:39:12 +0000

rsloop

This week I had the pleasure of attending the 2011 Quality Conference sponsored by Quality Magazine. The conference was held in Charlotte, North Carolina near the University of North Carolina at Charlotte campus.

Video: The ROI of an SPC Software Solution

iqsblog — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 15:28:35 +0000

swise

In February, I gave a presentation to attendees of the Pacific Design & Manufacturing Show. This event took place in Anaheim, CA and attracted manufacturing professionals from thousands of companies. My presentation was titled "Quality Management Strategies that Slash Costs and Reduce Waste".

Here is a video recording of my presentation:

Toolbar Tip

iqsblog — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 13:48:35 +0000

joneal

Anyone who has participated in the InfinityQS Fundamentals Training class in the Chantilly office probably has heard me say: “I love toolbar buttons!” This week, I discovered a new use that has been present the whole time – I just didn’t know it.

Food and the Fed

iqsblog — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 20:24:56 +0000

dfair

I just returned from an FDA meeting in Silver Spring, Maryland. There, I attended an open meeting entitled FDA Food Safety Modernization Act: Title III – A New Paradigm for Importers. FDA members were the primary presenters, and they focused on the newly passed laws meant to enhance food safety.

It's Out of Control

iqsblog — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 14:41:28 +0000

rsloop

In my last blog, we discussed the importance of using control limits that are calculated from a true measure of the process variation. Now that we have the correct limits, we can use them to monitor the process behavior.

Paper, Paper Everywhere

iqsblog — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 20:12:51 +0000

dfair

In the last year or so I have visited lots of manufacturing plants including packaging, medical device, electronics, consumer goods and commercial food manufacturers. One thing keeps cropping up at each one of my visits: In addition to using InfinityQS software products, most companies rely on paper-based systems for collecting data. Lots of data and lots of paper.

The Story Behind the Logo

iqsblog — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 15:44:10 +0000

iqsblog

The decision to change our corporate logo was not made lightly. InfinityQS has a reputation as the industry leader in real-time SPC solutions, so making a change to a well-established brand involves an element of risk.

Where Are Your Control Limits?

iqsadmin — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 22:10:38 +0000

rsloop

It’s 10:00pm; do you know where your control limits are?