What is Statistical Process Control Software?

Introduction

Manufacturing firms use statistical process control (SPC) software to collect quality control information for statistical evaluation. By capturing this data, manufacturers can identify and address quality concerns before they bloom into costly issues. SPC can be utilized for end-products as well as individual components to ensure their performance is within specified criteria.

In addition, SPC can be applied to manufacturing machines and tools to improve their output. This process assists to minimize scrap rates, and the amount of components that are required to be assessed and replaced during maintenance. As a result, you can decrease the chances of unscheduled downtime and machine failure.

SPC software enables you to collect information in real time and get alerts about any results that are beyond the accepted range. The platform thus helps to decrease production costs, enhance manufacturing efficiency, and minimize process variation.

SPC software typically offers the following functions:

Real-time tracking and alerts. The platform aids to pinpoint quality issues as they happen so you can rectify them quickly before they escalate into major concerns. To facilitate this, the application constantly tracks production information to notify the quality team the moment an issue is identified.

Long-term data capture and assessment. To provide long-term benefits to companies, SPC software aggregates historical information, enabling evaluation and optimization of procedures and quality enhancement.

Features of Statistical Process Control Software

Tracks process quality.

Immediately signals anomalies or problems spotted in workflows during data gathering.

Dispatches violation information to an event record or notifies operators to input information like possible reasons, annotations, and rectification actions.

Offers data to justify alterations in procedures.

Provides support to process capability and process performance assessments compared to product tolerance.

Allows you to simultaneously display and update several SPC graphics in real time, including histograms, charts, box plots, standard, amplitude and average deviations, evaluation bands, traffic light chats, and others.

It facilitates easy data collection utilizing spreadsheet-like screens.

Automatic data reading through integration with coordinate measuring machines (CMMs) and measuring instruments.

Presents a framework for scenario simulation.

Permits the utilization of real-time data to track, forecast, and make improvements online to make sure of production consistency and quality.

Allows data stratification, leveraging indices, defects, characteristics, and causes, in graphical or tabular evaluations.

Preserves a record of all important system information for regulatory compliance and auditing purposes.

Benefits of Statistical Process Control Software

Reduces Costs

SPC software assists to control and reduce production or manufacturing expenses. It allows you to monitor product quality and catch defects before the product is delivered to customers. For instance, inefficient SPC costs car manufacturers an enormous sum in reworking cars to resolve the issue. By effectively using SPC software, they can trace and fix the problem in the manufacturing plant itself. In addition, SPC software also helps to minimize rework and scrap expenses.

Enhances Customer Satisfaction

Every company wants to become a reliable partner to their clients and meet or exceed their expectations. For instance, spare parts suppliers need to deliver quality spare parts at affordable rates to car manufacturers to retain their business. They can use SPC software to facilitate this and ensure client satisfaction and loyalty.

Minimizes Manual Inspections

By using SPC software, you can detect and correct errors in the manufacturing stage and make products more quickly without needing manual assessments. This scenario applies especially to the FMCG and food and beverages industries which need to ensure their products are up to stipulated quality standards. These sectors can leverage an SPC platform to gather and evaluate the required data to enhance the overall operational/manufacturing efficiency.

Improves Operational Efficiency

SPC charts show the statistical data for tracking manufacturing quality in the form of graphs. The application identifies and displays unusual workflow variations so producers can test for different cases/causes. Manufacturers can use this statistical information to analyze their products in real time, set manufacturing baselines, maintain control over the baselines, enhance the production process, spot imperfections or flaws, and rectify them without depending on assumptions or guesswork.

Boosts Productivity

Without an SPC solution, problems/defects can be recognized only after the production procedure. This means you need to stop the entire manufacturing process to find out the reason for the problem and correct it which can take up a lot of time and effort. By using SPC software, you can catch production issues during manufacturing and repair them by shutting down only the concerned production line.

Further, you can divert the work flow of the problem area to a backup manufacturing assembly line to maintain constant production. This enables you to ensure the required output even as the problem production area is being repaired. After the rectification work is done, you can remove the backup assembly line and resume normal production.

Decreases Warranty, Rework, and Scrap Claims

Uniformity and consistency are other key advantages of SPC software. It enables product makers to consistently manufacture products of the same size and quality day in and day out. For instance, soft drinks manufacturers need to ensure all the thousands of bottles they produce every day taste the same. SPC software enables manufacturers to make uniform and consistent final products, whether they make one or a thousand units per day. The platform aids manufacturers to adhere to tightly formulated specifications so they can assure product quality and decrease RMA and rework numbers.