WECO’s Process Is Now 5 Times Faster Using Synergy 2000

The Details

“Using Synergy 2000 has allowed us to go from paper and pencil reporting, to having an automated process,” said Dubravka Kusmic, Quality Manager for WECO Electrical Connectors Inc. “We were able to achieve our top initiatives of getting a preferable vendor status at our very important customer, improve our process control and make enhancements related to our QC inspection.” Located in Baie d’Urfé, Québec, Canada, WECO Electrical Connectors Inc. has been in business for over 25 years and designs and manufactures custom as well as standard terminal blocks, electronic modules, connectors for printed circuit boards, and other components related to the electrical and electronics industries.

During a customer audit, WECO realized they needed to implement Statistical Process Control (SPC) software. “We had 7 automated screw insertion machines. The critical parameter at the end of the process was a screw level. It was measured every hour on 6 samples. The operator would calculate by calculator X-bar and R values and write them on the chart.” The auditor also asked them for first pass yield count and records. The first pass yield is a count of parts, which are automatically rejected by the machines. “At the time, we did not keep those records,” said Kusmic. “It was a good opportunity to search for software and modernize the SPC in production”.

When looking for an SPC solution, WECO knew they needed a SPC solution that would help them achieve a preferable vendor status and improve their process control. “In addition to this Synergy 2000 offered us many more possibilities, which we are still exploring.” stated Kusmic. Besides X-bar and R charts, WECO has histograms, process capability charts and run charts. “In the run chart, we can see all the individual measurements in a chosen period of time,” said Kusmic. She says that there is a record of date and time for each entry, which can’t be overwritten. Also, there are np charts for attribute checks.

“What I like about Synergy 2000 is that it is easy to use, user friendly, contains the proper statistics, and has a very flexible file structure,” commented Kusmic. “You can create a new data bank and data tables in 15 minutes. We went from 25 data banks with 3 or 4 data tables to 600 data banks with 3 data tables.” Kusmic particularly likes the ability to monitor multiple processes on the same screen.

In one example, Synergy 2000 helped to convince one of WECO’s suppliers to make a new tool because his parts were not in compliance. “I sent the warning to one supplier when the critical dimension started to increase,” said Kusmic. “The supplier saw the trend, and realized that one of his tools had worn out. He decided to make a new tool immediately. That one instance saved us between $1000 and $2000 in cost of nonconformance reports and corrective action. This has happened twice so far. ”

When asked about savings by implementing Synergy 2000, Kusmic commented that because there is no longer any data entry and the possibility of human error is minimized, their process is 5 times faster than before. “Generally speaking, the cost of Synergy 2000 software has paid for itself several times since we purchased it,” said Kusmic.

“For us, Synergy 2000 has really enabled us to achieve a level of prestige when you look at our competitors,” commented Kusmic. “We get all these detailed reports that we can present to customers. Sending reports with statistical analysis to customers is very effective. We are highly respected for the quality of our products.” Kusmic also mentioned that Synergy 2000 is very instrumental in the decision-making process when they have a quality problem.