Minitab brings more than 50 years’ worth of expertise in helping manufacturers boost production yields and reduce errors with its software solutions.
More than 50 years ago, chairwomen and co-founder of Minitab, Barbara Ryan, would found the company at Penn State University to revolutionise the way statistics and analytics were taught and applied. The company’s Minitab Statistical Software was the first solution to take off, intended to help students perform calculations easier.
The software’s applications would continue to grow, where at present, Minitab has become a leader in analytics across diverse industries.
“The software was first adopted by universities, high schools and then across industries, becoming the market leader for analytics used in quality and continuous improvement fields,” said Minitab’s new Analytics Solutions design manager, Bass Masri.
Its data driven solutions offerings have grown since the company’s beginnings to now include:
- Model deployment.
- Predictive analytics and machine learning.
- Statistical analysis and business intelligence.
Data access, automation, statistical process control and real-time monitoring.
- Idea generation and management.
- Project planning and management.
- Problem solving methods.
- Tracking and measurement.
- Education and training.
Despite Minitab’s headquarters remaining in Pennsylvania, the company has its sights set on breaking into the Asian-Pacific market, specifically within Australia and New Zealand.
A large use case for Minitab’s services is the continuous improvement of production processes within the manufacturing industry. Sectors that have the potential to benefit from these services the most, include food and beverage, automotive, pharmaceuticals, medical technology and semiconductors.
Minitab’s software solutions help businesses in these sectors by addressing challenges to ensure machine efficiency, optimal inventory levels and smooth manufacturing processes.
“You can improve quality, increase production yields, and bring products to market faster. Our new tailored solutions and process improvement platforms can predict changes to your process or variation in demand and to eliminate problems before they occur. That means you can prevent downtime, reduce defects and improve productivity,” said Masri.
Minitab’s solutions provide an ecosystem for manufacturers to collect data, detect defects, analyse findings, prevent issues before they occur and get to market faster.
Solution spotlight: Real-Time Statistical Process Control (SPC)
A current solution at the forefront of Minitab’s offerings is its Real-Time SPC, which increases organisational value and efficiency for manufacturers by delivering quality assurance and process monitoring capabilities.
“Real-Time SPC makes quality analysis and improvement easy, in one convenient and comprehensive solution. While our monitoring and alerts in real-time allow for immediate action when quality varies, saving both time and money,” said Masri.
“We all strive for quality and perfection in our production processes.”
The solution allows for immediate action – saving both time and money – and reducing waste and rework originating from under-performing processes, machinery or equipment.
Improving quality and streamlining manufacturing methods
“Improving quality can be achieved using a variety of tools which can be found in Minitab Statistical Software, Minitab Workspace, and across Minitab’s solutions,” said Masri.
These solutions are applicable within the medical device manufacturing industry, particularly where manufacturers are tasked with documenting the process to ensure quality standards are met. Process validation is defined as establishing by objective evidence that a process consistently produces a result or a product that meets its predetermined requirements. Minitab’s capability analysis program functions by estimating whether a process, product or service will meet the customer’s specifications and determines through capability indices whether these levels are acceptable.
“Process validation results in a process that consistently produces a high-quality product for your customers. Think about this in terms of your customer’s satisfaction, customer experience and your brand’s reputation,” said Masri.
“Validation not only complies with regulatory requirements but also improves product quality by adhering to the customer specifications. Failure to do so is not an option for manufacturers in the highly competitive Asia Pacific market.”
Moreover, Minitab’s solutions can help manufacturers in developing new and sustainable manufacturing methods. This was on full display when it helped a global lighting manufacturer, Signify, to develop new manufacturing methods that utilised reliability engineering analysis. The process involved demonstrating the reliability of recycled materials and 3D printing, conducting validation tests and aging treatments, and using accelerated life testing to model failure times under stress.
“Minitab harnessed the power of life data to demonstrate that recycled materials and 3D printing will make reliable products, by measuring time to failure,” said Masri.
Looking ahead to avoid disruption
Minitab’s implication on streamlining manufacturing production and processes is heavily reliant on the use of predictive and preventive maintenance, which spotlights reasons for production shortcomings.
“Minitab solutions provide insights into production failures with a click of a few buttons and by identifying trends, patterns and unusual observations” said Masri.
The company’s predictive tools detect deficiencies using graphical analysis and integrate operational data with advanced data analytics, machine learning, and pattern recognition to provide insights for predictive maintenance.
Minitab’s services took global home appliance manufacturers’ error identification from a reliance on delayed and costly product warranty returns to a predictive analytics solution that enabled warranty prediction, faster quality improvement and prevention of defects.
“The dilemma was obvious – they needed to solve the problems faster,” said Masri.
Minitab’s solutions to increase production yields were again in play as the company helped compact equipment manufacturers, Bobcat Company, in increasing performance, quality and production. It did so by 20 per cent. The partnership came about as Bobcat wished to improve its laser-cutting process at one of its North Dakota plants.
Despite having seven lasers, the company still outsourced some laser work due to capacity constraints.
Minitab aimed to find a way to enhance cutting speed while maintaining or improving part quality, leading to the use of its Minitab Statistical Software. After conducting designed experiments and analysis, the company identified the key factors affecting performance, such as power, feed rates, gas pressure, nozzle width, and focus distance. This allowed Bobcat to increase efficiency and reduce costs. This eliminated the need to purchase additional manufacturing equipment, resulting in nearly a $1 million savings in new equipment installation.
Minitab showcased its services’ applicability within the semiconductor manufacturing industry where production yield losses occur because of defects, rework, or scrap in a machine or process. In one instance, to gain insights, Minitab applied a wafer map to identify the root causes of problems faster.
“Due to the costly nature of semiconductor manufacturing, any additional insights that can improve yield can drive real cost savings. By using a wafer map, an engineer can visualise whether defective chips display a systematic pattern or cluster,” said Masri.
Training the next generation
Not only do Minitab offer solutions that can improve production yields and reduce process errors, the company also provides training to help businesses build a skilled workforce.
One of these offerings is its public and open-to-all education training program that focuses on improving manufacturing processes. This involves giving participants exposure to its graphical and statistical tools.
“Statistics provide objective, graphical and descriptive information about data. We use examples with measures such as diameter, pressure, and hardness. Analytical and Statistical techniques are presented through real-world examples and exercises,” said Masri.
Minitab also offers the same service, as an on-site training offering that takes place at the manufacturer’s offices.
A growing solution provider
Going forward, Minitab will continue to grow as a broad solutions provider for manufacturers.
A part of this growth is represented through the company’s most recent acquisition of simulation software Simul8. This new solution helps simulate the operations of a system – such as a day-to-day manufacturing production line.
“By using a virtual simulation to test the impact of process changes and test ‘what-if’ scenarios, you can find an approach that delivers the best results,” said Masri.
Minitab continues to expand its offerings, bringing data-driven solutions, predictive analytics and process improvement software to manufacturers worldwide, helping them improve quality, streamline production and reduce cost.