Product category:
Measurement and Quality Software and SPC
News Release from: IdeaGen Software | Subject: WorkBench Professional
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 21 June 2004
Software Ensures Smooth Production At
Moeller
WorkBench Professional from IdeaGen enables Moeller to meet IS0:9000:2000 Quality Management Standard, in particular clause 7.6, which covers the 'control of monitoring and measuring devices'.
Moeller Manufacturing, a UK-based switchgear manufacturing plant at Worksop, which is part of the Moeller Electric Group, produces over 1.5 million rotary camswitches and switch disconnectors every year, ranging from 20 to 100 amps - 80% of which are exported overseas Apart from buying in screws and springs, Moeller produces more than 80 million components annually for its product range, manufactured on-site using injection moulding and metal pressing machines
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 22 Mar 2005 at 8.00am (UK)
Related stories
Quality moves into investigation techniques
Avon and Somerset Constabulary's Scientific Investigations unit has made sinificant advances thanks to Workbench Professional.
Environmental Policies Provide Business Benefits
Workbench software from IdeaGen provides companies with the electronic administrative tools to raise internal awareness of policies and strategies.
In order to maintain smooth and constant production of its products, and to try and avoid equipment breakdowns and manufacturing bottlenecks, the company systematically tests and calibrates, at regular intervals, all of its plant equipment.
To control the whole process Moeller use WorkBench Professional, a process and standards management software system from IdeaGen Software.
WorkBench Professional's recently upgraded Test and Calibration module specifically tracks the use and testing of equipment within a plant, and enables Moeller to meet IS0:9000:2000 Quality Management Standard, in particular clause 7.6, which covers the 'control of monitoring and measuring devices'.
Further reading
Test rig takes on any gearbox
Westland Transmissions in Yeovil has installed a new flexible transmissions test rig (FTTR), as part of a GBP9 million investment that is being used to test helicopters.
Airport gets 99% read rates on bag tags
Manchester Airport is achieving a very high read rate thanks to its investment in Accu-Sort's Model 24i baggage scanning arrays.
In essence, the system holds a complete history file on every piece of equipment, including test schedules for recalibration, test failures and even the physical location of equipment so that it can be easily and quickly recalled for test purposes.
According to Alan Nightingale, Quality Administrator of Moeller Manufacturing, "In terms of maintaining a smooth production flow, we are able to synchronise test schedules with our daily production plans so that we can minimise stoppages for calibration as a result of faulty, or untested tools and unforeseen equipment breakdowns.
With our previous system, it was difficult to track equipment, but with WorkBench, we can trace the equipment to a department as we have a code number for each piece of calibrated equipment." He added: "Also what we have in the Test and Calibration module are test devices which we put through our test machines to prove that the test machines are working correctly.
These devices have known built in faults, which check the test machines.
The devices are calibrated at regular intervals and the results are stored within the module." What has further helped Moeller is a new "Withdrawal" facility that tracks every item of equipment that has been withdrawn from use.
That way the equipment doesn't appear on the test schedule, but is logged as having been withdrawn and not in use.
Apart from providing Moeller with fast and accurate tracking of equipment, WorkBench has also benefited the company with substantial administrative savings, whereas with the previous system, controlling the testing and calibration of equipment would have taken up most of the time of two personnel, now the tasks have been decentralised and form a minor part of the workload of four Quality Technicians.
• IdeaGen Software: contact details and other news
• Email this article to a colleague
• Register for the free Manufacturingtalk email newsletter
• Manufacturingtalk Home Page
Search the Pro-Talk network of sites
