Welcome to NWA SPC Update, a newsletter from the world's leading provider of SPC software, featuring the latest solutions from NWA and SPC-related news in manufacturing and the laboratory.

NWA Quality Monitor Version 2.3 Now Shipping

Version 2.3 of NWA Quality Monitor, the solution used by world-class manufacturers to automate plant-floor data collection, standardize workflow procedures, and provide real-time detection and alarming of actual and/or potential problems is now shipping.

This version of the industry's most powerful and flexible test station data collection software includes several important new capabilities.

New Capabilities

• Advanced Alarm and Exception Features
  Quality Monitor 2.3 adds the capability to call external programs on alarm conditions, use user defined sound generation, and use email alarming.
• Enhanced Database Integration
  Quality Monitor 2.3 can now dynamically read specifications, product or lot information and data from other workstations and ODBC-compliant databases, and combine it into a single record. Quality Monitor 2.3 can also write directly to multiple tables within the same database.
• Ability to Link Test Stations
  Quality Monitor 2.3 supports direct data links between test stations. Data collected at one station can be automatically transmitted to another station for calculations or integration into a complete data record. This allows Quality Monitor to effectively monitor multi-component manufacturing processes. For example, when assembling a multi-ingredient frozen food entrée, operators can use the weights from the addition of the last component as the tare value for the next addition.
• User Interface Enhancements
  Quality Monitor 2.3 has added significant user interface enhancements including a "Quick View" display of previous results, logic functions in calculations, full screen layout control, and dynamic picture display where the picture displayed can be keyed to another value such as product ID or SKU.

For more information, see What's New in NWA Quality Monitor 2.3?

Example Payback Calculation

Quality Monitor plant floor test stations are an integral part of production control projects that provide high returns and typically rapid paybacks on investments. It is useful to examine the economics of process monitoring projects to justify them and also to determine if the project worked as planned.

In one example, a pet food manufacturer realized annual cost savings of $435,739 and payback of 10.7 days when they implemented a Quality Monitor plant-floor fill-weight data-collection system.

View payback calculation

Special Offer: Quality Monitor Custom Data Input Screen

From now through September 26, 2003, NWA is offering first time Quality Monitor buyers a free customized data input screen design. To help you get started, we will take your data and workflow and design a customized data input screen that optimizes the automation of your data collection process. Call your account manager or click here for details on how to take advantage of this new offer.

For more information about Quality Monitor 2.3
NWA Sales: 1-503-224-7727 
Toll-Free: 1-888-NWASOFT 

View Quality Monitor Input Screen Offer

Upcoming SPC Training

Applied SPC with NWA Quality Analyst

Date:  September 30-October 1, 2003
Location:  Chicago, Illinois

Register now for the upcoming SPC training, "Applied SPC with NWA Quality Analyst." This is a course built on solid, in-depth understanding of SPC methods and techniques. It is designed to help you get more from SPC in your quality program. This class will cover all the basic functionality of Quality Analyst and specifically how you can use it to manage and improve your processes.

To register, call Lynn Theis at 503-224-7727. Or for more information click here.

Industry News

New Developments in Food Processing Safety and Purchasing Depend on SPC

The Institute of Medicine of the National Academies of Sciences has released the publication Scientific Criteria to Ensure Safe Food. As with previous publications from the National Academies, this publication is expected to have a significant impact on the future of food regulations in the United States. Congress, through the Food and Drug Administration and the USDA/Food Safety Inspection Service, requested that the National Academies conduct a study on the recurrent controversy regarding the scientific basis of food safety criteria.

This study accomplished the following objectives:

• Defined the terms "performance standard" and "performance criteria."
• Evaluated the scientific basis for existing criteria.
• Defined the science-based process to establish food safety criteria.
• Examined whether current criteria accomplish what they purport to accomplish.
• Reviewed the need for performance standards as measures of process control.
• Recommended changes for improvement.

For more information, see The Future of Food Regulations.

USDA Announces School Lunch Program Vendor Certification Requiring SPC

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Marketing Service (USDA AMS) has released Technical Requirements Schedule GB-2003 for the purchase of ground beef for the National School Lunch Program. We are honored that NWA Quality Analyst was used to develop this specification.

With TRS GB-2003, USDA AMS has established a state-of-the-art vendor certification program which will significantly contribute to the food safety and quality of the National School Lunch Program. TRS GB-2003 requires the meat processor to use SPC to demonstrate that they have developed and are maintaining a stable process that is capable of meeting food safety and fat content specifications.

For more information, see Supply Chain Management in the Purchase of Ground Beef.

SPC Insights

Control Limits vs. Specification Limits

Quality management programs often confuse the roles of control limits and specifications. This Tech Note outlines the correct use of control limits and specifications and how to avoid making mistakes by confusing the two.

View full article

Quality Monitor Workstation Network Configuration Options and Their Advantages and Disadvantages

Quality Monitor Workstation can be configured to operate in a variety of network environments. Each configuration offers trade-offs between ease of administration and backup versus performance and reliability. This Tech Note discusses the configuration options and their various advantages and disadvantages.

View full article

Which Control Charts to Use?

Need help deciding which control chart to use to view your data? This Tech Note outlines how to choose the correct chart. Decisions are based on the data type, e.g. variable or attribute data and sampling issues such as subgroup size. Also, what is the role of specialized control charts such as Cumulative Sum?

View full article

Events

TOTALSupplychainOnline Conference

Jeff Cawley of NWA, Steve Olson of USDA Agricultural Marketing Service, and Lovalekar Tushar and Charles Kraynik of Koppers Industries will discuss the role of process quality management and reporting in managing supply chain costs and performance.

The seminar will focus on the following key areas of Supply Chain Cost and Process Management that challenge manufacturing executives:

• Defining Critical Supplier Capabilities and Potentials
• Certifying Preferred Vendors
• Global Web-based Supply Chain Management Systems
• Monitoring Supplier Performance Metrics

The objective of this program is to provide the audience with a look at the end-to-end performance elements that make supply chains more competitive.

Register now at www.totalsupplychain.com/TSCExpo/Sept03/

American Association of Cereal Chemists (AACC) Annual Meeting

For more information, visit www.aaccnet.org/meetings/2003/ 

© Northwest Analytical, Inc., all rights reserved. NWA Quality Monitor, NWA Quality Monitor Supervisor, NWA Quality Analyst, NWA Quality Analyst Web Server, NWA QAx, and NWA SPCx are trademarks or registered trademarks of Northwest Analytical. *All other company and product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of those respective companies.

Northwest Analytical (NWA) is the leading provider of SPC software with more than 50,000 licenses shipped to over 5,000 companies. NWA software is recognized for its ease-of-use and ability to integrate with other software and systems. The NWA SPC software suite includes plant floor data collection and supervision, enterprise-wide charting and analysis, web-based reporting and embedded SPC.

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