Method and system for computerizing quality management of a supply chain
First Claim
1. A method for managing quality in a production facility wherein products are manufactured using components, the method comprising the steps of:
- receiving quality data for incoming components;
analyzing said received quality data on the basis of history quality data collected for prior received components and history data collected while processing prior received components in said production facility;
predicting the influence of the quality of incoming components on the yield of said production facility; and
selecting components in accordance with said prediction.
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Abstract
A system handling fully automated supplier quality control and enabling quality improvement by using supplier raw data as well as manufacturer manufacturing in-line data is described. The system not only maintains fully automated data transfers and handling, but also enables immediate automated reporting for both the manufacturer and the supplier. Based on this automated notification, communication between sides is thus introduced. The system also enables the transfer from reactive into preventive working mode, concerning supplier quality, giving advantages like early warning, fast feedback. Beyond the so-called automated quality control features, the system supports quality improvement enabling advanced analysis features like yield prediction, specification validation, best of breed analysis, and the like. These capabilities include a close feedback control loop with an adaptation feature to correct the prediction in case of a deviation and/or trend. The advanced features require the link to the supplier quality data with the manufacturer manufacturing data, to be able to use history data for ongoing analysis and prediction.
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Citations
17 Claims
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1. A method for managing quality in a production facility wherein products are manufactured using components, the method comprising the steps of:
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receiving quality data for incoming components;
analyzing said received quality data on the basis of history quality data collected for prior received components and history data collected while processing prior received components in said production facility;
predicting the influence of the quality of incoming components on the yield of said production facility; and
selecting components in accordance with said prediction. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by as machine to perform method steps for managing quality in a production facility wherein products are manufactured using components, said method steps comprising:
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receiving quality data for incoming components;
analyzing said received quality data on the basis of history quality data collected for prior received components and history data collected during processing of prior received components of said production facility;
predicting the influence of the quality of incoming components on the yield of said production facility; and
selecting components in accordance with said prediction. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17)
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12. A computer system for managing quality in a production facility where products are manufactured using components, said computer system comprising:
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means for receiving quality data for incoming components;
means for analyzing said received quality data on the basis of history quality data collected for prior received components and history data collected during processing of prior received components in said production facility;
means for predicting the influence of the quality of incoming components on the yield of said production facility; and
means for selecting components in accordance with said prediction. - View Dependent Claims (13)
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Specification