Supporting quality management and traceability at the same time

Recently in Japan, there has been a succession of problems related to mislabeling of products or mishaps related to quality in the food industry. These incidents have made consumers more and more aware of the importance of food safety.

To respond to this growing consumer concern, the food industry must provide accurate labeling to fulfill its accountability. The entire supply chain must be fully traceable from ingredients to production to distribution. Some processes in food production require manual operation and thus cannot be automated. In these cases, the key to avoiding quality mishaps is to find a way to minimize human error.

Q.P. Corporation embarked on the development of a factory automation system in 1989. In 1992, Q.P. initiated the development of a system capable of preventing human ingredient mixing errors, triggered by a part-time worker's claim. The worker claimed that she was sometimes unable to sleep at night because she worried that she might have made a mistake in ingredients mixing. Called QITEC (QP Information Technology System), this system now contributes to quality traceability, reflecting the company's advanced approach to food safety.

OMRON has supplied programmable logic controllers (PLCs) designed to monitor and control factory-floor equipment and production lines and other automated control equipment to Q.P. for many years. In recognition of this long-lasting association and accumulated experience, OMRON was selected as a partner for building the QITEC system. After the deployment of QITEC, human mixing errors have been totally eliminated. Thanks to this success, many makers showed interest in the system, and today more than 40 food and chemicals producers have employed QITEC.

QITEC keeps track of the entire process and helps prevent operator errors

Along with prevention of mixing errors, QITEC maintains traceability for the entire process, from the arrival of ingredients at the plant to delivery of final products.

When an ingredient arrives, a 2D code containing that ingredient's information is issued to assist inventory management. The 2D codes are also attached to small pouches used for subdividing ingredients into small portions. If incorrect ingredients are selected, a warning is displayed on the monitor as soon as the code reader reads the pouch's 2D code, thus contributing to error-free operation. The information for subsequent processes such as filling, sterilizing and packing is also recorded relevant to 2D codes.

By taking this procedure, information pre-registered in the 2D code, such as eat-by freshness date, ingredients and production processes, is labeled on the completed products before they are sent to the final packing stage. Therefore, should any problem be discovered on a product, all products in the respective lot can be immediately collected and the company can trace the data for its ingredients and production processes to identify causes of the problem.

QITEC System Components for Process Traceability

Creating an advanced yet easy-to-operate system by learning from plant workers

When building the QITEC system, OMRON listened very carefully to comments from factory-floor workers who are actually engaged in food production. OMRON staff tried to incorporate feedback from the workers into the system as much as possible, such as by incorporating a larger, easier-to-press touch panel button design. By so doing, OMRON pursued a system with advanced functions, yet enabling easy, flawless operation by plant workers.

Even after system setup, OMRON has continued to improve it, for example by modifying the program based on suggestions by users. Each time OMRON delivers this system, no matter who is the user, OMRON strictly maintains its strategy of onsite learning from plant workers. This is the driving force behind the constant evolution of the QITEC system.

Evolving from safety assurance to quality and productivity enhancements

QITEC has received many positive comments from food producers who use the system, such as "Human errors eliminated!" or "Reduced psychological stress on operators." The system has been adopted not only by food producers but the chemicals industry and other industries, helping to minimize human error in the production process while enhancing traceability.

Furthermore, QITEC can open up new opportunities, for instance, by utilizing information built up in the system to promote improvements in quality and operator efficiency.

The main task of the QITEC system is to eliminate human error and maintain uniform product quality through the management of production process information. By linking this system with the user company's host computer system, OMRON expects to contribute to improvements in quality and productivity, while enhancing safety and security for customers.