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Lori, one of our customers, phoned to ask if Cpk is the best statistic to use in a process that slits metal to exacting widths. As a technical support analyst, I too wondered what index would be best suited for her application. Perhaps Cpk, Ppk, Cpm, or some other index offers the best means of reporting the capability of her product or process. Each of these capability indices can be calculated using software such as SQCpack.
Lori’s process capability index, Cpk, has never dipped below 2 and typically averages above 3. Given this high degree of capability, she might consider reducing variation about the target. While the Cpk and Ppk are well accepted and commonly-used indices, they may not provide as much information as Lori needs to continue to improve the process. This is especially true if the target is not the mid-point of specifications.
Cpm incorporates the target when calculating the standard deviation. Like the sigma of the individuals formula, compares each observation to a reference value. However, instead of comparing the data to the mean, the data is compared to the target. These differences are squared. Thus any observation that is different from the target observation will increase the standard deviation.
As this difference increases, so does the Cpm. And as this index becomes larger, the Cpm gets smaller. If the difference between the data and the target is small, so too is the sigma. And as this sigma gets smaller, the Cpm index becomes larger. The higher the Cpm index, the better the process, as shown in the diagrams below.
We can use Lori’s raw data to provide an example of how Cpm is calculated:
In a process with both upper and lower specifications, the target is typically the midpoint of these. When such a high degree of capability exists, one may want to ask the customer if the target value is ideal. Lori should check with her customer to determine if he or she wants a small shift toward one of the specifications. Regardless of the target in relation to the specifications, the focus should always be on making the product to target with minimum variation. Cpm is the capability index that accurately depicts this.
Reference: L.J. Chan, S.K. Cheng, and F.A. Spiring, “A New Measure of Process Capability: Cpm,” Journal of Quality Technology, Vol.. 20, No. 3, July, 1989, p. 16.
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Take I-94 East to exit 204. Merge onto M-39 North/Southfield Freeway. Follow M-39 North/Southfield Freeway for 14.3 miles. Follow signs for M-10/I-696/Lansing. Merge left onto M-10 North. Follow M-10 North, which becomes Northwestern Highway, for approximately 5.6 miles. Just past a BP gas station on the corner of Northwestern Highway and Franklin Rd, turn right into Franklin Place at 29200 Northwestern Highway. DataNet is located on the third floor (suite 350) of the office building with a large “Novares” sign.
Follow Northwestern Hwy / M-10 (Lodge Freeway) South. After crossing West 13 Mile Road, get in the left lane. Turn left onto Franklin Rd. Just past the BP gas station, turn left into Franklin Place at 29200 Northwestern Highway. Circle around to the front of the building. DataNet is located on the third floor.
Follow M-10 (Lodge Freeway) North, which becomes Northwestern Highway. Just past a BP gas station on the corner of Northwestern Highway and Franklin Rd, turn right into Franklin Place at 29200 Northwestern Highway. DataNet is located on the third floor (suite 350) of the office building with a large “Novares” sign.
Exit the office parking lot, turning right (northwest) onto Northwestern Highway / M-10 and immediately getting into the far left lane so you are in position to make a U-turn. Make the U-turn and follow Northwestern Hwy / M-10 (Lodge Freeway) South for 5.6 miles. Take exit 14C and merge onto M39 South / Southfield Freeway. Follow M39 South for 13.4 miles. Take exit 1 and merge onto I-94 West toward Chicago. Follow I-94 West for 5.5 miles. Take exit 198 toward Metro Airport and follow the airport signs to your desired terminal.
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Our classroom, located in Southfield Michigan, is generally the recommended option when possible. It has a computer for every student, fully setup with all the necessary software, and is always well-stocked with snacks. It offers a distraction-free learning environment along with a rare chance to network with other Quality professionals embarking on the same journey. There are reasonably priced hotels in the area and lots of great restaurants nearby for attendees to wind down after a stimulating day of training. See Directions and Lodging.
When you have more than four employee administrators to train then your classroom may be more economical than sending them to visit us. All that is required is a computer for each student and projection capability for our instructor. DataNet trainers are often booked six weeks into the future so, if this option appeals to you, we suggest you get in touch with us as soon as you’ve decided to use this delivery method.
The virtual classroom enables your administrator trainee to join our classroom to virtually train from wherever they may be. The user experience is as much like the in-person experience as we can make it. Attendees still get access to their own virtual WinSPC computer as well as live access to the instructor and classroom communication. It is suitable for quickly ramping-up brand new users, for use as a refresher for employees to review concepts, or to update experienced users on new WinSPC features such as the soon-to-be-released Multi-Variate Analyzer.
Virtual training can also be purchased for custom topics to permit deep dives on topics like Custom Web Reporter, QualTrend, Report Generation, Cost Inspector, Dashboards, etc.
Recorded training is an option for customers who have a very limited training budget. Like the Virtual Classroom, it is also an option for users who have been to classroom training but would like to review WinSPC concepts, or for users who need to understand key concepts but are not yet able to attend a classroom session.
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By Erik Kindel
Competition is fierce and margins are tight in the consumer goods and construction materials industries. These high-volume manufacturing operations include extrusion, fabrication, machining, assembly, and other precision processes–all of which need to be monitored, measured, and optimized to deliver the best quality for the lowest cost. To help consistently produce high–quality products while continuously improving throughput, many manufacturers are moving to real-time statistical process control (SPC) software from Advantive.
As specialty manufacturing software providers, Advantive offers purpose-built SPC software solutions made-to-fit your unique industry requirements. Our SPC software for consumer goods and construction materials management is specifically designed to help you monitor key production processes, improve product quality, and increase profitability. By integrating directly with automated gages, CMMs, Keyence measurement equipment, laser inspection devices, PLCs, in-house databases, Excel files, and other sources, our scalable SPC software provides actionable intelligence and statistical analysis to amplify your operations. Core features include:
Effortlessly gather real-time shop-floor data with our advanced SPC software, trusted by the world’s finest brands for continuous improvement. By centralizing your data into a single database and seamlessly integrating with various data sources like gauges, devices, and machines, you gain fast, accurate insight into performance to proactively detect and control process changes.
Maximize efficiency in construction materials manufacturing with our cutting-edge SPC software—designed to instantly notify personnel of non-compliant events or breaches in procedure. Prevent subpar products and streamline your operations with:
Discover the cost of variation and the potential savings from streamlined processes by leveraging SPC charting and reporting from Advantive. Our proven SPC solutions transform raw data into actionable insights for superior quality control. Tailored for the construction materials manufacturing industry, our SPC software provides deep insights and prioritizes improvements in these areas:
Most manufacturers in the consumer goods and construction materials industries follow the Six Sigma data-driven approach to eliminate process defects and improve product quality. Our SPC software is designed to help enforce Six Sigma principles, allowing manufacturers to monitor and control their production processes in real-time.
Discover how the world’s #1 producer of power tools reported that it used DataNet SPC software to reduce its RPM defect metrics and rework by 20%.
Advantive delivers actionable, problem-solving software solutions for specialty manufacturers and wholesale distributors that simplify processes, optimize performance, and increase revenues.
Try a free demo of PQ Systems and see why we are the established market-leading provider of global provider of Statistical Process Control (SPC) software solutions for manufacturing optimization.
Try a free demo and see why we are the established market-leading provider of purpose-built software for specialty manufacturing and distribution companies around the globe.
By utilizing InfinityQS to implement SPC and Six Sigma best practices across our manufacturing processes, Ben & Jerry’s will continue to identify opportunities for cost savings and ensure the highest level of customer satisfaction. The result is the perfect pint for our customers.
Quality Supervisor
VIA IT’s automotive manufacturing solutions set the industry standard in traceability and sequencing software for the plant floor. In my opinion, it is the one product that all others should be compared to.
Traceability Manager
With Kiwiplan MES software, we have created plant-specific business rules and customized the solution to fit our exact paper packaging needs. It has helped us increase visibility across all facilities and stay competitive in difficult market conditions.
Executive Vice President
PQ Systems is now part of the Advantive family! Read announcement.
Harness the power of data analysis to increase customer confidence, improve audit success, and meet quality compliance requirements. SQCpack by PQ Systems is a robust Statistical Process Control (SPC) solution that will help you easily analyze your data, understand and improve your processes, and communicate important quality information—all in one easy-to-use system.
Simple and intuitive, yet accurate and complete, our world-class SPC software will help you achieve quality improvement success in record time. From aerospace to healthcare, SQCpack is trusted by organizations across an array of manufacturing industries because of its easy deployment, implementation, and operation. Whether it’s for use on a single line or in a global multi-site operation, SQCpack is a secure, scalable SPC and quality control solution that provides complete traceability and performance improvement tools to reduce recalls while meeting customer expectations and compliance standards. Features include:
Get to the discovery phase of your processes faster and reveal what your data is telling you with SQCpack control chart software. Control charts are an invaluable tool to interpret data from a process or system over time. Using the automated control chart processes in SQCpack, manufacturing organizations can analyze mass amounts of data easily in various chart formats.
Whether you have measurement or attribute data, variable or fixed sample sizes, and a subgroup size of one or more, our control charts allow users to cut through the noise and get to the information that they need.
Prevent quality control issues with immediate process feedback. SQCpack includes valuable features that allow you to perform offline analysis or monitor processes in real-time, so you get the feedback you need, when and how you need it. You can easily set up alerts to get immediate SPC feedback and catch quality control issues before they become a problem.
Improve your quality performance by using capability analysis to assess whether your process is statistically capable of meeting specifications or requirements. Ensure processes are on target with minimal variation with a selection of capability analysis calculations.
SQCpack helps you easily comply with industry standards including, ISO9000 & ISO9001, ISO/IATF 16949, AS9100, FDA CFR 21 part 11, and others. Our SPC software provides the security, traceability, and filtering tools you need to manage user rights, roles, and divisions; maintain an audit trail with a robust and precise record of changes; and respond to audit requests with ease.
Manually enter measurements, import data from a variety of sources like SQL and Excel, or input data directly from equipment such as CMMs and handheld measurement devices.
SQCpack is statistical software that will improve information flow, encourage collaboration, and facilitate more informed decision making with others across the plant or around the globe. Our real-time SPC software includes pre-built report templates that can be easily customized to fit your requirements. With our user-friendly reporting, dashboard, and charting tools, anyone can quickly create and share SPC charts, process capability summaries, performance statistics, critical findings, Certificates of Analysis, and more.
With more than three decades of experience in the quality improvement industry, the SPC software experts at Advantive are dedicated to helping you enhance your manufacturing quality initiatives and get the maximum return on your PQ Systems investment. We provide quality improvement consultations, hands-on customized training (on-site or virtual), and unrivaled customer service and support.
Learn how the nation’s largest manufacturer of light-duty all-terrain vehicles and snowmobiles expanded and improved quality across its supply chain using SQCpack.
Explore the many training options available for PQ Systems users of all levels.
At Advantive, our team of PQ Systems experts are dedicated to helping you improve your quality processes and get the maximum return on your software investment. Whether you are looking to learn about new features or want training on statistical techniques, we offer a selection of online and in person webinars, seminars, and customized training to fit your user’s needs.
Get hands-on training by attending a PQ Systems virtual seminar – held at convenient times throughout the year.
As a newcomer to GAGEpack or a veteran user of SQCpack, customized product training is a great way to ensure that you’re getting the full benefits of your investment. Our trainers will work with your organization to construct an agenda that will meet your specific quality initiatives. We can accommodate your schedule and logistics challenges with training on location, at our office, or online.
Let our SPC experts help you make processes more efficient so that you can spend your time on other value-added tasks. While the possible training topics are almost endless, a few requests that we receive quite often include:
Learn to optimize your gage management system using GAGEpack with the help of our expert trainers. Whether you’re learning gage calibration best practices or tackling measurement systems analysis, GAGEpack training can be customized to help your organization achieve quality improvement success.