Digitization of Quality Assurance—QUIPSY’s Core Competence

Digitization has long since made its way into the manufacturing industry. Yet, ironically, it is precisely in quality assurance where media breaks still frequently occur: inspection orders are printed out, measurement values are recorded on paper or transferred to Excel, and then evaluated manually. This results in a loss of valuable work time! However, the real challenge of quality assurance lies not only in the measurement itself. It also involves getting the right information to the right place at the right time. Which parts need to be inspected? Which characteristics need to be measured? Which inspection plan applies? Which testing equipment should be used? When must inspections be conducted? Who needs to be notified of deviations? And how are all the results subsequently compiled into complete and analyzable quality documentation? How do I get an overview of the current quality status, recurring problem areas, potential opportunities for improvement, and cost drivers? The larger a company grows, the more time is spent each day on precisely these organizational tasks!

Digitalization Means Information Logistics

Digitalization is often equated with the elimination of paper. In reality, however, it involves much more than that. Digital quality assurance ensures that information is automatically generated where it is needed and reaches the point where it must be analyzed without any manual intermediate steps. Test orders are no longer searched for or assigned. Measurement values no longer need to be transferred. Results are available to all authorized parties immediately after they are recorded. Media breaks are eliminated, duplicate entries are avoided, and information does not need to be maintained multiple times. This transforms many individual work steps into a seamless digital process.

The real time savings occur before and after the measurement

The actual measurement of a workpiece often takes only a few seconds or minutes. The organizational effort involved, however, is frequently much greater. Inspection plans must be prepared. Inspection orders are routed to the correct workstation. Measurement results are documented, transferred, consolidated, and evaluated. If any anomalies are detected, the responsible parties must be notified and follow-up processes initiated. All of these tasks take time—and at the same time present numerous opportunities for data entry errors, delays, or incomplete documentation. This is exactly where QUIPSY® CAQ comes in. Instead of merely recording measurement values, the system handles the entire information logistics process for quality assurance. Inspection orders are automatically generated. Operators receive exactly the inspections required for their current order. Once an inspection is complete, the results are immediately available centrally. Quality managers no longer need to collect lists, transfer data, or prepare reports—the information is already available in a complete and consistent format. This significantly reduces the organizational burden while simultaneously improving data timeliness and quality.

Integration Instead of Siloed Solutions

The benefits of digital quality assurance are particularly significant when it does not operate in isolation. By connecting to existing ERP and production data acquisition (PDC) systems, QUIPSY® CAQ automatically receives all the information needed to carry out quality processes. Production orders, items, batches, or production reports do not need to be re-entered. As soon as a production step or an order requires an inspection, it is automatically triggered and made available to the responsible workstation. Likewise, the inspection results are immediately returned electronically upon completion of the inspection. Manual feedback and duplicate data entry are completely eliminated. This results in end-to-end digital processes without media breaks. At the same time, sources of error are reduced and the response speed throughout the entire quality process is significantly increased.

The quality manager defines the goals—QUIPSY® CAQ manages the process

Modern quality assurance means not having to organize every single inspection manually. The quality manager determines which characteristics are to be inspected, which inspection strategies apply, and under what conditions inspections must be carried out. FMEA, the control plan, and inspection planning form the technical foundation for this process. QUIPSY® CAQ then handles the operational and logistical implementation. The system ensures that inspections are automatically triggered at the right time, that the necessary information is available at the respective workstation, that measurement values are fully recorded, and that all results are consolidated centrally. Deviations become immediately apparent. Key metrics and analyses are available in real time at all times. Communication between production, quality assurance, and the connected systems is largely automated and occurs in near real time. This creates a quality process that relies not on manual coordination but on digitally controlled workflows. As the person in charge, you have central control thanks to aggregated “live” information from manufacturing, incoming and outgoing goods, test equipment management, and complaint management.

Managing Quality Instead of Managing Information

The actual role of a quality manager is not to constantly assign inspection tasks, collect measurement reports, and consolidate data from various sources. Their role is to manage quality. QUIPSY® CAQ handles the organization of information flows in the background. The system orchestrates inspection processes, communicates with the relevant systems, provides employees with the necessary information, and consolidates all results into a reliable basis for decision-making.