SQM

Supplier Quality Management

A systematic way to ease and validate supplier quality.

Overview

A Robust, Comprehensive Approach to Supplier Quality Management on an Enterprise Scale

Supply chains for complex manufacturers are extensive and difficult to manage. To optimize performance, manufacturers must carefully track how each supplier is contributing to their enterprise. Are suppliers causing problems or enabling success? Solumina Supplier Quality Management software can determine the answer by monitoring and responding to changes in supplier performance on an enterprise scale.

Gains Driven by Solumina SQM

Improved communication with suppliers
Continuous improvement in supplier performance
Ability to measure and compare supplier performance

Continuous improvement in design and production
Healthy competition among suppliers through accountability

Solumina SQM by iBase-t

Get visibility and control of supplier products before they reach your shop floor.

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Introduction to SQM

What Is Supplier Quality Management?

Supplier quality management is the measure of a supplier’s ability to deliver their goods or services. It is used to audit supply chain quality and identify the root cause of any issues.

For complex discrete manufacturers, suppliers are so involved in production that they are essentially part of the manufacturing enterprise. SQM software provides the level of visibility and communication needed for suppliers to contribute their specific knowledge in the design process, creating a proactive, collaborative approach to the most consistent delivery of high-quality finished goods.

Supplier management is an ongoing process that requires continuous optimization to maintain top performance. The benefits are fully realized once companies have built a relationship of shared expertise and resources. Beyond just components, suppliers can also provide specialized design and development services.

SQM Is More Than Just Quality Inspections

SQM software provides centralized communication with suppliers. It creates a framework for collaborative supplier quality and eliminates the problems caused by email and paper-based communication. A well-designed SQM solution delivers more than on-spec parts. It can reduce the frequency of inspections, which saves time and money while yielding higher productivity. As suppliers show sustained performance and reliability, SQM relaxes the inspection requirements.

Features

What Are the Key Features of Solumina SQM?

Solumina SQM by iBase-t is a best-in-class supplier inspection planning and execution system.

Solumina SQM provides a robust, comprehensive approach to Supplier Quality Management on an enterprise scale. It enables visibility and control of your purchased products before they even hit your shop floor – so you can decrease cycle times while increasing productivity, traceability, and quality.

Additional key features of Solumina SQM include:

Inspections

Solumina SQM employs dynamic state switching for inspections. Based on real-time supplier KPIs, it scales testing frequency according to supplier performance. As a supplier’s quality performance improves, lot sizes lower and quality procedures become less stringent. If performance declines, SQM tightens inspection procedures and increase lot sizes. This ensures adequate testing to maintain quality without extraneous QA. It also introduces competition into the market for an improved value chain.

Compliance

Solumina SQM can improve visibility into compliance by providing the capability to query real-time supplier status, constraints, and history records for all related processes and activities. This includes processes such as online verifications and characteristic data collection for inspection orders. SQM is a key tool for dealing with modern compliance regulations.

Non-Conforming Material Report (NCMR)

NCMRs are used to document material issues so that the party responsible for the material disposition is notified of the problem. Users can then rework, repair, or scrap the materials as needed. With Solumina SQM, manufacturers can access any supplier’s history of NCMRs and use that information to assess overall supplier quality.

Corrective and Preventive Actions (CAPA)

Once a material issue has been identified, the next step is Corrective and Preventive Actions (CAPA). The Solumina closed-loop CAPA process helps reduce issues by more accurately isolating the root cause and providing the integration needed for a cross-functional team to resolve them. For manufacturers required by the FDA to document all CAPA processes, Solumina SQM creates historical records for every CAPA process that occurs during production.

Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP)

APQP helps manufacturers keep up with today’s stringent quality standards by providing a framework for focusing on product quality early in the design process. For any manufacturer with an Industry 4.0 initiative, APQP is a key source of data. It identifies potential areas of failure and uses that information to plan quality to support any weaknesses. APQP empowers the manufacturer to implement successful new product introductions and take a proactive approach to quality.

Production Part Approval Process (PPAP)

PPAP ensures part compliance and associated changes throughout the value chain. It first focuses on the verification of the design and production processes used to produce the part. It then begins a trial run where the production control plan is released and monitored. Final quality process control plans are then implemented, and production can commence. Together, APQP and PPAP create a proactive approach to product quality by bringing it into the initial design process.

Measurement System Analysis (MSA)

MSA is a key tool to analyze variations in inspections, measurement, and test equipment. Solumina SQM software ensures that the variation in inspections is minimal. During the measuring phase, it collects data accurately, using the same measurements to provide contextualized data. Accurate measurement data is a top priority because it will influence decisions regarding the business or production process. Solumina SQM ensures that all measurement systems are accurate and consistent.

Statistical Process Control (SPC)

SPC can be used to monitor internal processes and eliminate any issues. It provides important statistical information to be used during process improvements. Solumina SQM employs contextualized data collection to control and optimize any business process using statistical analysis.

Extending Quality Throughout Your Value Chain

Because of its far-reaching impacts, SQM should be a key component of any Quality, Six Sigma, or Industry 4.0 initiative and should be a central consideration as enterprises look to digitally transform their operations. Solumina SQM extends quality control throughout the value chain, improving not only quality, but all aspects of operations from production efficiency to system integration, customer satisfaction, and overall profitability.

Featured Resource

“SQM provides a complete paperless system for defining, managing, communicating and verifying product specifications and requirements with suppliers.”

Brochures

Solumina SQM Brochure

Solumina Supplier Quality Management (SQM) by iBase-t is an integrated, dynamic system that helps you efficiently define, communicate, manage, and verify product requirements with your suppliers.

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Benefits

Benefits of Solumina SQM

By closing the loop on supplier quality management, manufacturers can expect to see many positive results in areas such as:

Reduced manual management tasks
Improved component parts quality
Minimized inventory in receiving inspection
Lower sourcing and warranty administrative costs

Supplier ownership of process strengths and weaknesses
Minimized need for third-party contract inspection
Reduced inspection and audit oversight cost
Quicker issue disposition and corrective action

Leverage Closed-loop Quality Management

Closed-loop quality management means providing a centralized process for corrective and preventive action (CAPA) for non-conformances, which avoids communication issues that can arise from siloed departments. Without centralized communication between departments, time can end up being wasted on unnecessary quality inspection processes.

Require Closed-loop Supplier Management

Closed-loop supplier quality management ensures that suppliers have robust quality assurance processes in place and that the performance is visible. In turn, this drives higher supplier quality performance than can be achieved by testing alone. Fewer issues will arise during manufacturing, and you can scale down the number of inspections needed to maintain a high rate of quality.

Latest Resources

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