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Guardus Brings the Future of ISO MES Key Performance Indicators to the Forefront at the IT & Business Trade Show in Germany
GUARDUS adds supplier performance indicators and trend analyses to its KPI dashboard
For GUARDUS Solutions AG, the 2010 IT & Business Trade Show in Stuttgart, Germany represents the perfect opportunity to add a new dimension to its Key Performance Indicator (KPI) collection. In addition to the German Engineering Association (VDMA) 66412 standard definition, the GUARDUS Manufacturing Execution System (MES) also provides a multitude of supplier KPIs such as Parts Per Million (PPM), ABC analyses, and delivery reliability and quality.
The new analysis indicators represent GUARDUS’s ongoing quest to fulfill its process philosophy: All quality and production-relevant data from the operational processes are to be efficiently provided online from one source. Besides internal KPIs such as Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE), First Pass Yield (FPY), or Process Capability Values, upstream quality and production-relevant factors can be evaluated in detail. Moreover, the KPI system allows the display of performance indicators trends. Thus, the users can visualize the detailed evolution of a KPI over periods of time, which informs them of the impact of applied corrective actions. The result: a closed quality loop—“Plan-Do-Check-Act.”
Andreas Kirsch, leader of the DIN working group for MES and member of the Executive Board of GUARDUS, is a further highlight of the trade fair. On October 26, Mr. Kirsch will speak about new trends in the MES performance indicators field as well as the next milestones in international norms for standardized indicators.
The GUARDUS MES integrated database, which provides all quality and production-relevant data as well as all their connections in real time, represents the basis of the new analysis dimension: “supplier performance indicators.” Another important element is the complete traceability of purchased parts and raw materials along the production and assembly chain. Thus, the upgraded KPI system is able not only to provide cross-company MES indicators along the supply chain but also to offer new possibilities in GUARDUS KPI methodology. This methodology provides the root causes for analysis and troubleshooting due to deviations in quality, resource, product, and process indicators. For example, if the scrap rate is too high, the GUARDUS MES user checks whether the quality problems are caused by material defects in incoming goods and whether the material was also used in other products. If so, the user can immediately intervene in the production process. Moreover, the new analysis dimension of “supplier performance indicators” allows access to further detailed information about the respective supplier and the initiation of corresponding corrective actions. The effectiveness of these actions can be verified due to the new trend analyses of GUARDUS MES, which indicate whether the affected performance indicator has adequate value.
The KPI Methodology of GUARDUS
The KPI methodology of GUARDUS is based on the following philosophy: an isolated performance indicator cannot support the continuous improvement process of a company. For the quality loop “Plan-Do-Check-Act,” it is necessary to determine the cause of an issue and to define and control the subsequent actions.
Therefore, the KPI methodology transforms the MES performance indicators in efficient control instruments. During workshops, the generic analysis path of the GUARDUS MES performance indicators system will be adapted to the customer’s demands so that the evaluation and interpretation of the KPI may directly reveal the root cause. The result is the immediate identification of problems in products, processes, or quality; the efficient definition of corrective actions; and the control of those actions’ effectiveness due to trend analyses.