In today’s era, with rise in use of Information technology, customers have extensive information on vendors and ready access to competitive products like electronic quality management system (eQMS). These days, there is no surprise when a customer tracks product issues and eliminates a manufacturer with low prices from its vendor list due to poor quality ratings. This new breed of customer appreciates and demands an emphasis on product quality.
This demand from global regulatory bodies as well and they have created a need for Enterprise Quality Management System. The only way for manufacturers is to keep pace with customers’ ever-more stringent quality demands is to connect this technology of quality assurance. The secret to successful manufacturing is to implement robust enterprise quality management systems that not only satisfy customer demands but also can operate enterprise wide in line with current standards requirements with alignment of regulatory bodies.
Quality managers have long been utilizing quality control systems, including statistical process control, production part approval process, failure mode effects analysis and document control. But these systems traditionally have been stand-alone applications. Although these individual applications have been publicized as complete electronic quality management system (eQMS), they cannot meet all quality objectives for data collection and information sharing required for today’s complex manufacturing processes. The major limitation of these quality control systems has been their inability to provide effective links to integrate with other enterprise management systems and there are lot of gaps in manual system.
With current information technologies, a new breed of quality management software has been developed with the ability to integrate quality software applications with other business enterprise systems. Companies now can select the ERP systems and quality management applications that best meet their needs, integrating them into one enterprise management system. Integrating the quality management system with the ERP system can significantly impact profitability and create a complete enterprise quality management system. Such integration minimizes the time and efforts associated with data entry by transmitting information that entered one component throughout the enterprise system. With the help of integrated quality management system, the application provides online access and automatic cross-referencing of data stored within each system component. And by linking this data into automated reporting systems, management can make decisions to improve the quality processes.
It is very much important to wisely evaluate the enterprise quality management system before implementing to make sure that it best suits your existing and future needs. An improper match may lead to decrease in operation’s efficiency and profitability. The quality management system must not only provide the basic functionality of quality control but also should complement your existing business enterprise systems.
Below are the key points which needs to be taken care while evaluating any quality management system (eQMS):
Customers’ expectations of quality continue to increase, and they are demanding more dynamic platform where the quality processes can be modified according to the business and global regulatory needs. Also, it must integrate seamlessly with their existing enterprise management system. The only way that companies will survive and prosper in such an atmosphere of customer-driven demand for quality is to invest in the technologies which necessary to produce the quality products. Manufacturing companies must utilize software systems that not only meet quality control objectives but also manage quality data in a manner to improve the Quality processes. Those companies that integrate their quality management system with the existing enterprise management systems will lead both in product quality and in connecting the information needed to continuously improve quality processes