In the early 1980s, US automakers faced stiff competition from Japanese counterparts, prompting a shift towards prioritizing quality for customer satisfaction. This era marked the birth of ISO 9001 QMS, symbolizing a significant change in industry practices.
If we can bridge the confidence gap between underperforming legacy vision systems and manufacturers’ needs today, the rate of adoption is sure to grow exponentially.
Labor shortages continue to pressure manufacturers, with some dedicating up to 20% of their workforce to manual inspection. Embracing Quality 4.0 with automated in-line inspections and AI process analytics could provide significant value.
If you're looking to learn more about management, auditing, engineering, Six Sigma, supply chains, or calibration, there's someone I'd like you to meet.
Dr. Milton Krivokuca, our 2024 Quality Professional of the Year, shifted from manufacturing to education, guiding students to faster degrees and career advancement. He actively promotes quality assurance programs and stays updated on industry trends like Quality 4.0, proving his dedication and expertise.
The manufacturing landscape is undergoing a profound transformation in the era of Industry 4.0, characterized by the integration of digital technologies, automation, and data-driven decision-making. Quality 4.0 is at the heart of this evolution.
For quality assurance purposes and to optimize the manufacturing workflow, machine vision is employed throughout the entire process to identify production errors, damage, or impurities early on.
My informal observations of published white papers and interviews with colleagues support that quality is moving in the direction of Quality 4.0, but very slowly.
The topic of Quality 4.0 is rapidly becoming a legend due to its mysterious nature; it seemingly has no formal description. Very few people can confidently say that they have seen it or used it.