Horizons International

Feature Set

The Quality Essentials Suite from Horizons International is designed to support manufacturers in collecting and measuring their quality performance data throughout their manufacturing operations so that it is accessible for analysis and reporting in a timely manner.

• Reduce compliance costs by quickly recording test values for environmental requirements (temperature, moisture content, etc.) or for products (height, weight, silicon %, etc.) during your manufacturing process.
• Efficiently manage QA processes with tests linked to items, processes or places in your manufacturing environment.
• Achieve faster process improvements by monitoring corrective action based on real time recording of data.
• Minimize overhead costs of quality by reusing test instructions while defining item specific conformance requirements.
• More rapidly meet and manage customer specifications for quality with version control of acceptable item criteria.
• Cost effectively improve accuracy and reach of traceability by attaching batch control numbers to serial numbers for lot processes.
• Support cost optimization in blending processes with expanded lot attributes.
• Reduce user licensing with .Net application that helps make everyone a member of the Quality Team.
• Reduce cost of providing customer related Quality data by eliminating need to transcribe and update values from paper records.

Data Values

Materials and environmental data values can be defined and recorded, ensuring that this module serves the complete needs of the manufacturing quality process from purchase materials receipts through customer returned materials and all levels of manufacturing activity. Data is recorded against a defined test id which can be multi-valued if a data value is required for each item. The tests can also be applied on a sample size or total pass/fail basis. Multiple tests can be linked for a single inspection event, creating greater levels of efficiency and reducing data setup and management costs. Acceptable test results are based on item criteria rules that are version controlled to support process improvement goals.

Driving out waste to drive quality in and costs down.

Improving profitability in tough economic times means finding the waste in production processes and effective quality control techniques are critical to the success of this effort. While there is cost to quality, preventing errors is still more effective than fixing them later, so diagnosing and evaluating the results from quality control programs in a timely manner is a key contributor to successful diagnosis. Software tools, such as Horizons Quality Essentials Suite, that will cost affordably allow operators to record control data and obtain criteria evaluation right at the point of operations, can support both prevention of errors and delivery of customer requested documentation of that data.

Efficient data collection and reporting improves customer confidence.

Globally manufacturers are under increasing pressure to document sources and standards of their materials for their customers. The overhead of data transcription from manual or non integrated processes, along with the accompanying possibilities of errors in the those process can affect not just bottom line costs but reliability of performance and therefore customer satisfaction. Real time data entry processes that take place in all of the affected functions of manufacturing, whether it is raw materials receipts or in production processes, not only reduces cost by eliminating transcription but also enhances data reliability and customer confidence.

Moving from manual to electronic management of non conformance system speeds process and product improvements at lower costs.

While every effort is made to ensure consistency in production processes and source materials there will still be some level of non conformance. Dependence on manual systems for non conformance, use of decentralized spreadsheets and physical layouts all contribute to high costs of managing the process. With Horizons Quality Essentials Suite all non conformances are generated electronically, have status, responsibility assignments and expected actions so that there can be end to end visibility of processes and results. Non conformances are tied directly to inspection failures, whether at raw material receipts, returned goods or on the production floor, which helps reduce the cost of managing quality while providing centralized views of areas and products impacted. Everyone on staff has visibility to failure areas and can react and plan more efficiently with real time accurate data.