Cequent 

Who:

Cequent -- OEM provider of accessories to the recreational and commercial vehicle market

What:

On Demand -- Rapid Results

Problem:

Cequent identified quality as a strategic competitive initiative. Their key goal was to implement an overall quality system. They also sought to sharply improve several key metrics quickly, including reducing in-process and receiving inspections, improving accuracy and timeliness of engineering changes, reducing PPM's, centralizing documents for manufacturing accessibility and improving shop floor communications.

Solution:

Cequent implemented IQS's Quality Performance Management Solution to automate documentation management, including ECNs, nonconformance and corrective actions. IQS provided Cequent with the ability to offer information from previously manual, paper-based systems accessible online, on demand.

Supplier performance information was collected and made available to key suppliers to eliminate mis-communication and speed up cycle times.

Dramatic results were achieved during the six-month rollout. By providing suppliers with web access to corrective actions, APQP and inspection data, Cequent was able to decrease incoming inspections by 90%. ECN accuracy increased that year from 78% in January to 97% in July. ECN processing time went from 15 days to just three. Supplier PPM decreased to 369 in July, down from 4200 the same month the previous year, and continues to decline. Scrap was reduced to 0.54%.

Results:

Within 12 months:

• Incoming inspections were down 90%
  
• PPM's went from 4200 to 369
  
• ECN processing went from 15 days to 3 days
  
• Scrap was reduced to 0.54%.