In some cases, the right software can be a differentiating business factor. In the case of Quality Calibration Services Inc. (QCS, West Allis, WI), its in-house calibration software gives the company a business advantage, says Bill Hangartner, president/owner of Quality Calibration Services Inc. “It puts us at a different level,” he says. The company’s copyrighted software, developed four years ago, works in real time and gives customers the option to view or purchase gages, and change a calibration date or frequency. It also has different levels of hierarchy so managers can assign access rights and levels of security. “The software helps take some of the burden from the quality engineer to help monitor his costs,” notes Hangartner, who says quality personnel want the software to make their lives easier. Instead of simply managing gages, it should give them more time to work on preventative issues.
Therefore, the software is continually developed into a more elaborate and user-friendly system. “Everyone has their own little idiosyncrasies on how their shop is being run,” Hangartner says, which leads to customization requests. Though his IT staff is an added expense, this allows the company to customize the software, which helps both QCS and its clients.