Total quality management for manufacturers

By Dawn Tupciauskas, Tuppas Software Corp.

Total quality management, or TQM, is becoming increasingly important for manufacturers and distributors in today’s world. Tier one and two suppliers are being encouraged, and in some cases, forced by the large companies they service to get on board with TQM systems.

TQM addresses all of the important aspects of quality management and brings them together into one integrated system.

Software for TQM needs to be versatile and configurable to align all of the aspects of quality management. Innovative, browser-based software can help manufacturers configure a total quality solution that addresses all of their specific needs.

What is total quality management? TQM encompasses quality control on the factory floor, and beyond. It consists of:
1 Statistical control applications
2 Defect tracking systems
3 PPM (parts per million) reporting
4 Quality document management
5 Customer portals for access to quality documents
6 Quality assurance
7 ISO 9000 data management
8 Corrective action measures reporting
9 Corporate dashboards to access all of the quality data

These software applications should easily extend throughout the corporation, and be accessible to the appropriate personnel from any location. Customer portals providing access to various quality data help build customer confidence as well as assure that products meet quality requirements. These interfaces when combined with a barcoding system, can allow users access to the quality settings and production data relevent to any individual part or item. Trending, or looking at the quality issues regarding a large number of parts, is also becoming more popular.

This flexible, accessible software for total quality management is coming of age due to the growing acceptance and use of browser-based software systems. Browser-native TQM software provides the perfect vehicle to deliver all of the various aspects of quality management, which corporations are looking for in an easy to use format, in a short amount of time and at reasonable cost with quick ROI (return on investment).

Browse-based systems allow for extensive customization, so that the applications can be tailored to fit a customer’s needs. They can also be modified easily after they are in use as the need arises. Browser-based total quality management solutions have more to offer buyers in terms of functionality, accessibility, customizability and price than traditional quality management software applications.



Tuppas offers manufacturing and ERP modules which were developed as browser-based, thin client applications. Their easily configurable modules gives manufacturers the ability to make changes to or even add functionality to the software. Tuppas software is web-based, object-oriented, model-driven, thin-client, configurable and available as a service (SaaS). Applications offered include: Production Scheduling, Advanced Planning and Scheduling, Production Reporting, Inventory Management, Warehouse Management, SPC, SQC, Total Quality Management, SCM, CRM, Accounting, Procurement, Job Tracking, Capacity Planning, Quality Assurance, Materials Requirements Planning, Process Control, Training Solutions, CMMS (Preventive Maintenance), Business Intelligence and Performance Dashboards.