Next Steps for Digitalized Quality on the Frontline
Manufacturers looking at replacing paper-based quality processes are being presented with a much broader and more effective set of technologies than ever before.
On a recent manufacturing plant tour, I came across that stack of paper that seems to be ubiquitous on make to order manufacturing lines. The hard card, or traveler or build book, has many names. And while computerizing quality management is no longer news, spending on eQMS was almost $10 billion last year and is forecast to grow at a rate of over 10% annually, that stack of papers always seems to be hanging around.
That paper is a stark contrast to the digital focus of Industry 4.0 initiatives. A Boston Consulting Group studied the use of Industry 4.0 digital technologies to transform traditional quality programs. They referred to this as Quality 4.0. Highlighting technologies such as digital twins, predictive analytics, sensors, vision and electronic feedback loops, the study showed the emerging connection between quality processes and manufacturing automation. But the study also emphasized the growing need to include a focus on frontline workers and their skills.