Real-time SPC for process monitoring and visualization

Product Definition

From the plant floor to the corporate office, NWA Quality Analytics Server™ delivers real-time SPC-based process and operational intelligence to the entire organization. The NWA analytics engine integrates data from existing manufacturing databases to supply dashboards with role-specific decision support information.

NWA QAS delivers the right information to the right person at the right time to alert them – in real-time – when any part of the operation is not performing as expected. The result is immediate and effective decision making and process corrections that improve throughput, lower costs and increase profits.  Organizations can change their process management and control procedures from reactive to predictive, identifying potential problems before they affect quality and costs.

Functionality

• Integrates data from all databases including Process Historians, LIMS, Quality Systems and MES
• Role-based dashboards display the status of Key Quality Indicators inreal-time
• User displays include visual alarms, exception reports, and SPC charts with one-click drill-down
• Rapid deployment means NWA QAS can begin delivering real-time analytics in a single day

Features/Benefits

Role-specific, real-time dashboards

NWA QAS delivers role-specific dashboards which present the right information to the right people at the right time.  Each dashboard can monitor Key Quality Indicators from multiple sources in real-time.

Alerts can be based on specifications, SPC limits, trends, or unusual patterns.

Instant access to exception reports, drill-down capability, and SPC charts to deliver the information needed to make the right decisions at the right time.

Comprehensive SPC analytics

NWA QAS delivers the full range of SPC charts and analytics provided by NWA’s award-winning Quality Analyst product - in real time.

Direct data retrieval from all data sources.

NWA QAS integrates data from virtually any manufacturing or process database, including:

• ERP
• MES
• LIMS
• Process Historians
• Data stored in SQL Server, Oracle, DB2 [Question - do you want DB2 still? - DD], etc.
• Access, Excel, and others

Our use of industry-standard connectivity simplifies the integration process and delivers stable, robust connections. 

NWA QAS uses data from the original sources and does not store any data itself, resulting in a simpler and more efficient system and reducing IT investment and administrative overhead.

Scalable process/performance management to match system resources

NWA QAS can be configured for a wide range of applications, from smaller local systems to full-scale enterprise solutions.  This allows pilot programs to be quickly scaled up to plant-wide and multi-plant implementations.

The core NWA QAS Service is multi-threaded and can be distributed to match performance requirements with available system resources.

Fast implementation, simplified administration

NWA QAS combines a straightforward data model with easy-to-use configuration tools to deliver fast implementation with no programming and minimal IT support. 

Pilot installations can deliver working dashboards in less than a day.   A complete implementation for a large facility can take less than a week. 

Virtually all routine administration tasks can be performed by the user community.  Combined with a small footprint and adherence to standards, NWA QAS requires minimal support or investment from corporate IT.

The NWA QAS Advantage

NWA QAS is cost effective and easy to implement and maintain. Dashboards can be operational throughout the company within days. Additionally, this manufacturing intelligence solution can be easily expanded to keep pace with process management and improvement initiatives.

With its unmatched ability to integrate with any data source (Historians, LIMS, MES, ERP); NWA QAS requires no data duplication or additional databases. Data access is instant and the analytics are real time.

Like all NWA products, NWA QAS installation and maintenance places minimal demand on IT systems and staff and allows responsibility for ongoing changes to reside where it should – with the users. NWAQAS is able to easily work with existing databases and leverage the data already being collected into easy to understand and act upon dashboards.

Role-Specific Capabilities (sidebar)

Control Room/Production Line

• Displays status of Key Quality Indicators from multiple sources in real-time
• Speeds batch or lot approval by closing the loop between line operators and test labs
• Collects Assignable Cause & Corrective Action information at the source

Process Engineering

• Provides supervisory oversight of multiple processes
• Supports Six Sigma and Continuous Process Improvement initiatives
• Identifies potential problems before they affect quality or costs

Laboratory

• Instantly communicates test results to operators and process managers
• Adds value by including  context and meaning with the data
• Identifies and communicates problems with instruments and methods

Production and Operations Management

• Delivers visual displays of Key Indicators for process reviews
• Provides plant-wide overview of product quality and process efficiency
• Generates alerts for compliance and specification failures

Corporate Management

• Delivers analytics-based status reports for KPIs
• Facilitates multi-facility reporting for best practices and benchmarking
• Enhances communications with plant personnel in solving problems