Le Bourget is the international meeting place for aeronautics and space.

From 16 to 22 June, join us at stand C91 (Hall 2b) at the Paris Air Show.

We will be happy to discuss your workshop digitisation projects with you and show you our latest digitisation solutions for Industry 4.0.

The CT Infodream stand at the 2023 Paris Air Show.

The International Paris Air Show is organised by SIAE, a subsidiary of GIFAS, the French Aerospace Industries Group.

The 55th edition of the Show will take place at the Paris-Le Bourget Exhibition Centre in June 2023 and will once again bring together all the world’s industry players to discuss the latest technological innovations.
The first 4 days of the Show will be reserved for Professionals followed by 3 days for the General Public.

Before going into detail, let’s look at what the acronym SPC stands for. And what is SPC software?

Some theory on SPC

SPC stands for Statistical Process Control. It is the statistical control of processes (or Maîtrise Statistique des Procédés (MSP) in French).

Okay, but in concrete terms, what is the SPC?

This technique became very popular in the mid-1980s in the American car industry.

The main objective of the SPC is to reduce scrap or rework rates by anticipating non-quality through continuous production quality control and sampling.

For a given industrial production, producing parts on which measurements are made, the SPC will consist in carrying out, at regular intervals, the following steps:

1. Take a sample of parts from the production (e.g. 5 parts)
2. Measure the characteristics of this sample (e.g. height, width and length of my part)
3. Calculate the average and range (max-min) over my 5 pieces for each of my characteristics
4. Plot these values on time charts called control charts
5. Apply statistical laws that allow me to know the behaviour of the total population of my parts, even if I only process samples
6. In the event of an alert, investigate the causes and take corrective action if necessary
7. Start again at step 1

Among the alerts, we will notably detect the exceeding of control limits (which are tighter than the tolerance limits) and the drifts that show that a process is deteriorating.

For more information, read our article on SPC alarms (or alerts).

Anticipating non-quality

We can see that we can then react to the manufacturing process before manufacturing non-conforming parts.
Non-quality is then anticipated, and not suffered a posteriori.

This technique can be applied to any manufacturing process, whether you manufacture small or large series, whether you do 100% inspection or sampling.

It can be seen that the potential gains from applying this methodology are enormous.

Initially initiated by the automotive industry, for which it was vital not to measure all the parts (because of the very large production runs), the technique gradually spread to other sectors such as the medical and aeronautical industries, and more generally to the manufacture of parts with very high added value.

In the latter case, all parts continue to be measured, but thanks to the SPC technique, control can be lightened, and reducing the rate of non-conformity means reducing the number of reworkings, concessions etc.

Qual@xy SPC, Infodream’s SPC software, has been developed with this in mind, i.e. SPC software should be accessible and of interest to all.

Qualaxy SPC, the reference SPC software

Thus, the advanced functions of Qual@xy SPC make it possible to control the activities of:

• Large series
• Small series
• Serialized and non-serialized parts
• Multi-cavity process
• Control by attributes
• Assembly with traceability according to EN9100
• Automatic management of control reliefs
• For medical: FDA 21 CFR Part 11 compliance

As new professions, new practices and new standards emerge, Qual@xy SPC software evolves to follow users in their continuous improvement efforts.

Learn more about Qual@xy SPC

The Smart Factory, an immersive showroom to discover Industry 4.0!

Ready for a journey into the factory of the future?
Then come and discover CT Infodream’s Smart Factory, in Aix-les-Bains, French Alps.

The Smart Factory is an interactive showroom, a unique immersive journey in which you will work in the shoes of a 4.0 operator.
A unique experience to understand what a MES (Manufacturing Execution System) is used for and how to use it concretely in your factory.

Listen – Learn – Discover – Build – Analyze

What our visitors say:

We had the privilege of discovering the Smart Factory, in the shoes of the operator throughout the product manufacturing process. Each workstation has its own real time monitoring tool and digital means to carry out its work in the best possible conditions.

This serious process plays its role perfectly in understanding the interest of such a software suite, in a totally immersive and playful way!

Testimony of Bénédicte Granier and David Consigny – Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Entreprises

Do you have any idea what Non-Quality costs your company?

If so, you are now certainly convinced of the need to monitor this indicator within your quality approach, as it represents a significant source of savings.

If not, this article aims to summarise some of the main methodological concepts for initiating this approach within your company.

Non-Quality: what are we talking about?

Let’s start at the beginning: here are three ways to define Non-Quality:

1/ For H. J. Harrington, Non-Quality includes :

• Direct » non-quality costs, i.e. those borne directly by the company: control procedures, human resource skills training, product rejects/removals, etc. These types of costs, which are concrete and easily identifiable, are the most easily monitored.
• Indirect » non-quality costs, which are more difficult to measure because they are borne by the customer (damage to image, complaints, etc.)

2/ The AFNOR, through a dedicated study, distinguishes between Non-Quality and Non-Performance: the first refers to product non-conformities, while the second refers to shortcomings linked to the organisation’s management.

3/ Finally, at Infodream, we offer three components of Non-Quality :

• Product non-conformity: characteristics out of tolerance (scratching, tightening torque, etc.)
• Application non-compliance: non-compliance with procedures, unforeseen and damaging workshop events (obsolete tracking form, lack of qualification, etc.)
• Regulatory non-compliance: failure to meet a legal, normative or customer requirement (poorly positioned marking, non-existent traceability field, etc.)

How to measure Non-Quality, and why it is so difficult?

According to AFNOR, while 92% of companies consider it necessary to measure non-quality, 20% of them do not know how to measure it. Beyond the figure itself, the reasons for this obstacle are just as interesting :

• technical difficulties related to the definition of the scope and the choice of indicators
• lack of time to add these new tasks to the existing tasks of the actors concerned
• difficulties in uniting employees around this subject, or even in legitimising it within the company.

The NFX 50-126 standard

Despite these difficulties, the NFX-50-126 standard proposes a methodology for detecting and calculating the costs linked to non-quality. Although a little old, its guidelines are still relevant today for identifying cost items :

• Costs of internal anomalies, linked to product quality defects during the manufacturing process (scrap, rework, defective raw material, absenteeism, etc.)
• Costs of external anomalies, linked to product quality defects as a result of the manufacturing process (complaints, penalties, refunds, etc.)
• Detection costs, linked to the verification of product conformity (payroll dedicated to controls, depreciation of equipment, dedicated subcontracting, etc.)
• Prevention costs, linked to the continuous improvement process (supplier evaluation, audits, dedicated administrative workload, etc.)

Finally, how much does it cost me?

The question of the cost of this non-quality is essential, especially for companies that have not yet initiated this evaluation process.

Obviously, the results can be very different from one company to another.

Nevertheless, here are three key ideas to keep in mind on this aspect:

1/ Estimated order of magnitude:

• The first studies on the subject (dating from 1986) indicate a minimum cost of 2,500 euros per year per employee.
• Then, in 1991, the Mouvement Français pour la Qualité (French Movement for Quality) estimated the costs of Non-Quality to be around 15% of companies’ turnover.
• Nowadays, the AFNOR study reveals that for 53% of companies, the cost of non-quality is between 1 and 5% of turnover (for 34% of them, this cost amounts to more than 5% or even more than 10%).

2/ Costs according to the phase of detection: another method of evaluation consists in dividing them according to the phase during which the anomalies are detected. According to Guy Couturier, the cost is:

• 1 € if the defect is detected during the design phase
• 100 € if the defect is detected during the manufacturing phase
• 1000 € if the anomaly is detected by the customer
• And how much in case of an accident?

3/ Finally, it is wise to seek to prioritise improvement actions rather than to eradicate defects completely. Indeed, the human, organisational and financial efforts required are probably too high in relation to the additional benefits obtained by a prioritisation approach.

To get started

If you are now convinced that it is in your company’s interest to initiate a Non-Quality assessment process, here are some ideas for identifying the information required:

• look in the general or analytical accounts (purchases of raw materials, supplies, payroll, etc.)
• check administrative, technical or commercial documents (non-conformity reports, rejected quantities, follow-up of customer complaints, etc.)
• ask, through the organisation of surveys or direct questioning of knowledgeable staff.

But also and above all, rather than suffering the costs of this non-quality, have you ever thought of looking upstream in order to avoid its appearance? Indeed, solutions exist to monitor, manage and control your industrial process:

• MES (Manufacturing Execution System): it allows, among other things, the digitisation of tracking sheets;
• SPC (Statistical Process Control), ensures the control of your production for real-time detection of drifts (anticipation of manufacturing defects);
• Dashboards, to help you visually manage the performance of your workshops.

Sources

• AFNOR survey, The costs of non-quality in industry (October 2017)
• Blog of Guy COUTURIER MC Management
• H. J. Harrington, Le cout de la non-qualité Ed. Eyrolles (January 1990)

When we talk about manufacturing execution systems (MES), we often imagine a heavy tool, requiring long and laborious deployment timescales and not necessarily adapted to the flexibility and reactivity required by small to medium size enterprises (SME).
What if you were told that the MES contributes to the flexibility of SMEs and that it is an important tool to achieve operational performance and efficiency ?

The missing link in the digital continuity between the supply chain and manufacturing, the MES has become the structuring solution for the industrial ecosystem – industry 4.0.

However, let us be realistic, as with any subject of this scope, its implementation requires a project organization including the analysis of the real needs, definition of a cross-functional team, identification of KPIs, budgeting, etc. In short, a process that will have the inevitable result of frightening SMEs and raising two key questions:

• 
Is this the right tool for us?
• Are we able to easily manage it?

Is this the right tool for us?

To the first question, we believe the MES is the real conductor of the workshop, and thus the only guarantor of the availability of the right information at the right time in the right place.

Defined through the ISA95 standard, an MES must contain defined functional solutions which aim to bring benefits according to quality, delivery, costs.

Thanks to the MES, communication between people, machines and software will be more dynamic, faster and more reliable thus allowing real-time reactions.

A process that drifts, a bottleneck, a cycle time penalized by an operation, a machine more frequently broken down than others, a stop due to a component shortage.

All these hazards will be logged, quantified, analysed and monitored over time. The agility so often talked about will be possible: load transfer, priority change, reassignment of machines.

But short-term reactivity will not be the only benefit. Indeed, longer term analysis will be possible thanks to the centralization and standardization of data: design review, analysis of downtimes, scrap, etc.

Are we able to easily manage it?

To the second question we believe that the implementation of an MES is accessible to all, even small companies that do not necessarily have the means to commit a large team for months at a time.

To do this, it is necessary to proceed in stages, targeting a precise scope and deliverable at each phase in order to achieve a well-defined goal that is understood by all. Progressing according to real added value of the functionalities deployed will make it possible to observe their returns immediately and to confirm the project ROI.

Setting up an MES should not be a forced or suffered decision, but a decision voluntary and desired. In this context, the project can be carried out by an SME as well as large companies and the benefits obtained will be very rapid.

As you will have understood, the benefits are so important that the only question that you have to ask yourself is «When do we start?»

Frédéric Henrionnet
CT Infodream

Who is Safran Ceramics ?

Safran’s centre of excellence for high-temperature composite materials, Safran Ceramics is a strategic centre for the Safran Group’s work in the field of aeronautical equipment.

Located in Le Haillan (suburb of Bordeaux) in a new building of 9800 m2 fully connected, Safran Ceramics is a modern centre bringing together all R&T activities dedicated to ceramic matrix composites (CMC*) for aerospace.

CMCs can improve the performance of aircraft engines and thus reduce fuel consumption. These materials tolerate higher operating temperatures than current metal alloys (superalloys) and are lighter.

How did Safran Ceramics hear about Infodream?

By Infodream’s response to a call for tender. On the other hand, the production manager was already familiar with the Qual@xy Suite and its possibilities. In fact, he was the driving force behind the project after the choice of Infodream had been made.

Why did you choose Infodream?

Among the respondents to the call for tenders launched by Safran Ceramics, an audit was carried out.

The differentiating elements that guided our choice are :

• The simplicity of the solution
• The autonomy allowed by the software
• The price

Simplicity

The first characteristic sought was simplicity. Without a dedicated department to install the tool and train employees, a turnkey solution was needed that was simple to set up, configure and use.

Simple to be flexible. Flexible for more freedom and autonomy.

Autonomy

Methodists have a lot of freedom to change processes. They do not need any coaching. The initial training showed them how to use the tool, how to set up the product and the process. It’s very simple, no IT development is needed to modify a process, everything happens at the parameterisation level.

Once you provide operators with a simple tool, they quickly adopt it and actually use it on a daily basis.

Price

Finally, the price was also a differentiating factor, with a factor of 3 compared to some competitors whose solution requires the permanent presence of a person for several days to set up, configure and make the necessary adjustments. And this has a cost…

The choice was made in a collegial manner with the head of the production department, the head of support and the head of the other departments.

How were the teams prepared for the change?

By raising awareness and training the configurators. It was the configurators themselves who trained the operators.

How have they accepted this new tool?

Very positively. The staff have up-to-date ranges, and this saves them from having to record the data twice. The interface is user-friendly and the teams find the software easy to use.

Which user profiles work with the tool?

Workers, technicians and engineers.

Do you configure or modify the software yourself or do you use Infodream?

We are generally autonomous, but sometimes we call on Infodream’s support team.

For example, for questions relating to the configuration of ranges or things seen in training but which, due to lack of practice, have been forgotten.

What are the benefits of managing shopfloor skills & competencies?

Clearly there are regulatory requirements for specific job roles are but there are also other benefits for the operations team. This article will explore what these benefits are and how they can be achieved using Qual@xy MES.

Skills, authorisations and certifications

Let us now define what skills, authorisations and certification are.

Skills Competence

Competence is the ability to transpose acquired knowledge for the accomplishment of one or more tasks in a particular field.
It is a « business » concept, specific to each plant or department. It is often supplemented by a level of competence such as: beginner, intermediate or expert.

For each operation, the skills matrix displays the number of operators with expert, intermediate or beginner levels.

In industry, skills can be developed through training and mentoring (transfer of know-how).

Authorisation

The authorisation indicates an aptitude and a legal authorisation to carry out an activity in complete safety.
The aptitude is validated by following a training course, both theoretical and practical, and by an individual assessment of the knowledge acquired.
Following an individual assessment, a jury grants legal authorisation – in accordance with the legal texts – to carry out an activity.
The authorisation is often valid for a period of time.

Example of authorisation: Certificate of Operator Safety Competency.

Certification

Certification is a title or diploma awarded by a competent authority (a high authority, an institution or a school).
A vocational certification attests that the holder has acquired, through training and/or work experience, the competences, skills and knowledge necessary for the exercise of a profession.

Certification provides greater professional recognition to the holder.

Examples of qualifications: Youth Training, BTEC, etc.

What are the benefits of skills management?

For the operator

Competence monitoring motivates and values production workers.
As a sign of recognition, a certain loyalty to their employer can be expected. This tends to reduce turnover.

For the manager

In times of crisis, holidays or ramp-up, staff absences are less noticeable because they have less impact on production.
The replacement of absent operators is facilitated by anticipating the necessary operator skills.

For industry

In a highly competitive industrial world, the more competence is developed, the less the industry is threatened.
This is particularly true of new technologies that lead to new behaviours and changes in production processes.
Thus, with the increase in skills, the capacity to adapt also increases.

What are the benefits of managing authorisations and certifications?

For the operator

The management of authorisations and certifications validates skills, both internally and externally. It enhances the value of operators, increases their intrinsic value and therefore their employability.

For the manager

Since the personnel are qualified for the tasks to be performed, the autonomy to carry out the operations increases, and accidents at work decrease.

For industry

The customer is reassured by the certifications held by a supplier. This is a guarantee of the seriousness and quality of the future product delivered.
The supplier, for his part, obtains recognition from his customer. And this generates a climate of mutual respect and trust.

In general, maintaining a high level of competence can be a way of developing mentoring in the company.
It is about an experienced operator sharing their knowledge and experience with a colleague who is new to the job.

Whether we are talking about competences, skills or certifications, they all tend to give more visibility to the human resources department.
For example, when it comes to managing a continuous training plan.

All of these benefits should boost team morale and ultimately improve productivity.
In addition, multi-skilling gives a positive impression of decompartmentalisation of workshops and production areas.

Fears and concerns about multi-skilling

We have just seen that there are many benefits. However, the misuse of skills and competences can lead to disappointmentt.
Indeed, the costs of learning to become more competent can be high in relation to the intended purpose and its actual day-to-day use in the workshop.
The operators present may be called upon to intervene on levels lower than their now recognised level, which may lead to disorganisation and frustration.

Conclusion

Good management of skills, certifications and authorisations therefore has several advantages:

For production operators, it means better visibility on their career. They know their place, their strengths and weaknesses, and what training they need to do to progress. They are also more competitive.

For the HRD and managers, targeting areas for improvement is made easier. Everything is centralised in the same database. They can both modify it according to the departures and arrivals of employees, or their increase in competence.

For the company, it leads to greater efficiency in production management. There are fewer line stoppages, better anticipation, etc.
The company is more serene. The quality of production improves, costs fall and this offers more prospects for everyone.

At a glance, you can see whether an operator is competent to perform an operation, and at what level (beginner, intermediate or expert in this example).

Which tool to use for multi-skilling?

Do you want to digitise your skills processing but don’t know which tool to use?

In the age of Industry 4.0, we can agree that the solution is digital. But will you be satisfied with an Excel file? Will you invest in a dedicated HR solution?

At Infodream, we believe that this is a matter for the production tool, as close as possible to the operators. This is why we have included all the necessary functionalities in our MES solution: the Qualaxy Suite.

Non-conformity, defect, rejection, anomaly… whatever the name, it’s always a production nightmare.

Whether it is critical, major or minor, non-conformity must be dealt with before it impacts the production. And the M.E.S. is a formidable tool for this.

No, anomalies, YOU WILL NOT!!!!

Qualaxy software suite: the saviour of ano(malies).

Or how to control your industrial processes.

Do you recognise yourself in this heroic posture, calliper in one hand, waste bin in the other, fighting relentlessly to avoid delivering non-compliant products?

If so, it means that you are part of the anomaly community.

Let’s speak frankly. Don’t you think your time would be better spent if you could concentrate on the essentials? If so, you might be interested in discovering 5 benefits of our Qual@xy Suite, Infodream’s MES for Industry 4.0:

Control your batches with statistics

You are guided in the control of the batches received from your suppliers. The software helps you to decide whether it is in your statistical interest to accept or reject them. But you also have the possibility of automatically increasing or decreasing the level of control per characteristic as the controls are carried out. In accordance with official and/or in-house standards…

Digitise your work instructions

Your work instructions are digitised. No more paper sheets stored in a binder at the foot of the machine, never consulted or updated. The software shows your operators, guided step by step, the work instructions. They are illustrated by a clear and precise medium (text, image, video or pdf). This way, your operators are not likely to miss any steps or interpret the procedure to be carried out. This guarantees a constant level of quality in the workshop. And you can be sure that your process, always up-to-date, is understood and respected.

Follow the capability of your machines

You monitor the capability of your machines through a module for acquiring manually or automatically controlled measurements. You can thus anticipate the progressive drifts of your process and make the necessary adjustments before producing non-conformities.

Set up alarms for corrective actions

If a non-conforming value is entered or statistical deviation is detected, the software generates an alarm and notifies a group of users. Causes and corrective actions can be assigned to these alarms. In this way, you can carry out a detailed analysis and implement good practices as part of a continuous improvement process within the workshop. In addition, the handling of non-conformities can be organised through a simple and efficient decision-making workflow*: acceptance as is, quarantine, retouching… These are examples of decisions, traced out, which you can take according to the rights specific to your profile.

Display your key performance indicators

To efficiently manage your workshop, the software displays your workshop’s performance indicators in a dashboard. It is a clear and customisable « quality weather ». All the statistical indicators necessary to monitor your process in the medium / long term are provided: Cp/Cpk, Pp/Ppk, TNC, GCP, Normality, % HT, stability…

In short, the Qualaxy Suite is a ready-to-use software package that ensures that your industrial process is carried out correctly. But also to anticipate and treat the causes of non-conformities before impacting your production. Finally, you can share all this reliable information in real time with the users concerned.

Do not hesitate to contact our teams if you would like to see a video demonstration.

CT Infodream

French speaking.

Target audience: Quality manager, production manager, workshop manager

Would you like to :

• Deepen your knowledge of incoming inspection;
• Discover progressive inspection to save time on your inspections by limiting the number of parts measured as much as possible, while ensuring the same results.

Webinar description:

After introducing the concept of inspection in industry (incoming inspection, inspection at the start of production, inspection during production, release inspection), we explain what the ISO 2859 and ISO 3951 standards are and how they apply to inspections.

Finally, we develop the notion of progressive inspection, to help you save precious time on your inspections, without neglecting quality.