10 Oct 2024

ETQ, part of Hexagon, launched the ETQ Reliance® Predictive Quality Analytics solution, bringing a new level of artificial intelligence (AI)-driven analytics to its ETQ quality management system (QMS).

The solution enables automated, early detection and proactive resolution to prevent manufacturing problems, limit production variation, speed decision making, deliver prescriptive solutions to supply chain issues and boost overall delivered quality.

ETQ and Acerta customers

The partnership will allow ETQ and Acerta clients to benefit from a predictive, closed-loop quality system

By extending proactive quality management to the shop floor, organisations can boost quality, innovation across the product manufacturing process – enabling product optimisations and continuous improvement.

ETQ has partnered with Acerta Analytics, a developer of predictive quality analytics software for manufacturers, to integrate Acerta LinePulse, an AI and machine learning-based solution, with ETQ Reliance. The partnership will allow ETQ and Acerta customers to benefit from a predictive, closed-loop quality system that marries real-time data analysis with advanced quality workflows.

Recent ETQ survey 

"Today's manufacturers worry about the performance of their plants, how to ensure operational efficiency, meet compliance requirements and manage risk, all while preserving innovation, ensuring on-time delivery of quality products to their customers," said Vick Vaishnavi, CEO of ETQ.

"Heavy on their minds is the possibility of product recalls. In fact, in a recent ETQ Pulse of Quality in Manufacturing survey 73% of respondents said they had a product recall in the last five years, and 48% said there have been more recalls than there were five years ago."

ETQ Reliance Predictive Quality solution

Vaishnavi added: "The ETQ Reliance Predictive Quality solution combines AI technology and expert human knowledge to help identify production problems sooner and resolve them faster to avoid costly, brand-damaging recalls and other quality issues."

"We're pleased to be partnering with ETQ. Coupled with Acerta's long-standing history of providing AI solutions to large automotive manufacturers, together we will now deliver insights to manufacturers that help them predict and resolve issues with real-time analysis of their shop-floor data, and expert feedback from ETQ Reliance users," said Greta Cutulenco, Co-founder and CEO, Acerta Analytics. "Our combined solution helps manufacturers work quickly and efficiently to prevent scrap and rework and manage critical quality events."

ETQ Reliance Quality Analytics

ETQ Reliance Quality Analytics key is an AI-driven PQA application that ingests data from the shop floor

The ETQ Reliance Quality Analytics solution is an AI-driven Predictive Quality Analytics (PQA) application that ingests data from the shop floor via the Acerta LinePulse application. Acerta LinePulse predicts the likelihood of upcoming defects and integrates with the ETQ Reliance QMS to accelerate root cause analysis and speed-to-resolution while also improving predictive algorithms. 

This early detection and intervention can make a drastic positive impact on critical production KPIs such as scrap and rework, "first time right," stable production and others.

Quality event in ETQ

The solution brings actionable AI to the shop floor by sending early warning alerts when a manufacturing process is at risk of producing defects. 

These alerts create a quality event in ETQ Reliance so that users can investigate the nature of the alert, determine the resolution to resolve the issue, and return feedback to Acerta LinePulse.

AI-driven predictive capabilities

Companies can reduce the number of potential escapes and limit their recall exposure

By keeping humans in the loop with AI-driven predictive capabilities, customers can reduce field service costs, customer complaints, safety incidents, warranty claims and recalls downstream, while helping product designers, manufacturing engineers and supply chain managers ensure better inputs to the manufacturing process. 

By reducing the time, it takes to address manufacturing challenges, companies can reduce the number of potential escapes and limit their recall exposure.

Acerta LinePulse

The feedback sent from ETQ Reliance to Acerta LinePulse causes the predictive algorithms to continuously learn, and become more effective, accurate over time. Consistently improving predictions using real-time data help make better decisions faster.

Acerta LinePulse brings additional features that improve shop-floor decision-making, such as automated root cause analysis and advanced capability monitoring.

Key features/benefits

  • Manufacturing-specific data ingestion: Collect, analyse and visualise manufacturing data from different sources all in one place, including process data from sensors, environmental data from inside the plant, test results, and quality inspection data.
  • Advanced data analysis: Designed for quality engineers and line operators; no in-house data science expertise is required.
  • Predictive monitoring and alerts: Get alerted about potential quality issues before they occur from the areas of production that make the most impact.
  • Automated root cause analysis: Generate a prioritised list of the most influential signals related to a failed quality inspection or test within minutes.

ETQ Reliance NXG customers

The solution is a fully multi-tenant SaaS offering that delivers the power of cloud-native technology

The ETQ Reliance Quality Analytics solution is available immediately and will be sold directly by ETQ, Acerta and other ETQ resellers to both new and existing ETQ Reliance NXG customers.

ETQ Reliance NXG is a comprehensive, cloud-native, analytics-driven quality management system for quality-centric customers in manufacturing, life sciences, electronics, food and beverage, automotive, aerospace, and other industries. The solution is a fully multi-tenant SaaS offering that delivers the limitless power of cloud-native technology to accelerate and elevate quality processes and reduce risk for companies.

Hexagon MI's Sixth Sense program and Acerta

Acerta is a member of Hexagon's Sixth Sense accelerator program launched in January 2022 to assist manufacturing companies by providing them with access to Hexagon's extensive resources. 

The program is an open innovation platform that connects companies to address global challenges through manufacturing innovation.