I am in the process of benchmarking my product against other total quality information software packages. To make this a thorough benchmark I am looking for input regarding possible contenders. If you are currently using a software package that you feel is working well I would like to know the name of the product and the company that designed it. The packages should be AIAG compliant and have APQP, Gage Control, Quality and Engineering Documentation, Corrective Action, and Document Control capabilities.

Probably too late to mean anything now, but I 'found' this in the wrong forum and am transferring it to the right one. Maybe a few responses will trickle in.

I've used a package called MPACT from Integral Solutions in Royal Oak, Michigan. I first met it about 8 years ago and it does what you require.

www.integsolutions.com

We use MPACT also, and the most frustrating result is the 120 page Control Plan.
We recently launched QSI's System 14000, which does everything you are looking for and more. It will need some customizing for specific forms we use, but overall, everyone is happy with it.
Training was a bit of a nightmare, but after five months now.....things are going smoothly.

Sporty,

Send me an e-mail, I teach Mpact and have never seen a control plan longer that 15 pages!

The length of the control plan will depend upon the part / assembly - not the software. I've seen 1 page CPs and 200 page CPs. Other than font size, the software should make no difference.

Marc,

The use of the software can make a difference, with Mpact there is a choice of printing out different versions of a control plan and FMEA.

Submit a 120 page CP to Chrysler and see what happens!

Food for thought.

We supply GM, Chrysler, Ford, and just about any other OEM you can think of .....I have not seen a control plan less than 60 pages coming out of MPACT, with most well over 100 pages. Obviously, we are doing something wrong with the formatting.
I e-mailed you Al, I do hope you can help.

I will help, if I don't respond to the first e-mail forgive me, I'm doing some work on my system!

How do you get MPact 2001 to carry over information to the warrant - simple stuff like Company name?

Sporty said:

We use MPACT also, and the most frustrating result is the 120 page Control Plan.

We recently launched QSI's System 14000, which does everything you are looking for and more. It will need some customizing for specific forms we use, but overall, everyone is happy with it.

Are you saying you replaced MPact with QSI's System 14000? Are they the same - a relational database with all the forms and such.

I've just started using MPact 2001 and it reminds me of an old DOS program. So far I'm far from impressed.

We are currently using MPACT 1999, so there are no warrants to transfer information to. (sorry)
QSI (which by the way was bought out by ISB) has a control plan/fmea database, but was not sufficient for our needs. We called in a programmer and developed a new database that is now part of System 14000. It encompasses the Process Flow, PFMEA and the Control Plan. Since System 14000 runs through Lotus Notes, the database is available for everyone to access, and we can link the information to any other database or form we want.
System 14000 also includes document control, corrective and preventive action, calibration and gage control, Engineering change requests, Customer Management, Defective Material Notices, etc....the list goes on and on. I think I still have my old demo CD, let me know if you would like me to send it to you.:)

If you have a web site url I'd like it for the System 14000 folks. I can do a search later - I'm home and it was a long day so I'm wanting to close out a few messages and relax.

Actually I'm just working at a client facility getting some PPAPs through and submitted and addressing an overflowing Corrective Actions list. So I'm not looking to change systems and they're not either. In fact, I worked for these folks back in 1991-2 and set up several databases in Filemaker (now Filemaker Pro) and since then they've adopted it, have all their data analysis databases. It's also the first place I used flow charts to to 'map' processes and systems. They run on a Novell network, windoz 98. I just started playing with MPact and am disappointed. It's not particularly hard to use, but little stuff like the company name, part number and such not transferring to the warrant is disappointing. Maybe I was expecting too much.

Sorry for the delay in posting this address.....System 14000 url is www.qualitysys.com