How 123Insight helps manufacturers meet quality standards

Our mission here at Forterro is to power the businesses that power the future. Our software solutions help industrial organisations streamline how they manufacture and deliver the essential components that power our world.

In 123Insight’s case our software is used by discrete manufacturers operating in highly regulated industries such as aerospace, electronics, engineering and defence. These organisations need ERP software that supports detailed levels of batch traceability to achieve quality certifications such as ISO9001 or for aerospace and automotive industries, AS9100 and IATF 16949. End to end traceability is also key for achieving product certifications such as ATEX and DNV. 

With traceability features built into the fabric of the software, 123Insight powers our customers’ ability to demonstrate quality compliance – without which they could not successfully compete in certain markets and would significantly limit their ability to grow. 

Traceability features within 123Insight

Quality accreditations require manufacturers to track every part, material and process from start to finish, providing a full process audit trail. This ensures product integrity remains high and that if defects or failures occur, the source can quickly be identified. 

Before using 123Insight, customer Percival Aviation didn’t have quality accreditations, but it was a requirement for many of their customers at the time. According to Neil Percival, CEO, implementing 123Insight meant that the company could use the software as a structured framework to manage their compliance requirements: 

“We implemented 123Insight with the intent of creating greater control within our manufacturing processes which, to be frank, we didn't have prior to implementation. Now we have full traceability along with the comprehensive business metrics that AS9100 requires of us, all provided by one system.”

In fact, many customers rely on 123Insight as the backbone for their quality accreditations, and here’s why: 

Advanced serial tracking

123Insight tracks your manufacturing processes so that you know exactly which part, batch and serial numbers have been used in your products and where they were shipped. You can record serial numbers when receiving raw materials or generate serial numbers for in-house manufactured assemblies. 

These advanced serial tracking capabilities proved invaluable to Contrec Manufacturing who needed to demonstrate full traceability through its supply chain, Pam Casson, Managing Director, explains: 

“We make a number of instruments that are safety-critical and have to comply to international standards, so traceability back through the supply chain is paramount. It’s so easy to be able to enter a serial number and locate everything relating to it, for example what unit it was built into, as all sub-assembly serial numbers are tied to a complete instrument’s serial number, along with who ordered it. To trace that manually would be quite a task. We’ve been complimented by our quality auditor regarding the speed that information can be retrieved and the clarity that 123Insight delivers.”

For our customers’ customers, quality compliance is also a condition of doing business and when Boyce Precision Engineering needed to demonstrate traceability during a customer audit, Brian Perry, Operations Director, said this is where 123Insight came into its own:

“We were recently audited by a customer in the defence sector that needed parts that must be ‘Grade A’ 100% structurally sound, so batch traceability is key. Within five minutes the auditors were satisfied that we could provide the traceability level that they needed. We could show them that from a bill of materials with a batch number we could link it back through every stage of works orders, purchase orders, etc. They grade suppliers from A+ to E, and on our first audit we received an A. 123Insight was a major contributor to this.”

Robust quality control

123Insight enables you to log, record and document manufacturing steps and actions so that if/when quality issues arise, they can be swiftly dealt with. The software allows you to record and track the expiry dates of parts to ensure you always have shelf-life visibility. It allows you to manage goods-in quality inspections on a part-by-part and supplier-by-supplier basis. You can even manage your tools, jibs and machinery calibration in the software so that your parts and products are measured and set up correctly. 

123Insight was instrumental in helping Job Filtration achieve their ISO quality accreditation because they could demonstrate full traceability for robust quality control. Peter McGuiness, Managing Director, explains: 

“When investigating quality issues, it's great to be able to keep drilling down until you find everything you need, without having to hunt around. The new ISO standard puts far more emphasis on customer satisfaction. If you have a customer complaint or non-conformance it’s very easy to track through the system to find who did the job, where we got the fabric from, and the related batch, etc.”

Simplifies quality audits

Compliance audits are a comprehensive process and if everything isn’t all in one place, it can be time consuming to locate all the paperwork needed for your inspection. 123Insight allows you to link sales orders, purchase orders, despatch notes and engineering drawings, etc. to part numbers within the system so that all the documentation you need is available on-demand.

Butser Rubber relies on 123Insight to comply with all of its quality accreditations and where audits could have previously taken all day and required a great deal of effort, they can now be carried out quickly and from one location. Production Manager, Charlie Easton, explains: 

“123Insight really is a one stop shop auditable system. We had our audit last week and we did it all from my laptop in our conference room. The auditor asked for the delivery note number of the supplier and I could bring up both the purchase order and the delivery note. We scan it at goods inwards and attach it to the purchase order, so the auditor doesn't have to move from his seat - he can see full traceability at a right click. We can see that the parts were issued to a works order and who issued them. We have our staff skills matrix built into 123Insight's user permissions, so it only allows people who are authorised to issue those works orders. We have great confidence that we can go for our aerospace accreditation without doing anything to our system because it’s doing it automatically for us.”

Powering the future 

From in-depth batch traceability to audit readiness, 123Insight provides manufacturers with the capabilities they need in an ERP system to achieve and maintain quality accreditations. By streamlining compliance and improving operational efficiency, 123Insight gives manufacturers a competitive edge, allowing them to secure new business, build customer trust and drive long-term growth. 

If you want to discuss how 123Insight can support your compliance requirements or see the traceability features in action, follow the link below.