Introducing QAD EQMS 2021.1

QAD is proud to announce the release of the 2021.1 version of QAD EQMS(Enterprise Quality Management System). Using new methods, this release allows users to access more comprehensive data securely and with less effort. It includes:

• Improvements to Document Control
• Enhanced capabilities
• Better supervisor visibility into training competence and gaps, for both direct reports and the department
• Improvements to integration log filtering
• Additional extensibility and logging capabilities

It also offers improvements to secure ITAR (International Traffic in Arms Regulations) data and updates to the Medwatch 3500A adverse event workflow and reporting.

QAD EQMS 2021.1 Highlights

The latest enhancements include:

Document Control

QAD EQMSprovides a document control system to ensure the entire organization is always working with the latest document revisions and engineering changes. Electronic document routings and approvals keep the process moving efficiently and ensure information is available to everyone at the right time.

In Document Control, capabilities have been added that allow users to reduce effort in periodic reviews, such as a risk checklist for change requests and a document type default to convert to PDF. The new release also suggests adding or obsoleting documents, drawings, process and manufacturing records in a change request and has improved watermarks on mixed orientation pages in a document.

Metrics and Charting

QAD EQMS provides expanded capabilities for metricsand dashboards that include plotting two series of data on the same chart, pareto charts and trending a metric over time (e.g. week, month, quarter, year).

Plotting two series of data on the same chart helps users visualize proportions, such as the total number of non-conformances opened per site vs. the number of incomplete non-conformances still opened per site. The true pareto chart provides the ability to see the highest contributing factors such as the number of non-conformances by symptom, allowing users to focus on those symptoms that are most prevalent. Trending a metric over time shows whether the metric is increasing or decreasing over time, such as the number of audits completed monthly by site.

Supervisor Visibility into Training Competence and Gaps

Many supervisors who manage shop floor personnel face challengesdue to high attrition, retiring workers, and absenteeism, some of which have been exacerbated by COVID-19. This causes them to scramblewhen they need to staff the shop floor with qualified resources so that productivity and quality do not suffer.

With the addition of two new elements, department and name of the manager for each employee, on the Employee Skills screen, the supervisor can see both competencies and training gaps of their direct reports and everyone has visibility to competencies or training gaps for a given department.

Vertical Specific Enhancements

Additional enhancements were added around ITAR security requirements for manufacturers working with highly classified military data and for adverse events for life sciences.

ITAR Improvements

Having data protected and secured is critical for every manufacturer, and this is especially true for US manufacturers with military contracts. In QAD EQMS, improvements have been made to the ITAR security requirements, ensuring the data is not accessed by unauthorized users. In response to requests by our customers, ITAR security improvements were added in these areas: APQP with technical data, inspection information, non-conformance and corrective actioninformation.

Adverse Events Enhancements

For life science manufacturers, QAD EQMS supports the latest US FDA format required. The solution supports the FDA 3500A Medwatch report(February, 2019 version). Enhancements were also made to improve the workflow when creating this document.

A Team Effort

Many of these improvements have been developed with direct insights from customers and based on user feedback. Our partners, business consultants, industry experts and others play a key role in our product development efforts by sharing ideas and affirming the business benefits for new capabilities. As a result, QAD EQMS 2021.1 helps manufacturers more rapidly respond and plan for unexpected disruptions to their business in order to thrive in increasingly turbulent times.

Our twice-annual releases enable customers to boost their manufacturing intelligence, innovation and agility. Visit our site for more information about QAD EQMS and becoming anAdaptive Manufacturing Enterprise.

Public link

Please use the above public link if you want to share this noodl on another website.