Whether using ERP and MES systems, or even Excel, many manufacturers rely on data from numerous disparate sources to provide them with the information they need to create a quality product. Often, one piece of the puzzle is missing: a centralized quality hub that collects and analyzes data from these various sources using statistical process control (SPC) principles.
The American Society for Quality (ASQ) defines total quality management as “a management approach to long-term success through customer satisfaction.” Without a doubt, customer satisfaction has evolved from merely a good practice to become the driving force behind the philosophy of total quality management. Factors such as stricter regulatory compliance and the customer’s ability to leverage product quality as a competitive differentiator contribute to the need for total quality management. With the ability to collect and analyze real-time data in a single repository, or centralized quality hub powered by SPC, manufacturers can obtain true manufacturing intelligence, and therefore achieve enterprise-wide, total quality management.