The recent years of industrial development have focused on spreading the quality management system based on ISO 9001 norm. It became a standard for an organization as well as for the customer to hold a certificate proving quality management. Looking at an organization as at a set of associated processes enabled to improve management efficiency and cost minimalization. Such an approach is used in each branch of present day economy, ranging from service companies, production companies up to administrative institutions.

The ISO 9001 norm introduces standards in all spheres of an organization functioning, paying special attention to issues connected with monitoring and measuring, following guidelines included in point 7.6 (Point 7.1.5 edition 2015). In spite of the fact that this point is relatively short, it gathers a great deal of significant information.

A natural consequence and at the same time development of the aforementioned point was the norm introduced in 2003 and marked as ISO 10012 – “Measurement management systems. Requirements for measurement processes and measuring equipment”. Another popular standard, defining requirements connected with measuring equipment for calibration and research laboratories is ISO/IEC 17025 norm – General requirements concerning the competences of research and calibration laboratories.

The summary presented below is a set of the most important requirements appearing in the norms mentioned above. To assure compliance with requirements, it is necessary at least to:

• Identify measuring equipment used to assure quality
• Keep a register of measuring equipment (carts, sheets, application)
• Set requirements concerning equipment (at least MPE in terms of the requirements of the measuring process)
• To set a calibration/ checking schedule
• Calibrate in predetermined time intervals, that is, comply with the aforementioned schedule
• Verify, adjust and repair, if necessary
• Keep records of the conducted activities

It is not an easy task to successfully manage a set of measuring equipment, frequently consisting of a few hundred (even a few thousand) devices, particularly in a situation when the calibration deadlines have to be strictly kept, and supervise their technical condition as well as current localization. Therefore, does an organization have to spend a great deal of financial resources as well as use a number of staff in order to maintain a full compliance with the system?

The answer is: NO - see the details below.

NEOGAGE enables managing measuring equipment in an unbelievably simple and efficient way. The most important elements of the software make it possible to get full independent from paper documentation. If you do not wish to give up paper documentation, you can easily attach scans or print reports and views directly from the application.

NEOGAGE METROLOGY revolutionizes management of measuring equipment – it is a tool which enables to monitor measuring equipment in a comfortable and efficient way in any company, regardless of the activity profile, management system or the type of the tools being used.

NEOGAGE ANALYSIS – contains a set of MSA analysis enabling verification and improvement of measurement systems as well as SPC module which enables statistical process control.

MSA Module contains three analyses:

• Cgk,
• GR&R,
• Attribute.

SPC Module enables the use of statistics and data to verify deviation from the required standards. Process stability analysis is carried out using four tools:

• histogram
• Pareto diagram,
• control card,
• process flow diagram.

NEOGAGE MACHINE CONTROL – enables registering machine cards in dedicated records, creating failure reports as well as converting them into internal orders or those carried out by an external contractor. The module also contains statistics on the timeliness of operations on machines and statistics showing the time of machine failure.

NEOGAGE TOOL MANAGEMENT – a module for tool inventory and management. It enables its users to track the equipment and record flow actions, such as an issue, return or exchange. In addition to this, Tool Management provides strong support in warehouse and stock management and allows to monitor the costs of tools thanks to the statistics feature.

NEOGAGE QUALITY CONTROL – a mobile application supporting the control of finished products by the quality department. It enables to keep records of tested products and carry out checks in accordance with the attached control cards that determine the correct performance of the action. Application users can be assigned specific roles and given specific permissions.

Full control

• Access to all kinds of data connected with measuring equipment from any place and device
• Checking the calibration status, the results and preview of the certificate directly on the production line or during an audit at the customer’s
• Automatic reminder of the checking dates
• Registration of a real user together with a dynamic update of the technical condition thanks to the rental module
• Complete information about the current state of the machine park

Saving time

• The application works instantly, no installation required
• Finding data takes seconds and takes place at any location in your company
• Labels with QR codes provide a preview of the data immediately after scanning with a smartphone or a reader

Compliance with norms requirements

• ISO 9001
• ISO 10012
• ISO 17025
• ISO/TS 16949

Reducing the risk and costs resulting from the lack of quality

• Monitoring of changes in metrological properties allows for early withdrawal of the tool
• Thanks to advanced reports , it is possible to identify critical points generating increased costs or downtimes (vendor, process, user).
• Reducing the risk of unavailability of key machines in the production process through complete information about failures and ongoing repairs and reviews
• Reduction of downtime thanks to immediate failure information generated by the automatic system notifications

The purpose of the application creators was to prepare a computer-supported, efficient system of managing measuring equipment complying with the requirements of the aforementioned regulations and norms. It is efficient in terms of assuring that the whole equipment used for achieving and monitoring quality targets is adjusted to the realization of entrusted tasks.

Implementing the system is to get to know as well as minimalize the risk connected with using an inappropriate or faulty device, which in consequence could have an impact on the quality of products produced in the company.

The overriding aim, which we had in mind during the works, was to develop a system which would be universal and open so that adaptation to the conditions existing in various companies would be easy and the consequence would be optimizing costs by meeting customer’s expectations.

Another factor which was taken into consideration while developing the system was maintaining transparency and assuring a comfortable and easy operation. The system has been designed in a pro-ecological way in order to fulfil the trends which are followed in a modern company – the abilities of the system reduce the necessity to use paper versions of documents to the absolute minimum.

Device cards

These are places where we collect information about each device. The Card includes a section devoted to the technical identification and specification, as well as information concerning the current place of use and the user. Additionally, the view of the device history is available, where all activities connected with the device are displayed (calibrations, repairs, etc.) together with the diagram of indicated errors. We can add an attachment to each card, e.g. operating manuals or declarations of conformity.

Sets

The module allows to group devices into sets, on which you can later perform group actions such as: collective issue/ receipt of devices, change of status or technical condition, etc,

Locations

In here we define locations, in which measuring equipment is used. We can define both the location (it’s useful when a company has got a few branches), and the department as well as the production line. The table instantaneously allows to identify all tools assigned to a given localization.

Employees

The module enables to create employees profiles, the users of the measuring equipment. It easily allows to prepare a list of equipment being in an employee’s possession to collect it, for example, in order to dispatch it for calibration or making a technical review.

Documents

In this section all documents created in the process of managing equipment are gathered – certificates scans, repair protocols, etc. The module is associated with device cards and activities, which allows to find and display a given document just with a couple of clicks, regardless of the fact whether we are in a laboratory or a production hall. In this section we also manage internal calibration instructions, which are supervised in compliance with ISO 9001 (archiving previous versions).

Actions

This is the most significant module in the application. It allows to monitor the schedule of all planned actions. The view of the list with legible icons allows to organize calibration or overview instantaneously. The key element allows to comply with the requirements of your system. You will be informed about upcoming actions via an e-mail.

Tool flow

The instrument flow module allows full control over the location, user and technical condition of the tool. Thanks to the QR and RFID code system and a special mobile view, tool issue and receipt operations can be performed even in the production centre. The advanced time management option allows to stop the expiration of a test validity when the tool is not in use.

Statistics and reports

Statistics and reports are an enormous tool, which opens way to a completely different level of managing measuring equipment. Reports can be created as a diagram or table on the basis of any data stored in the application. An example of the possibilities of the module:

• Costs analysis and planning the budget
• Finding a producer of the tools generating the greatest repair costs or the shortest service life
• Analysis of the promptness of realizing the actions.

Users (module available to the administrator)

From this menu the administrator can add users of the application together with assigning appropriate entitlements to them.

The MSA analysis module – Measurement Systems Analysis

The extension contains a set of tools enabling verification and improvement of measurement systems. The module allows to examine the system’s ability and measurement process using three analyses:

• Cgk
• R&R
• Attribute

SPC Module – Statistical Process Control

The extension allows the use of statistics and data to verify deviation from the required standards. Process stability analysis is carried out using four tools:

• histogram
• Pareto diagram,
• control card,
• process flow diagram.

Advanced permissions for tool visibility

Module authorizing the management of visibility of devices relative to the group of employees responsible for a given location and according to the position held in the organization.

Machine Control Module

The module allows to create machine cards in dedicated records, create failure reports, and convert them into internal orders or external contractor orders. The extension also includes statistics on the timeliness of execution machine tasks and statistics on the time of failure of the machines.

Audits will never be as they used to be.

NEOGAGE gives a possibility of checking data concerning a particular device from any place – enter the device number, display the history of checks and show an attached scan of the calibration certificate (it’s also possible on a mobile device).

Even in the basic version, the application has all modules necessary to supervise the measuring equipment in compliance with popular norms (ISO 9001 and ISO 10012). You can create transparent device cards, add employees and places of use. Thanks to legible lists and advanced filtering, you will inform employees or the department about the upcoming audits just with a few clicks.

The application focuses on simplicity and comfortable work. It is easy to imagine a situation, for example, when we can provide, e.g., an auditor with a valid calibration certificate directly on the production line. Another advantage is undoubtedly the lack of the necessity of installation and assigning to the position, which allows to reduce costs of additional license. Not without significance is the fact that a simple and transparent interface should assure comfortable work both for the younger as well as older users. With its whole simplicity, the application has got everything, which allows to maintain compliance with the requirements of the ISO 9001 norm – a full identification with the equipment and monitoring of the checks schedule.

NEOGAGE application is available in two models:

• NEOGAGE SUBSCRIPTION - an annual subscription together with service support (the subscription is connected with granting the customer the right to use NEOGAGE application for the period of 12 months).
• NEOGAGE LICENSE - a permanent licence + an annual service support (the permanent licence becomes the property of the customer, the customer can choose installation options on his own infrastructure or use the resources made available by UpWare Sp. z o.o. free of charge, provided the service support continuity is maintained).

Four versions are available for all NEOGAGE products, differing in functionality and the number of supported resources:

• Free
• Basic
• Standard
• Premium

For paid versions, additional expansion modules and packages are also offered. The comparison can be found in the LICENSING tab.

The service support (concerns the model of purchasing the permanent licence – NEOGAGE LICENSE) gives possibilities:

• To update NEOGAGE to the most recent version
• Reporting possible problems with NEOGAGE functioning.
• Receiving telephone advice for customers using NEOGAGE.

In case of purchasing NEOGAGE as a subscription model (NEOGAGE SUBSCRIPTION), the service support is included in the price of the subscription as a standard.

In case of using NEOGAGE in hosting, you only need a PC / Mac computer or tablet/smartphone with an Internet browser with an Internet access.

In case of purchasing the permanent licence and installing NEOGAGE application on customer’s own infrastructure, a physical server or a virtual machine (Vmware, Hyper-V, KVM, Citrix XenServer) with a Linux Debian/Ubuntu/Redhat system – min. 2VCPU, 4GB RAM, 40GB HDD or Microsoft Windows Server – min. 4 vCPU, 16GB RAM, 80GB HDD.

NEOGAGE uses MSSQL Database Server 2019 Express or higher. The server configuration depends on a number of parameters, among others, on the number of users, the number of devices in the database, the number of actions, etc. NEOGAGE engineers make the choice of the suitable configuration on the basis of data received from the customer.

For security reasons, backups should be made of the NEOGAGE application in accordance to the customer’s backup policy.

NEOGAGE application which is available in the cloud has got a number of advantages, such as:

• Time of making the application available to client and shortening of the implementation time (virtually “straight away”)
• Convenience of use and no maintenance
• Data security (everyday backup, firewall protection, anti DDoS)
• Lowering costs of maintaining the application with respect to the local solution on own infrastructure
• Always the latest version of the application
• Efficiency guarantee
• Monitoring of the application availability and efficiency

NEOGAGE uses a range of mechanisms protecting the customers’ data both stored in the database as well as transmitted via the Internet network by means of

• Encrypting transmission between the customer’s browser and the application using the SSL protocol
• Everyday backup of data with the replication to the backup center
• A continuous monitoring of servers performance and application availability (SLA)
• Protecting against DDoS attacks
• Using a fully scaled and redundant IT infrastructure

Yes, the export option is available in terms of all entered objects and generated data, such as: device cards, places, employees, documents, actions, rentals, statistics and reports.

Available formats of the exported data: HTML, CSV, TEXT, Excel, PDF.

Yes, there is an option to transfer NEOGAGE both from hosting to the client’s own infrastructure or from the client’s server to hosting.

Available formats of the exported data: HTML, CSV, TEXT, Excel, PDF.