Dura-Line Centralizes Quality Processes Across Locations with QT9 QMS

More for the money

In their search for a solution, Dura-Line’s quality control managers knew they needed a QMS that addressed specific criteria. In terms of day-to-day management, those were document control, internal audit management, and corrective actions management. Ease of use and affordability were also essential. The company ultimately decided on the QT9 eQMS platform, citing:

• Quick deployment
• Out-of-the box functionality
• Intuitive user interface
• Relative affordability
• ISO 9001 compliant

“One of the big drivers for using QT9 was that it didn’t require a whole lot of customization to fit the needs of Dura-Line,” says Lenarz. Even though QT9 QMS is an out-of-the box solution, Dura-Line quality experts liked that it is diverse enough to address so many aspects of their quality management needs, offering more than 25 different scalable modules at no additional cost.

Functional modules

The number of solutions offered combined with the functionality of the QT9 QMS platform are the fuel driving the system’s usefulness for Dura-Line as they take full advantage of all it offers.

Document control is among the modules that is used by Dura-Line on a daily basis. “If I’m not looking at revisions or approvals for documents, I’m always checking the new document queue,” says Caylin Cox, Quality Management Systems Engineer for Dura-Line. She notes that document control, audit management and corrective actions capabilities are key to their management system. She also looks to the subtask capabilities of the system to keep her on track with outstanding projects.

While each Dura-Line site maintains its own internal audits, Lenarz and Cox oversee those audits through the QMS and are able to follow up with support of corrective actions, verification of effectiveness and then closure.

“Across the organization, the document control module is the number one most frequently used,” says Lenarz. “Supplier corrective actions is number two, then just general corrective actions, number three. Internal audits and calibrations fit in around four and five.”

Easy deployment

With dedicated customer support and an intuitive user interface, Dura-Line was quickly up and running with the QT9 software. “It was a flawless deployment of the system because the intuitive nature made rollout of the software easy,” recalls Lenarz. “Once you understand the inner workings of one module, you can rapidly deploy that knowledge across any aspect of the QT9 QMS. Its intuitiveness made the rollout exceptionally quick and the adoption very fast across the organization.”

During implementation, Dura-Line was able to take full advantage of QT9’s customer support program, which offers unlimited training for initial setup as well as ongoing maintenance and support. “In my experience with QT9, what stands out the most is the exceptional customer service and support,” says Cox. "You were constantly accessible. You were there at any point that we needed support."

Audit success

Dura-Line has seen a substantial reduction in internal audit findings, which ultimately translates to less time and effort spent on correcting issues and more time spent on furthering quality process effectiveness across the organization.  “We went from having no certification, to achieving the certification of both ISO 9001 and TL 9000, with praise from external auditors," says Lenarz.  “In some of our recent external audits, auditors have praised the ease of using QT9 and the overall implementation of it.”