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Northwest Analytical’s Quality Analyst allows Willamette’s Wilsonville Lab to quickly and easily analyse product data. Statistical quality control (SQC) is used throughout the company to assure customers that specifications are being met, to make operations more efficient, and even to reduce waste. The key to achieving these benefits with SQC is reducing variation, both in the manufacturing process and in the finished product.

Willamette’s West Coast Development Lab in Wilsonville, Oregon, is a key player in the company’s quality program. The lab performs testing and analysis for two paper mills, eight corrugating plants, one finishing plant, and two bag plants for the company’s Western Region. In addition to testing finished paper and products at the lab, the staff also does in-plant quality audits, serves as a consulting group for process capability analysis and improvements, performs field evaluations at Willamette customer sites, and does annual supplier certifications. Because the lab is not connected with any one Willamette plant, it generally is viewed by both customers and the plants as a neutral authority.

The Wilsonville Lab’s success is due to its rigorous adherence to testing standards and effective analysis. In addition to gauges and testing machines, the lab relies on NWA Quality Analyst (QA), an off-line statistical software package made by Northwest Analytical, Inc. The software enables Willamette to quickly and easily analyse data, as well as produce high-quality charts that enable both company employees and customers to see and interpret test results. Many of the plants also use this same software for statistical process control.

To produce reliable and convincing analysis, the lab must control variation in its own methods, ensuring gauges are correct and maintaining standard environmental conditions. The goal is to spot any problems early and correct them before they create a shutdown situation. To achieve this, the lab collects temperature and humidity data three times each day and analyses it with NWA Quality Analyst, which automatically produces x-bar and range control charts. The control charts graphically show the extent to which key variables are in or out of statistical control. With Quality Analyst, the lab technicians do not have to calculate the upper and lower control limits themselves; the software does this automatically based on the data entered. Lab technicians also look for trends, so where the measurements start trending toward either of the limits, the technicians can clearly see something is starting to go wrong and can make changes before the situation becomes serious.

The Wilsonville Lab’s use of statistical methods plays an important role in reassuring Willamette’s customers that the containers they purchase meet specifications. The lab tests the paper and containers. After collecting the data, the lab uses NWA Quality Analyst to perform a variety of statistical analyses to make sure that the product is being made to internal and/or customer specifications. Once assured the measurements being taken are in control, the technicians can perform a process capability analysis to see whether the product meets specs. The technicians also may perform Pareto analysis, which charts defect rates and shows types of defects by frequency of occurrence or cost. When the results of these tests reveal the product is not meeting specifications or there is a trend towards unacceptable variability, the lab teams up with plant supervisors and operators to solve the problem. Any product that does not meet specifications is scrapped. In-lab testing also plays a vital role in determining whether new product or customer specifications can be met. Before mass production begins, the lab acts as Willamette’s own supplier certification tester, making sure that quality is maintained before it ever becomes an issue for the customer.

While Willamette uses in-lab analysis to detect whether finished product meets specifications, the lab also uses statistical methods to detect process variation that eventually leads to non-conforming product. Several times a year, Wilsonville Lab technicians visit and audit manufacturing facilities. Measuring key process variables, they analyse the data on-site, work with the operators to adjust the process, and then regraph to see whether variation is reduced and/or output is improved. Audits also provide plant management with information needed to make larger process changes.

Plant managers support the lab’s work because it helps them improve customer relationships. Their analysis and reporting allow the plants to show their customers they are capable of meeting specifications. Also, it helps the plants to be more cost-effective and efficient by improving processes and reducing waste.

Occasionally the lab also goes to customer facilities to do analysis. If a customer is having a problem with a corrugated product, the lab can help determine whether the problem is with the product, environmental conditions, or the client’s process. Then the Willamette team works with the customer to make improvements. Maintaining good relationships with customers is the key to success, and Willamette’s West Coast Development Lab plays an important role in that relationship. The lab’s stringent testing and analysis, presented in NWA QA charts, provides convincing proof that customer specifications are being met. The lab also provides important independent feedback to Willamette’s manufacturing facilities, helping them to improve processes, meet specifications and reduce waste. In an industry that is being driven by customer change, Willamette’s philosophy is to get ahead of that change, continuously improving the company’s ability to meet tight specifications before customers ask for them.

Quality Analyst software is supplied and supported in the UK and Ireland by Adept Scientific plc, Amor Way, Letchworth, Herts. SG6 1ZA; telephone (01462) 480055, fax (01462) 480213, email quality@adeptscience.co.uk; or see Adept’s World Wide Web site http://www.adeptscience.co.uk/. Adept Scientific is one of the world’s leading suppliers of software and hardware products for research, scientific, engineering and technical applications on desktop computers.

With offices in the UK, USA, Germany and throughout the Nordic region, Adept Scientific is one of the world’s leading suppliers of software and hardware products for research, scientific, engineering and technical applications on desktop computers.