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Original Date: 07/23/1996
Revision Date: 01/18/2007
Information : Voice Recognition System for Defect Data Collection
In 1993, Nascote purchased and installed a Wireless Voice Platform (WVP) system to help collect and reduce data in its manufacturing operations. The WVP , manufactured by CompuSpeak Inc. of Olathe, Kansas, helps Nascote ensure product quality and to address corrective actions for non-conforming products or processes.
A team of five employees previously collected defect data manually. Positioned at the end of each paint line, these employees inspected every product. Four inspectors examined the parts for defects and called out any information to the fifth employee who entered this data on paper. The tallied information was then keyed into a computer system before any quality control reports could be generated on the next work shift. Labor intensive and error prone, this process had neither a means to identify trends in paint quality nor allowed for timely corrective actions.
The WVP system allows Nascote’s paint inspectors to collect data on painted parts. Each employee wears a headset and a lightweight transceiver unit on a belt, and verbally inputs defect data. The transceiver unit communicates with a PC via radio frequency, providing real-time data collection. When an inspector inputs the defect data, the information is immediately verified by the WVP ’s computer-generated voice, ensuring accurate data collection. Once uploaded to Nascote’s factory computer real-time, the data is immediately available for various reports.
Nascote has benefitted from the availability of real-time trend information, defect analysis, and immediate feedback. Non-conforming parts are reduced and quality is increased. In addition, WVP allows inspector mobility away from the stationary workstation; computer experience is not required to use the system; lag time between quality control inspections and quality reports has been eliminated; possible data corruption is eliminated; input errors are easily corrected through the use of voice commands; and, WVP ’s customizable software allows growth of the system to accommodate changes.
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