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Quality Management System (QMS)
Plex Manufacturing Blog
Will It Go Round in Circles?
Many have heard the 1972 song by Billy Preston called Will It Go Round in Circles?It was a catchy tune, but if you listen to the words, you realize the singer had no idea if his suggestions would work or “go round in circles.”Others have wondered the same thing about a more recent trend called the circular economy. Since its conception, most have considered the concept aspirational rather than…
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Digital Building Blocks for Leadership
Manufacturers inevitably begin with operational efficiency, cost reduction, and process improvement during the foundational stages of a digital journey. Beyond that, the tendency is to retain vestiges of traditional thinking that “wall off” other functional areas as separate from the production focus....
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Contents May Settle, But You Don't Have To
Everyone has experienced the disappointment of opening a bag of chips or crackers and looking inside only to see half-empty space. Often, the product contains the cryptic warning "Caution: Contents May Have Settled."Visually, this isn't very pleasant, but everyone knows the content volume is the same. It's just the space between the products affected by the journey from factory to retail shelf.…
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Digital Building Blocks for Sustainability: Part 1
Sustainability. It has such a simple definition, yet it has become diluted and obscured in many ways when companies try to implement it as part of their business model.The definition of sustainability for business and development is well established by the UN World Commission on Environment and Development. This definition states: “Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of…
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Digitization: Taking a Deep Dive into Improving Quality
Spending time outdoors is more fun when you have access to a pool. Games, good food, and spending time with friends are all better when water is nearby. As people get more comfortable in the water, they start to swim and dive, taking their fun to another level.But some seem to get stuck in the shallow end of the pool. They may make a splash and cool down a bit, but while others are learning to…
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Quality From Top to Bottom – Highlighting the New Plex “Quality Management for Dummies” eBook
Traditional manufacturing required as much art as science. Settings were done with gear ratios, levers, and calipers. But modern companies can no longer run their production that way. Fortunately, today, digital settings and automated recipes allow incredible precision for production processes.That same digital precision available to run production is now used for managing quality. For forward-…
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Where Did My Audit Data Go?
Modern manufacturing is complex. It requires proven, repeatable processes to ensure that finished goods are produced efficiently and defect-free. Regular audits to monitor and assess production processes are also critical to maintaining high quality....
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Where Did My Scrap Go?
Manufacturers can build a strong operational supply chain that transforms their company by building a robust digital foundation for manufacturing processes. It allows them to streamline production processes and improve efficiency at lower costs than competitors.While implementing software to address manufacturing inefficiency, many companies miss an unseen backdoor access that creates scrap and…
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Where Did My Quality Go?
Many people only look at production operations to assess quality within an operation. But quality is imperative across all departments within manufacturing. Production processes, inventory management, maintenance, and the demand and supply planning process are all critical components of quality management.However, there are two different approaches for businesses regarding these processes -…
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Beating the Devil in the Details
Imagine driving down a dark road at night. You're cruising along, listening to the radio, and suddenly, your engine dies. You look down and see the “Check Engine” light as you ease to a stop on the side of the road.If your car is older, the technology on board may tell you nothing other than that your engine has a problem. If you're lucky, and your car's onboard technology is a bit more advanced…
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