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CLOUD-BASED QUALITY SYSTEMS TIME TO TAKE A LOOK AT THE bIGGER PICTURE


Jason Chester, Director of Global Channel Programs, InfinityQS, explains how to combat food safety fears with cloud-based quality solutions


Routine sampling and quality checks are


critical for food safety and compliance with regulatory and industry-specific standards. But how can manufacturers ensure required checks are completed according to schedule? At times when the plant floor is busy, it can be easy for operators to get side- tracked tackling other issues. With cloud-based quality systems, timed


data collections can be set up which send automated notifications to remind operators when it’s time to perform HACCP, CCP, and other critical quality and safety checks. Operators can stay focused on production, and plant supervisors also get alerts if a data collection is missed, so they can keep everyone on top of compliance. Auditing is already a time-consuming and


demands for high levels of safety and traceability across global supply chains. The food and beverage industry is no different, with many working to retire outdated software and inefficient paper-based systems that limit visibility and hamper performance improvements across their facilities. Cloud-based Software-as-a-Service quality


M


management solutions make this shift easier than ever, offering rapid and simple deployment, low up-front costs and flexible scalability. Food manufacturers can gain access to critical insights whenever and wherever they are needed most in order to maintain product quality, ensure compliance and drive continuous improvement across their organisations. In a traditional manufacturing environment,


quality and process data are often locked away in paper files, Excel spreadsheets, or legacy on-premises software. These prevent manufacturers from monitoring enterprise- wide quality performance and inhibit data sharing with external parties across the supply chain. Cloud solutions provide a single, unified data repository where food manufacturers can standardise and centralise quality data from all processes, production lines, and sites in their enterprise. The resulting “big picture” view of quality


enables food companies to perform enterprise-wide analyses to pinpoint problem areas, identify best practices, and prioritise resources. Ongoing regulatory compliance can be verified and accountability for all checks can be easily enforced. Ultimately, this


4 SEPTEMbER 2022 | PROCESS & CONTROL 8


resource-intensive process, and those that rely on paper records and spreadsheets usually struggle to piece together and produce auditor-requested information. Failed audits can have major consequences for organisations, which is why they must be carried out perfectly every time. When quality records and other compliance


any industries have embraced the push for digital transformation in recent years to meet the increasing


can improve quality and compliance across the entire organisation. Additionally, viewing supplier data in real-


time to prevent food safety issues becomes possible, and manufacturers can ensure incoming ingredients meet quality standards before they are ever shipped. Only the highest- quality ingredients get accepted and incorporated into products, helping uphold your overall brand standards. Supplier performance is also easy to monitor and therefore enables any disruptions to be more easily prevented or managed when they might arise. A preventative approach to quality and


safety just isn’t possible when using manual methods for data collection and analysis. Quality teams are also at a disadvantage, reviewing historical data about products that have already come off the production line. They act one step behind, by which point it’s too late. Manufacturers end up dealing with defective products, wasted resources, and recalls. Cloud-based statistical process control (SPC)


software can automatically collect measurement values from a variety of data sources, and then monitor processes in real- time. When the software detects specification or statistical violations, automated alarms instantly alert key personnel, allowing them to take immediate action to correct any issues. Further safeguards can be placed using


workflows – prescriptive guides for responding to quality issues that are predefined in the cloud-based quality solution. Employees can respond consistently to problems and then document the corrective actions for analysis across the entire company. This in turn allows manufacturers to spot any trends and prevent reoccurring issues on a wider level.


documentation are digitised, they become quickly accessible via the cloud. Data from specific timeframes can be easily pulled and reports now take just minutes to complete – for regulatory, third-party certification, or internal audits – rather than the days or weeks it would typically take following a complicated trail of paper. Recalls are another big source of stress for


food manufacturers, but fortunately these can be mitigated or avoided through better traceability. With the ability to trace raw ingredient lot


codes through the manufacturing process and supply chain, and centralising that data within a singular cloud repository, manufacturers can create an overall timeline between incoming ingredients and outgoing products. If a safety issue is found within a specific ingredient lot, manufacturers can quickly identify output lots where those ingredients were used, prevent those finished lots from being released, or in the worst-case scenario, remove those lots from store shelves in a swift, targeted recall. It’s clear to see that the industry at large is


heading towards a new digital age, and food manufacturers shouldn’t wait to take the first steps as cloud-based quality can get them on the right path. Some manufacturers have started with


small-scale projects, deploying the cloud- based quality solution to monitor a single process or production line. Leadership teams can see how quality in the cloud benefits everyone at all levels of their organisation— and then deploy the solution on a wider scale.


InfinityQS www.infinityqs.com


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