Modern European industrial manufacturers are facing increasing competition and more stringent environmental standards, demanding tighter controls on production and a minimum of production errors which can raise costs and lead to material waste.

This project was aimed at developing a new system for optimising production quality. New software systematically integrates information from end-users and maintenance reports, allowing the definition of a preventive maintenance plan. An online control system then adjusts process parameters as they fall outside of the defined quality range. Production scheduling for variable job orders can also be handled by the new system.

For the first time, say partners, an integrated closed-loop quality control system for large-scale production has been successfully created. Since project completion, the tyre manufacturing partner has implemented the results in one of their own plants and plans to equip most of its remaining factories with the new system. The potential gain in productivity for this manufacturer has been conservatively estimated at € 20 Million over the 1998-2002 period.