Reader Precision Solutions Achieves 75% Faster Documentation with VKS

Manufacturing is becoming more and more complex. With varying customers desiring diversified products at varying times and frequencies, the Henry Ford age of ‘producing only one product’ is over.

But that’s not a problem for companies like Reader Precision Solutions.

To keep up with this complexity, Reader Precision Solutions, a Wisconsin-based contract manufacturer specializing in mission critical parts & components for diverse sectors like firearms, military, defense, and medical devices, is embracing digital transformation. To ensure compliance, quality, and process control, Reader Precision sought a digital solution in 2019: VKS.

We spoke with Samatha Betley, Reader Precision’s Continuous Improvement Manager. She showed us how her team uses VKS, what their operation looked like before, and the results of their digital transformation. In this article, we’ll take a look at the 3 key phases of Reader Precision’s implementation of VKS work instructions.

1. Key challenges that led to digital transformation
2. How Reader Precision uses VKS
3. The results of using digital work instruction software

Let’s dive in!

3 Main Challenges Before Using VKS

Reader Precision has, in recent years, experienced exponential growth. Faced with moving into a new 130,000 square foot facility, rapidly expanding their machine fleet, and a continuously expanding workforce, Reader Precision encountered a critical challenge: their paper-based, tribal-knowledge-reliant work instruction system could not scale.

Challenge 1: Tribal Knowledge

Relying on the expertise of a few long-term team members meant that essential knowledge was not fully documented or standardized. This system created instability: if the one or two people who knew a specialized process were absent or on vacation, the entire process came to a halt.

Additionally, when complex jobs that run infrequently came back (sometimes returning only after two years), operators needed to re-figure out the precise steps, leading to an unoptimized methodology.

At the time, the only way to capture these best practices was through cumbersome Word documents that presented a new set of challenges.

Challenge 2: Time Creating Work Instructions

The existing method for documenting procedures was incredibly labor-intensive. Creating a single work instruction involved taking photographs, importing them into a Microsoft Word document, carefully formatting the text, printing the final version, and then manually laminating the document for use on the shop floor.

This entire process could take nearly a full workday for just 5 instructions, making it impossible to keep pace with the 150+ processes that require documentation and continuous improvement. This administrative burden actively prevented Samatha and her team from keeping documentation current when new revisions came into play.

Challenge 3: Little Revision Control

The lack of centralized version control posed compliance and quality risks. When a process was updated, the document creator had to manually track down and remove all previous laminated copies across Reader Precision’s facility. If an operator missed the notification or simply used an outdated instruction, they would proceed with inaccurate steps.

4 Key Ways Reader Precision Uses VKS

Faced with the need to stabilize processes during expansion, Samantha Betley and her Continuous Improvement team prioritized VKS deployment in areas where tribal knowledge was highest.

They began by focusing on critical post-machining tasks like manual deburring. From there, the digital documentation quickly expanded beyond the shop floor and machine setups into critical administrative and maintenance functions.

Today, VKS acts as the central knowledge hub across multiple facets of the business, ensuring consistency at every touchpoint.

• Maintenance Procedures
• General SOPs
• Set up Procedures
• Machining Processes
• Manual Deburring

Solution 1: Video & Pictures for Greater Comprehension

Static images often fail to convey the nuance of complex, three-dimensional tasks, such as the specific angle needed for deburring a part without scratching it.

Video instructions immediately solve this ambiguity by demonstrating the precise technique, speed, and subtle movements required to achieve the perfect result. By integrating short video clips alongside clear text and pictures, Reader Precision guarantees that operators are not left guessing how a tool should be handled. This multimedia approach accelerates training and is particularly effective for capturing intricate tribal knowledge that previously lived only inside the heads of experienced long-term employees.

Solution 2: Revision Control & ISO 9001

For a precision manufacturer, maintaining ISO 9001 certification is incredibly useful. VKS provides the digital framework to meet these strict requirements.

Our robust revision control guarantees that every operator on the floor is always viewing the latest, approved version of a procedure, eliminating the risk associated with paper documents. Furthermore, VKS automatically creates an audit trail, logging who created, reviewed, and approved every change, and restricting editing privileges to qualified personnel.

This seamless documentation simplifies the revision process and reinforces the company's commitment to maintaining the highest level of quality management.

Solution 3: Quality Examples

One effective quality check method implemented by Reader Precision is the use of side-by-side photographic comparisons of acceptable versus defective parts.

By providing visual examples of customer-specific requirements, operators can self-correct and identify non-conforming parts instantly. This reduces the need to stop and ask a supervisor for confirmation, prevents errors from being passed down the line, and ensures adherence to Reader Precision’s customers’ standards.

Solution 4: On-Premise

Since Reader Precision manufactures components for DoD (Department of Defense) contracts, they couldn’t just use any work instruction solution. They needed a solution that could be hosted on their own servers (on-premise).

For a defense and aerospace manufacturer, data security and proprietary control are paramount. Since VKS is used to house imagery and video of the parts and machining processes required for their DoD contracts, a standard cloud-hosted solution would not have given Reader Precision the freedom they needed in a work instruction solution.

The on-premise installation method ensures that all proprietary information, especially the visual media critical for quality checks and training, remains hosted by Reader Precision. This flexibility was key to leveraging the full power of VKS's multimedia capabilities without sacrificing security or compliance.

5 Powerful Results of Using VKS Digital Work Instructions

Since 2019, when Reader Precision began using VKS, Samantha and her team have experienced numerous benefits, from faster work instruction creation to improved productivity and quality compliance.

Result 1: Faster Work Instruction Creation

The process surrounding the utilization of Word documents (a manual, multi-step process of creating, printing, and laminating) was instantly replaced by an efficient, centralized digital authoring platform.

This shift freed up substantial time and resources, allowing the Continuous Improvement team to prioritize actual process improvement rather than administrative overhead. By leveraging VKS's built-in tools and multimedia integration, they could rapidly build and deploy comprehensive instructions for their team.

Result 2: Better Revision Control

The most significant quality and compliance benefit VKS delivered was eliminating the risk associated with outdated instructions. VKS guarantees a single source of truth. When Samatha and her team publish a new revision, the system instantly alerts anyone currently using the old version.

This automation removes the potential for human error and ensures the proper maintenance and adherence to the right instructions. This level of enforcement is critical for maintaining their ISO 9001 certification and provides complete confidence that every operator is following the exact, current procedure, every time.

Result 3: Improved Comprehension & Productivity

VKS drastically improved operator comprehension and efficiency by shifting the learning paradigm from passive observation to active, guided execution.

New hires and experienced workers always have the right instructions in front of them. In many ways, the digital instructions act as a perpetual and informative coach right at the workstation.

This learning model accelerates skill acquisition, increases comprehension, and boosts overall productivity, helping Reader Precision meet its output goals.

Result 4: Increase Quality

VKS significantly boosted quality by enforcing standardization and providing visual clarity, directly addressing the root causes of defects. By using VKS, Reader Precision integrates specific instructions and video demonstrations directly into the work process.

A key example involved eliminating scratches caused by operators using the wrong handheld tools in the secondary department. With VKS, they were able to "delete that issue" by standardizing the process. Operators could only use a "certain specific tool" and could immediately see the right way to use it in a video, preventing improper technique. This immediate, visual enforcement of best practices removes ambiguity and ensures consistent, defect-free quality across all operators.

Result 5: Achieve Continuous Work through Cross-Training

By documenting machine maintenance tasks, such as oil changes or addressing machine alarms, VKS is minimizing costly production downtime.

Instead of waiting for the specialized first-shift maintenance crew to arrive, second-shift operators can access the simple, step-by-step guides to handle routine issues themselves.

This cross-training capability ensures that the high-value CNC machines stay operational around the clock. By having immediate access to critical procedures, any operator can perform necessary tasks quickly and correctly, thereby maximizing machine uptime and supporting continuous production.

Next For Reader Precision: Scalability

Reader Precision's journey is a powerful testament to the necessity of digital transformation in high-growth manufacturing environments. Faced with exponential growth—moving into a 130,000 square foot facility, rapidly expanding their machine fleet, and onboarding numerous new employees—the leadership recognized that paper-based processes and reliance on tribal knowledge were unsustainable roadblocks.

By implementing VKS, Reader Precision successfully digitized their operations, achieving crucial revision control for ISO compliance and making significant inroads in quality assurance. VKS is now the critical foundation ensuring their operational procedures scale at the same speed as their physical expansion.

The future for Reader Precision involves a continued push to integrate VKS across all departments, including packaging and shipping, to standardize work for every one of their growing number of employees. Their measurable success—including an estimated 75% reduction in time spent creating work instructions—proves that VKS is more than just software; it is the essential strategy for maintaining quality, efficiency, and consistency as Reader Precision accelerates its growth into the next generation of precision manufacturing.