Where do you see technology bringing the most qualitative benefits to large multinationals such as ABB?

"Nowadays, many companies are using massive data assimilation and sophisticated data presentation techniques to provide top management with unprecedented visibility into performance. However, the problem with this approach is that the highest management team in any company is unlikely to effectively interpret this data and make sensible decisions on how to address underlying issues. A much more practical and applicable approach is to apply these modern data analysis and decision support tools to tackle problems directly at the level of the line manager or plant manager. It is now possible to provide them in real-time, not only with the data showing that a problem exists (they usually already know this), but also to suggest solutions, for example by referring to the company's global data to show where similar problems existed and how they were resolved. At this point, you are presenting the nearest manager to the site of the problem with potential solutions, rather than just enhancing the visibility of a problem."

Is Industry 4.0 a game changer?

"The growth of productivity and improvement in quality are endless activities, with gains that are hard to achieve using the best tools available. The last 35 years have seen a number of revolutionary developments in support tools (e.g., ERP and CAD systems...) and also in processes (Lean Six Sigma...) that all promised revolutionary results, and which ultimately delivered only incremental improvements, and even then only if they were effectively deployed. When poorly deployed, and unfortunately, this was the case in many companies, they destroyed rather than generated value. I see Industry 4.0 simply as the next generation of support tools, and I trust it will also bring additional incremental benefits to those who deploy it effectively."

Are there regions of the world where you see an increased need for visual inspection solutions?

"The industrial manufacturing community is driven by managerial incentives that generally aim to produce more, faster, and cheaper. In certain environments, this pushes managers to accept both from their suppliers and themselves to subsequently deliver lower quality goods throughout the supply chain, with very costly consequences. I think you are on the right track studying the potential of automated inspection assistance to help maintain more consistent quality levels throughout the supply chain."

How would you classify Scortex's role in the quest for quality improvement?

"Scortex provides a precise and reproducible quality analysis tool that suffers neither from fatigue nor from the inevitable human variability. It can learn quickly and be instantly deployed across a global network of factories, but can also continue to learn in operation to further enhance its capabilities. This should facilitate generating a strong business case for deploying the system. By strengthening the initial business case, Scortex provides useful data to detect real-time defect trends, enabling effective root cause analysis to improve processes, leading to savings in labor, scrap, direct material usage, energy consumption, storage, etc. At this stage, in the rapidly developing field of machine learning, it is important that each client is open to accepting and effectively deploying this technology to ensure the undeniable benefits that should be rigorously monitored over time. Success will require changes within the client, always a challenge, and it requires Scortex to maintain a very close relationship with your clients, especially as you succeed and grow."   

Stay tuned for more blog articles on the cost of quality!

To delve deeper into Scortex's vision on automated quality control, you can read our interview with Hugues Poiget, CEO of Scortex.