Quality management 24/7 – issues & improvement potential
Feb 01, 2021
A push notification appears on Muhammad
Ashraf’s mobile phone. It reports that there is a variation in the CVm level at
his mill. Ashraf calls his foreman to inform him, so he can take immediate
action. The problem is quickly identified and fixed – thanks to the Alarm
Center function with Uster Quality Expert. It gives round-the-clock monitoring
of vital processes in the mill, and keeps management constantly informed of any
issues.

In the case outlined here, the fault was
rapidly pinpointed to a mix-up of bobbins at the Sangzor spinning mills in
Uzbekistan, where Ashraf is General Manager. Ashraf has been using the Uster
Mobile Alerts app for three months. Sangzor exports yarns to Pakistan, Turkey,
Russia and China, and all its customers naturally expect to receive exactly the
quality they specified. Ashraf knows the value of quality in keeping customers
satisfied. It’s a top priority, so he likes to be informed of any deviations –
whether at his desktop in the mill or on his mobile phone when he’s out.
The
value of staying connected
Spinners around the world share a
combination of requirements: controlling quality through immediate actions,
while improving productivity and minimising waste. Uster understands this need
– and has responded with the Alarm Center, one of five Value Modules included
with Uster Quality Expert. The Alarm Center prompts early intervention in
quality issues. Key processes are monitored, and performance is displayed on a
dashboard. It allows spinners to recognise problems at a glance, enabling
immediate reactions.
Smart algorithms and in-built Uster
Application Intelligence ensure reliable alerting. The Application Intelligence
embedded in Assistant Q can immediately recognise issues, with no need for
configuration by the spinner. Users receive problem-solving suggestions, and
can also expand the knowledge base with actions they enter themselves. The
learning system grows according to customer needs and ensures that relevant
know-how is retained in mills.
The Alarm Center is also available on a
mobile app, for quality management that is independent of time and location.
There is no limit to the number of app users with one Quality Expert system.
Mobile Alerts can be used by as many staff as required, to suit the mill’s
organization of processes and responsibilities. Since the launch of the
standalone version of Uster Quality Expert, the community of Uster Mobile
Alerts app users has grown more rapidly. Uster Quality Expert Standalone
connects Uster quality testing and monitoring instruments and leverages their
value towards significant profitability gains. With the new standalone version,
a relatively small investment means cotton spinners can quickly optimize
quality and profitability at the same time.
Alerts
– negative, positive and customised
Mobile Alerts shows critical issues and the
Alarm Center provides negative alarms as well as positive ones. That means it
points out quality issues but also suggests potential improvements. Ashraf
says: “I very much appreciate the positive information, as improvement is part
of the game. If you don’t improve you will stay behind.” With the latest
release of Uster Quality Expert, alarms and improvements are listed separately
for fast focus on serious issues – and for making quality managers easily aware
of so far unnoticed improvement possibilities.
The mill for which Ashraf is responsible
started operation 14 months ago with almost all new machines. He’s sure that
the Mobile Alerts app will become even more important to him over time, as
parts begin to show the first signs of wear. But he is already feeling the
benefit of the app, especially for its performance, design and
user-friendliness.
The facility to preselect which alarms to
receive is another well-appreciated feature of Quality Expert. Users can
customise and activate or deactivate the kind of alarms, or the area of events,
they want to get as push messages.
Make
it a better life for spinners
Before the introduction of Uster Mobile
Alerts, it was more difficult for spinners to see alarms. Now, quality
management has become both safer and easier, as issues can be identified and
located immediately. Problem-solving guidance is also another popular feature,
as the app proves its worth across different staff groups, such as lab
personnel, maintenance managers and all who share responsibility for
professional quality supervision.
“Thanks to Uster quality assurance systems,
textile spinning gradually becomes easier,” Ashraf says. “I enjoy Uster Quality
Expert. It gathers and analyses our online and offline results and keeps
sending quality alerts and exceptions with possible root causes displayed
graphically on my mobile phone 24/7 – and it’s good news that Uster Quality
Expert expands its insightful analytics with valuable intelligence as each
additional instrument is connected.”