The software solution, in Sechan’s view, gives them a manufacturing operating system that fulfills their long-held strategic ambitions – and not just for real time control. They use the electronic data captured to calculate their DPMO levels and drive quality initiatives for continuous process improvement. All activities are supported by the software’s automatic generation of standard reports, and custom reports can usually be produced in a few minutes. Additionally, reports triggered by real time events have proven extremely useful in ensuring that all personnel are notified immediately of any event affecting them. Sechan’s Aegis environment now extends to over 75 licenses covering NPI, manufacturing, inspection, test and quality functions for their entire production area. The company has also implemented Aegis xLink technology to electronically capture data from Viscom AOI and AXI systems as well as flying probe and in circuit test equipment to complement their manual data collection. The Aegis installation covers Sechan’s 120,000 square foot facility, which now houses three surface mount lines, one wave solder and one selective solder process. Production activities include circuit card assembly, cable and wire harness assembly, and electro-mechanical assembly.
This environment of extensive manufacturing information and ‘on demand’ paperless reporting contrasts greatly with the setup it replaced. Data from the previous QA system was weak, with limited reference pointers. Deriving reports was a cumbersome exercise, with no drill down or useful data provided. These drawbacks made driving process improvements difficult and time consuming.
The software is regarded by Sechan as a comprehensive, well-integrated system that accomplishes their goals in an easy and user-friendly format. Personnel from their Manufacturing Engineering, QA and IT departments participated in the implementation effort, using phone support from Aegis when small issues arose. Sechan feels that Aegis has always been quick to investigate any such issues, resolving these with appropriate fixes. Aegis deployment engineers assisted with the initial training for, and implementation of automated report generation, xLink connections with the AOI and test systems, and general system checks as needed in an efficient, cost effective manner.
Sechan’s Quality Management system is in full compliance with AS9100:2009 and ISO 9001:2008, with demonstrated CMMI Level 3 capabilities. In the future, Sechan intends to make further use of Aegis in refining its quality environment. Dashboards will display production and quality metrics as actionable data for the operators on the factory floor. The company also plans to expand the capture of other critical quality and test data to further reduce the number of disparate data sources in the factory; reports and metrics will become available from one integrated manufacturing solution.
