Quality Methods: An Inspector Shares His Experience

By: Berenice Mengo

February 10, 2020

For us here at VKS, establishing the best quality methods is our top priority. That’s why we are devoted to helping our customers pursue the best standards of Industry 4.0. This is accomplished through capturing quality data, standardizing instructions, and sharing knowledge.

But how do real people use our work instruction software in their day to day activities? How do they use VKS to tackle key manufacturing challenges, improve company processes?

With these questions in mind, let’s hear from a person that uses VKS on a daily basis.

We have the privilege of talking with Mr. Gabriel Dumouchel, a Quality Inspector at CMP. As a daily user of VKS, he tells us how he and his team have employed the use of work instruction software to gain insight, improve productivity, and enhance quality.

Berenice Mengo:

Hello Gabriel. Thank you for taking the time to talk with us. We hope to gain insight into how you have used VKS and how it has helped you in your current position.

Gabriel Dumouchel:

No problem, happy to be here.

Berenice Mengo:

So to start things off, what is your current role at CMP?

Gabriel Dumouchel:

I am a Quality Inspector. I audit the manufacturing processes and make sure that quality is respected at each step of production.

Before that, I was a Work Instruction Author. I wrote the guidebooks our employees use on the shop floor. This included creating, revising, and updating our work instructions.

Berenice Mengo:

In your current position, are you and your team using VKS on a daily basis?

Gabriel Dumouchel:

Absolutely. VKS is the main tool we use to inspect and ensure quality on the shop floor.

For us, and I’m sure many others, VKS is directly connected to our quality methods. By creating clear instructions, we have been able to increase the quality of our procedures and our products. VKS helps our employees generate better quality for our customers.

Berenice Mengo:

Can you describe how important VKS is to the Quality Department at CMP?

Gabriel Dumouchel:

To us, it’s very important. VKS is a quality methods game changer.

Our job is to find ways to improve quality control practices. And there are always opportunities to increase quality, big and small. With VKS capturing real-time assembly line data, we can continuously improve our quality methods in every moment that CMP is working. VKS’s traceability features have been a huge help in that initiative.

quality methods inspector

Berenice Mengo:

How long did it take for you to become proficient with VKS?

Gabriel Dumouchel:

Less than a month. VKS is full of valuable features and is very user-friendly. In only a few sessions, I’m sure anyone would be able to understand the application and navigate through it. Plus, VKS has been very helpful when we’ve had any questions.

Berenice Mengo:

What are the main skills a person needs to be a good digital work instruction author?

Gabriel Dumouchel:

A work instruction author needs to be thorough. A good author will leave no room for misinterpretation. Thankfully with pictures and video, VKS makes writing and understanding the work easier. And anyone can succeed if they have the right tools and know-how.

You also need to put yourself in the operator’s shoes. Evaluate it from their perspective. You might know the ins and outs of a process but that's not the same for everyone. Every author should examine the skill levels of their employees and write it from their vantage point.

Ask yourself, what do they need to know? The clearer the instructions, the greater the quality methods and productivity can be.

Berenice Mengo:

Who uses your guidebooks?

Gabriel Dumouchel:

Our guidebooks are mainly used by our operators. The instructions are chiefly built for them and they use them for all their assembly jobs.

But many other people use them as well. Our production coaches use the guidebooks to audit and observe the factory’s efficiency. And we can’t forget my department: quality control. We write and evaluate the guidebooks to make sure the visual instructions are clear and good for use.

Berenice Mengo:

How long does it take you to write a guidebook?

Gabriel Dumouchel:

It depends on each job and its complexities. Usually, it takes me about 15 to 20 minutes. For more complex guidebooks with longer processes, it can take up to 2 days.

For example, a guidebook on how to install a piece with 2 rivets will take less time than creating a guidebook for a complex assembly of 200 pieces.

Berenice Mengo:

What VKS feature have you found most useful?

Gabriel Dumouchel:

I would have to say the VKS forms. These help us capture manufacturing quality data in real-time. In some cases, we have set up these forms to appear at critical points during a process. When a crucial step has been performed, our operators are prompted to input the assembly data.

This way, our people play a key role in quality control either during or after their task. With embedded quality forms, VKS enables our operators to provide valuable quality data for our records and our customers. This allows us to oversee our production in a whole new way.

Berenice Mengo:

What has been the main benefit of VKS for CMP?

Gabriel Dumouchel:

In my opinion, the main benefit that VKS has brought to CMP is that it allows us to have total control over what’s happening in our factory. We are able to gain continuous insight into our procedures and production. From that, we can provide a more effective leadership.

Berenice Mengo:

Would you like to share any other information with our readers?

Gabriel Dumouchel:

Well I wanted to mention one more thing. The KPI system is another fan favorite for us to review performance on the shop floor. We often use it to count the number of parts completed compared to the time taken to complete them.

As I said before, with VKS, we are more in touch with our operation than we have ever been.

Berenice Mengo:

Great! Thank you for speaking with us, it was a pleasure to get a deeper look into how you and your team use our work instruction software.

Gabriel Dumouchel:

Thank you for having me. The pleasure was mine.

Advanced Quality Methods That Suit Your Needs

In this conversation, we’ve covered quite a few ways that manufacturers enhance the efficacy of their quality methods with VKS. Let’s go over these points and see how you can advance the quality methods of your business.

Clear standardized instructions increase the efficacy of your quality methods:

Employees can only perform the work that you guide them to do. That’s why it’s important to provide standardized instructions that enable workers to have a clear and consistent quality method.

VKS empowers you to have total control over what’s happening in your factory:

With increased operational transparency and continuous insight into your procedures and production, you can make smarter decisions and enact more effective leadership.

Capture real-time data and KPIs to continuously improve your quality methods:

By receiving valuable insight through KPIs (key performance indicators) and other valuable quality methods metrics, VKS enables companies to gain complete visibility into their operation. Use this data to find precise inefficiencies and enact real continuous improvement to your quality methods.

Engage workers with powerful Smart Forms:

Your workers create value every day. They are the people most connected with any process. Leverage their knowledge and experience to gather in-depth quality data from the shop floor. Set up smart forms to appear at critical points during assembly. This will ensure that the process is working while you receive valuable insight directly from your workers.

Write your work instructions with your workers in mind:

Work instruction software should always be written from the perspective of the end-user. Put yourself in the shoes of the operator and consider their capabilities and knowledge. Use VKS to write instructions for multiple skill levels.

Use pictures and videos to thoroughly explain the process:

Optimize pictures, videos, annotations, and more to provide accurate and precise instructions. Anyone can succeed if they have the right instructions and tools.

quality methods team

With an intuitive software that is responsive to your needs, VKS enables manufacturers to gain greater control over their processes and procedures in every aspect of their operation. This in turn has incredible benefits for quality assurance and allows companies to oversee their production in a more comprehensive way.

We hope this interview has given you a practical look into how real people use VKS to meet the standards of Industry 4.0 and modern manufacturing.

Curious to learn More? Our team is always available to discuss how VKS can enhance your quality methods.