Nearly 55% of manufacturers in the automotive sector are still reliant on manual, outdated processes for critical quality management tasks, according to an InfinityQS International study.
According to the research, less than a one-third (30%) are using real-time statistical process control (SPC) software, with 12% running SPC software checks manually, either every week, month or quarter.
“For many years, the manufacturing sector has been steadily improving its level of digital maturity by moving away from outdated manual processes and legacy technologies. COVID-19 has significantly accelerated this pace of transformation, with many turning to cloud-based SPC tools as a cost-effective solution for staff to monitor the production line in real-time from the safety of their homes, or any location with an internet connection,” says Jason Chester, director of global channel programs, InfinityQS.
From InfinityQS:
- Despite the widespread adoption of Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solutions across the manufacturing sector, it’s still concerning that such a high number of automotive manufacturers from Tier 1 and Tier 1 suppliers are still using manual methods to measure quality management, Chester says.
“While it is good to see around 30% of respondents actively deploying real-time SaaS solutions to satisfy the SPC requirements of IATF 16949:2016, as this is the most effective and efficient approach, it does show that the industry at large still has a long way to go. We also expect that the 12% who are still reliant on manually deploying SPC software will soon migrate to the cloud as a way to overcome the many logistical and economic challenges currently impacting this sector,” he adds.
