Zaawansowana technologia informatyczna jest w dobie obecnej

METAL 2003
20.-22.5.2003, Hradec nad Moravicí
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QUALITY MANAGEMENT IN THE INTEGRATED COMPUTER
SYSTEM OF A STEELWORK
Cezary Kolmasiak
Wiesław Waszkielewicz
Technical University of Częstochowa, Department of Production Management and Logistics,
Armii Krajowej 19, 42-200 Częstochowa, Poland, [email protected]
Abstract
Advanced information technology is used presently on almost all levels of
management of an enterprise. Most often, it functions in the form of modern information
systems, whose main component is a principal enterprise management system being aided by
a specialized information system which is oriented to handling information & decisionmaking processes controlling the business activity.
In the strategic aspect, information technology has developed a new customer service
model in which some information values are also included in the added value of product. The
use of state-of-the-art computer technologies during the manufacture of product is, as a rule,
associated with a high level of quality, which determines the market price that customers are
ready to pay for that product. Generally, using computerized services assures a high level of
those services, their reliability and timeliness, and the customer’s satisfaction. The article
presents the evaluation of a management-aiding computer system and a quality assurance
system in one of the largest metallurgical enterprises in Poland.
1. THE QUALITY ASSURANCE SYSTEM IN THE STEELWORK
The quality assurance system is en effective method of achieving increased
productivity and economic effectiveness, as well as the confidence of customers who
expect a supplier, such as the Steelworks, to assure a stable quality level. Thus, the
essence of a quality system is continuous improvement, as the process of changes never
ends.
Quality management system improvement
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Ma
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pr o
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Re
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Customers
nt
Co m
p
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le tion of pr odu
Satisfaction
e
Requirements
Customers
PRODUCT
Fig. 1. Model of the quality management system in the Steelwork.
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METAL 2003
20.-22.5.2003, Hradec nad Moravicí
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The quality assurance system serves the implementation of a quality strategy
which a method of gaining the customer through the continuous improvement of
organization so that the product assure achieving the agreed quality level, acceptable
prices and competitive delivery times. It constitutes also a tool enabling the
identification of the causes of nonconformities and occurring irregularities, and effecting
their elimination. The quality management system established, documented and
implemented in the Steelworks is being continuously improved. The quality system
documentation should include:
• documented declarations of quality policy and quality-related objectives,
• a Quality Manual,
• documented procedures, and
• documents required by the organization to assure effective planning, running and
controlling its processes.
The quality assurance system in the Steelworks functions based on documentations which
include a Quality Manual, procedures, instructions and records. The documentation and control
of the quality assurance system is described by relevant procedures. The purpose of the
procedure is to establish rules for the creation, updating and storage of quality system
documentation in the Steelworks. The subject of the procedure are the principles and mode of
proceeding during
• developing quality assurance system documentations,
• introducing modifications thereto, and indexing, copying, distributing and withdrawing
them from circulation,
• storing and making available.
By the scope of its application, the procedure covers all departments and sections, as
well as individuals involved in developing QAS documentation, its distribution, storage,
withdrawing and making it available.
The Quality Manual contains the specification of the key objectives of the Quality
Assurance System in the Steelworks, along with the description of the Management
System applicable within the entire enterprise. It describes the responsibility,
competencies and interrelations of the managerial staff in the enterprise. Its is a quality
management tool for the top management. The Quality Manual documents correspondence
of the Quality Assurance System applicable in the Steelworks with the requirements of the
PN-ISO 9001/2000 standard.
The Management should assure that quality objectives be established for relevant
functions and levels within the organization, along with objectives necessary for meeting
requirements regarding the product.
MAIN OBJEC TIVES IN THE PURSUIT
OF QUALITY IMPROVEMENT
Improving product qu ality
repeatability
Improv ing the quantity
and quality
of product information
Improving th e method
of complaint settlement
and cooperation
in delivery fault removal
Improving the timeliness
of order deliveries
Widening the grade
and dimensional range
of offered products
Fig. 2. Main objectives set by the Top Management for the pursuit of quality improvement
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METAL 2003
20.-22.5.2003, Hradec nad Moravicí
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When speaking of a process, it should be recognized that this is a set of interrelated or
interacting actions that transform an input into an output. The input to the main process of the
Steelworks are the customer’s expectations. The output of the process is the product. The
assessment of the implementation of quality objectives is presented during Quality Assurance
System reviews [1]. The periodical reviews of the Quality Assurance System are conducted in
the Steelworks biannually: in January and in July at the working meetings of the Steelworks’
Board of Management.
The review encompasses the principal Quality Assurance System elements, while
focusing on the discussion of nonconformities found, low effectiveness and defining
corrective actions, and particularly it provides the assessment of:
• effectiveness of previously determined corrective actions,
• effectiveness of corrective actions undertaken based on internal and external audits,
• currentness and effectiveness of used procedures and instructions, and
• delegation of responsibilities and competencies and allocation of resources for the
accomplishment of defined quality objectives.
The assessment carried out as a result of the review is a basis for specifying
recommendations, based on which corrective actions will be defined [1].
The process quality plan covers all inspection and testing activities and associated records,
starting from the receipt of stock material deliveries through to the shipment of the product
to the customer.
The technological process in the Steelworks is run in a continuous manner, therefore the
process quality plan comprises repeatable activities and records. Any modifications to the
quality plan normally occur as a result of modernization & investment activities in production
and changes in the inspection and testing equipment. Due to the fact that all the Steelworks’
products are manufactured in continuous processes, they are covered by the same process
quality plan [3].
Quality plans cover process, inspection and production process preparation-related activities.
Each of the activities is described by a relevant documentation which is made up by
procedures and instructions.
2. THE ELEMENTS OF QUALITY CONTROL AND MANAGEMENT IN THE
STEELWORKS’ INTEGRATED COMPUTER SYSTEM
In quality management, a number of activities occur, which can easily be subjected to
algorithmization. The source of quality data are all elements of the production process, and all
acquired quality-related data and records are collected, indexed, updated, stored and made
available to authorized persons. Production system elements are described by numerous
features that may frequently change, and thus require to be updated. For quality control
purposes, a computer program has been installed, in which quality statistics and the
supervision of measuring instruments and gauges is maintained. In addition, work on a
software application handling the database of all laboratory testing results is conducted.
By its scope, the quality assurance system encompasses all stages of the making of product.
Starting from production planning that is designed to assure the timely performance of
obligations resulting from contracts concluded with customers and covers all products offered
by the Steelworks, including technical securing of the production process, through the design
of a new product line, purchases, control of customer-supplied product, post-production
activities, to the traceability and control of measuring & testing equipment.
Ongoing quality diagnostics enables the appraisal of raw-material suppliers by using
information from reports on the quality of supplied scrap batches. Thus, the quality
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METAL 2003
20.-22.5.2003, Hradec nad Moravicí
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management aspect commences at the time of scrap receipt from the supplier on the
Steelworks’ premises.
Data from the report that the Steelworks receives from the supplier are entered to the system.
After testing and weighting of scrap, a correction of some data follows, which is done directly
in the system.
The subject of documented procedures in the element Purchases are deliveries of all basic
and auxiliary materials for the steel smelting process, such as:
- steel scrap, pig iron, ferroalloys,
- steelmaking additives, and
- refractory mixes and process graphite electrodes.
Particular production stages require quality inspection & testing, starting from the purchase of
input materials from suppliers, through in-process inspection & testing, to the inspection &
testing of the finished product and sale to the customer. On each stage of quality inspection
and control, a lot of useful information related to the characteristics of materials, products and
services, which require to be archived.
The quality assurance system is continuously improved. Inspection and tests are
monitored in the “Quality Control” module. Their aim is to assure that the Steelworks’
product meet the specified quality requirements. Planned and implemented inspection
activities include factors represented in the scheme below.
Inspection & testing activities
Incoming goods acceptance
- delivery condition,
- dimension,
- grain size,
- chemical composition, etc.
Quality inspection & testing
i n the production process
-dimension,
-shape,
-temperature in particular
process phases,
-chemical composition.
Final inspection & testing
-dimension,
-shape,
-chemical composition,
-surface condition,
-mechan ical & technological
properties,
-structure.
Fig. 3. General scheme of planned and implemented inspection & testing activities in the
quality assurance system.
The results of tests have the form of records and are archived following the adopted
procedure “Quality Records”. The purpose of this procedure is to assure that the necessary
quality records are produced and stored in order to document the required quality of products
and services and the effectiveness of functioning of the QAS (Quality Assurance System).
The procedure covers all records required by the standard and is applicable in all the
Steelworks’ organizational units covered by the Quality Assurance System [3].
All activities within inspection and testing have the form of procedures and instructions.
An exception are in-process inspection activities performed by the personnel. There are also
inspection & testing activities that are carried out by independent Quality Control personnel and
by the LC department, i.e. the Laboratory Department. The inspection & testing process can be
presented in an integrated form, as in Table 2.
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METAL 2003
20.-22.5.2003, Hradec nad Moravicí
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Table 1. Quality inspection and testing process
Sub-process
Sub-process elements
Incoming goods inspection &
testing
In-process inspection & testing
Supplier qualification
Inspection and testing
Examination of chemical composition and steelmaking
process temperatures.
Checking of shape and dimension in the steelmaking and
rolling processes.
Testing of properties in the thermo mechanical rolling
process.
Verifying analysis of physical and technological
properties.
Metallography.
Checking of shape, dimension and surface.
Product certification testing.
Testing of sample lots after processing at the customer’s
site.
Inter-laboratory tests.
Supervision of measuring & testing equipment.
Finished product inspection &
testing
Testing of a new product line
Laboratory proficiency testing
3. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS
The performed analysis of the Steelworks’ management aiding system has shown that
the entire production line is not treated as continuous in the computer system. Its is divided
into the three following stages:
Steel Plant
Stock Receipt
Rolling Mill
Each of the stages is treated as a separated module, that is the system has
information of the index of input material to the Steel Plant; when passing through the
Stock Receipt, the billet is only known by this index, and after having been processed in
one of the Rolling Mills, it goes with this index to the Finished Product Store.
Unfortunately, the whole material at the entry to the process end, where there is a finished
product, is represented in the information system by means of this index only. Thus,
individuals from the outside of particular production departments, where separate systems
not integrated with the Steelworks’ information system function, are unable to determine,
on an ongoing basis and by using available data, of what is presently happening to the
material that has entered the production.
Therefore, it is necessary to expand the whole system by implementing the additional
module “Production” which would be fully integrated with the functioning system. It is
necessary for detailed identification of material passing through the production cycle, which is
necessary for the manufacturer of products requiring constant inspection and high quality.
Another aspect for which it is advisable to introduce the “Production” module is the
problem of ongoing reporting of production data in the system.
Because all the documents, on the basis of which the whole system of material
information passage functions is registered in the system based on reports, then a need arises
of maintaining them on an ongoing basis.
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METAL 2003
20.-22.5.2003, Hradec nad Moravicí
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Presently, report databases are maintained based on the whole “black box” production
cycle, that is in an input–output system. There is a possibility of improving the accuracy of
checking store or production inventories with an interval of 4 to 5 hours. The whole system
runs in real time, but reporting is done in a twofold manner. Reports are made in the system’s
applications or with a delay of 24 hours. Once a day, data are read from the applications,
whereby the data are updated with a delay of 24 hours.
If the “Production” module were introduced, there would be a possibility of ongoing reporting
of the whole production cycle.
This module would enable, e.g., the ongoing verification of what the degree of order
performance is. Easier access to production data and the recognition of the production cycle
as being continuous would facilitate performing quality control and making quick corrections
in the technological process in terms of finished product quality. Thus, it would make the
operation of the quality assurance system easier.
REFERENCES
1. Ireneusz Durlik, „Inżynieria zarządzania“, cz.1. Agencja wydawnicza „Placet“,
Gdańsk 1996,
2. Ireneusz Durlik, „Inżynieria zarządzania“, cz.2. Agencja wydawnicza „Placet“,
Gdańsk 1993,
3. Adam Hamrol, Władysław Mantura, „Zarządzanie Jakością”, PWN, WarszawaPoznań 1998.
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