From the Desk of the President

Timing is everything! My first day representing Hertzler Systems software was April 1, 1992, Nineteen years and unfortunately some additional pounds later, data automation is poised to take off.  My customers are doing more with less and the only way to keep up is to automate as much of their work as possible.  I hope you enjoy this edition of my newsletter.  It represents some new beginnings but with an old world twist.  I appreciate you taking the time to read what is new and as always love to hear from you so give me a call (888-317-4820) or send me an email (jbronec@qualifine.com) at your convenience!

Best Regards
Jay Bronec

NOW YOU CAN BOOK MINITAB TRAINING ANYWHERE IN THE U.S. THROUGH QUALIFINE.

QualiFine has made scheduling and attending Minitab training even easier by offering both on-site and public training throughout the United States.  QualiFine has focused its attention on providing solutions around Minitab and the quality improvement industry. "It has come full circle, says Jay Bronec, President of QualiFine. “When I started the company in 1996 we had customers all over the country. QualiFine was given the opportunity to host Minitab training in the Chicago area in early 2000 so we changed our focus and took a more local approach. It was very successful since we had over 1400 Minitab alumni in nine years of providing training in Roselle. We learned a lot from that experience and now we are going back to our roots providing solutions, not just local training, throughout the U.S.”

Here’s how QualiFine is providing solutions around Minitab. “First we don't limit our customers to just Chicago area training,” says Jay.  “A customer can register for select public Minitab training in different key areas. (Click here to view Minitab courses) Second, we don't limit our customers to just Minitab public training. We offer Minitab on-site training throughout the U.S. for the same low price as Minitab, $2500 per day (travel and expenses excluded) for up to twenty students. We can also take care of all computer setup requirements and catering needs for an additional cost. Third, we don't limit our customers to just Minitab training. We offer Minitab Mentoring which is a great way to get on-the-job Minitab training with a statistician, once a participant goes back to their job and encounters a problem not covered in training. We offer small blocks of time to give customers quick results and immediate payback. Lastly, Minitab is a great package but if an individual is too busy creating reports or cutting and pasting data, they are losing the time needed to maximize their investment in Minitab. We have the expertise to automate those routine tasks and significantly free up a customer’s time to really learn Minitab and statistics! Participants will have one contact for all of the items outlined above and it will be integrated into their daily activities. We will execute, our customers will receive their required results! For more information contact Jay at jbronec@qualifine.com or call at 888-317-4820.

QUALIFINE INTRODUCES NEW FEATURE ON WEBSITE – SCHEDULE REMOTE CONSULTING SERVICES WITH JAY BRONEC

Whether you have an open purchase order for QualiFine's services or you want to pay per project as part of your ongoing process improvement efforts, scheduling has been made easy with a new website feature. Visit QualiFine’s website www.qualifine.com and see Jay’s consulting schedule at a glance. The color coded calendar lets you know which dates are open and which dates are booked. Lock in the dates and hours you want. Simply enter your purchase order number or pay with a major credit card. "I am doing most of my work remotely now so onsite full day events are becoming  rare,” says Jay., “I needed a way for my customers to be able to see my consulting schedule so they can easily book two to three-hour blocks without the inconvenience of back- and-forth emails. As someone who works in the automation business, I wanted to eliminate as much non-value-added work for my customers as possible!" For more information contact Jay at jbronec@qualifine.com or call him at 888-317-4820

MANUFACTURER GAINS ERROR PROOF METHOD TO VERIFY PART INSPECTION WITH QUALIFINE’S REMOTE TOTAL INTEGRATION EXPERTISE

A division of ITW produces seat heaters for the automotive industry.  Part quality is a critical element of the manufacturer’s support as a tier three supplier.  ITW was using GainSeeker software to run a simple pass/fail part inspection on a component.  A quality engineer for ITW wanted to expand the use of GainSeeker to reduce paper and refine data acquisition to help meet internal tracking goals and customer requirements.  His initiative included implementing a printer and barcode verifier from Chicago Coding Systems, St. Charles, Ill.  QualiFine, a Quality Systems solution provider, worked with Chicago Coding to determine the data needed to trigger the printer then integrated the equipment with ITW’s GainSeeker software for a total solution.

Since quick installation was also a key element for ITW, QualiFine handled the project remotely.  “Remote installation is especially valuable when you are implementing something new and working with multiple parties,” says Jay Bronec, president of QualiFine.  “By managing the project off-site I am able to provide a very fast, nimble response, eliminate the need to coordinate schedules and instantly access a wide range of resources to support the job’s requirements.”  “GainSeeker is very customizable,” says the quality engineer, “Jay really helped to expand my understanding of the software’s capabilities and how he could integrate the different elements into a streamlined solution.”  Components included a Labelmill machine built and modified for the application by Chicago Coding Systems.  The company provides a complete line of quality marking, coding and labeling systems for manufacturers worldwide

The Labelmill can’t determine whether a part is good or bad.  The machine can only respond to a signal.  GainSeeker, designed with the capacity to recognize if a part passes or fails inspection is able to record the inspection data and then send a signal to the label machine if the part passes.  The Labelmill then prints and applies a 10 in. long by ¾ in. wide label cinching the two ends.  The quality engineer says this process gives ITW the registration from end to end it needs but only partially affixes the label to the part.  “An operator cinches down the excess material while using a hand-held device to check the bar code and make sure it’s scanning properly,” he says.  “This process gives me part to part traceability because GainSeeker is recording inspection data and linking that information to each individual bar code. We have an error-proof method able to verify that a part has passed inspection.  It also speeds up the trouble shooting process. Our product is unique.  Other companies can’t produce it.  Proprietary technology gives us a competitive edge and the part-to-part traceability we’ve achieved with the software is an important contributor to helping us maintain that edge.” For more information on how Jay can evaluate and improve your work processes contact Jay at jbronec@qualifine.com or call him at 888-317-4820

GO WIRELESS WITH GAGEWAY – REDUCE DOWNTIME AND ACHIEVE GREATER FLEXIBILITY

QualiFine has partnered with MicroRidge to help customers reduce downtime and achieve greater flexibility with technology that is independent.  GageWay Wireless works on the factory floor, in the lab or anywhere an individual needs to connect digital gages and RS-232 devices to a computer without the use of cables.  GageWay Interfaces directly link single or multiple gages and serial devices using RS-232, USB or network connections.  Real-time data can be fed into Excel using MicroRidge’s WedgeLink family of hardware and software keyboard wedges.  The company also continues to introduce new products to support customer needs.