As the novel coronavirus pandemic known as COVID-19 continues, many organizations and businesses have had to drastically change the way they do business. Gone are the days of flying around the globe for conferences and important meetings, and for businesses with a product focus, gone are the days of in-person factory checks from head office for factories based abroad. Quality assurance and compliance in all industries is incredibly important, but this has been made substantially harder as businesses are unable to perform the necessary checks, unless their factories and plants are in-country. That is where quality management software comes into play. It can aid in this process, even for suppliers abroad. If you have yet to use quality management software now is the time. Here are the three components to watch out for when selecting the perfect software for your organization.
Compliance Management
While the ultimate aim is to continuously check on the quality of the products produced, maintaining compliance and meeting evolving regulations is one of the most important aspects of production. Quality management software that allows for the upload and perpetual updates of changing regulations is crucial. With COVID-19 changing the way we produce products, governments have had to constantly amend safety regulations, and production protocols. Software that is able to apply these changing regulations immediately, and flag processes that do not meet them, is critical to avoid an audit and maintain compliance through the production chain. Some software needs to be updated by staff, while others are actually able to update as soon as new regulations are put into place and alert management to changes.
Supply Chain Management
The beauty of using quality management software across an organization or business is that it can also be used by suppliers and vendors. Just as a profile can be made for every employee at your organization, one can also be made for suppliers and vendors in different states and countries. Regulations vary by location, and what may apply in one country can be very different in another. By using software for vendors and suppliers, you can ensure that the supply chain is never disrupted, and if it is, the issue can immediately be pinpointed via the proper technology. That way production will not be halted for longer than it has to be, and any issues in the supply chain can be managed from abroad, or assisted with in the case of suppliers and vendors.
Staying Safe
Quality and safety have always been intertwined. COVID-19 has caused many manufacturers to have to change their workflow in order to make the workplace safer for their essential workers. A good quality management system will make it easier to apply any necessary safety changes across the board. Likewise, your QMS can flag quality issues that could also indicate a potential safety risk – machinery which is not producing components within quality tolerances may also be at risk of malfunctioning in a way that could harm employees, for instance.
Keep your supply chain from being disrupted by choosing the best quality management technology for your company, and help keep your employees safe all while staying compliant.
quality control concept -DepositPhotos
