General ERP programs track stock and invoices well. But in a company making parts for aerospace and industry, the real question is this: "Which material, which lot, which furnace, which welder and which procedure was this part made with?" When a customer or auditor asks, the answer must be available in minutes.
What a special-process company's ERP needs
- Lot and certificate traceability: The chain from the material certificate to the shipped part must not break.
- Work orders and operation steps: Who worked at each step, when, and with which equipment must be recorded.
- Receiving inspection: The certificate values of incoming material must be compared with the purchase order requirements.
- Nonconformance and 8D: A suspect lot must be quarantined, and root cause and corrective action must be tracked.
- FAI and certificate of conformance: First article inspection and shipping documents must be prepared from the records.
- Calibration and maintenance: An instrument past its due date must not be usable in production.
- Digital records and e-signature: Who changed what, with a visible history.
Related reading: What is a special process? · Supplying aerospace and industry in the Gulf · What is EYDEP?
What does AI add?
Reading paperwork and entering records is what takes most of a quality team's time. An AI-supported ERP can read the delivery note and the certificate and prepare the record, and can answer questions like "which supplier had more nonconformances this month?" In a properly designed system the AI prepares, and approval always stays with the authorized person.
NTB SpecPro ERP
New: AI-supported NTB SpecPro ERP for companies running special processes. It runs on a computer; over the web if you prefer, or entirely on your company's own server. Designed with the AS9100 record structure in mind.
Try NTB SpecPro ERP free for 14 days →
Free tool: Weld consumable weight calculator
Prepared by NTB SpecPro process quality engineering; reviewed by an engineer holding the International Welding Engineer (IWE) qualification. Questions: info@ntbspecpro.com
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