The Integrated Management System IMS ConSense
Published on Saturday, 13 July 2013 12:19
Plant parts for underground use in hazardous areas require the production of the highest care. Tüschen & Zimmermann, specializing in clutches and brake systems for coal mining, optimize their quality management systems with a new integrated management system of Aachen GmbH ConSense
Of mining coal underground enormous forces: systems with giant conveyor belts that lead many miles up and down in the mine, must be driven and braked. Among other components are required to withstand this particular strain reliable. The company was founded in 1963 Tüschen & Zimmermann Lennestadt-Saalhausen specializes in drive connections, create the mechanical interfaces between engines and transmissions for underground use.
The product range includes, for example, torsionally flexible couplings with length compensation and electronically controlled braking and restraint systems to disc brakes base that can compensate special burdens. They have proven themselves over many years with careful and safe starting and stopping of the conveyor underground. The products of the company are used Sauerland focus for chain scraper conveyor, slicer, crushers and belt conveyors, winches, pumps and other downhole equipment. So, among other things, the brake connections have established a standard element for the stopping of conveyor belts as well as to ensure the stopping distances of the scraper chain conveyors and crushers run.
The product range of the medium-sized company is asked: Tüschen & Zimmermann is a supplier to the global mining industry. For in contrast to Germany, where coal production will be phased out by 2018, the industry is booming worldwide. And so the focus operation with more than 60 employees in the export and supplies its clutches and brake systems, the international markets of the mining industry, eg in Turkey, the Ukraine, Russia, Poland, Slovenia, Bosnia, England or China.
The industry is growing requirements in terms of time, quality and flexibility to the company. To respond even better to the changes of markets, customer needs and new technologies to be able to improve long to survive in international competition, it was decided at Tüschen & Zimmermann in 2011 for the introduction of the Integrated Management System ConSense IMS Aachen ConSense Ltd.
"Our goal was to make all processes in the company more transparent, in this way to increase customer satisfaction continuously and also to increase our productivity," explains the quality manager Manfred Graf Together with Gerd Knapwurst, the Technical Director and QML of the company, He was convinced by the transparent structure of the ConSense system. Included here for Tüschen & Zimmermann especially the flexible and modular design, the uncomplicated processing facilities and the proximity to standard office products. "Our previous system was used to total static. Thus, for example, populating data from designed rather tedious. With ConSense we have found a system that can be fulfilled with life. There is a simple example: Since we also do custom products for our customers, processes in our place, which can not be mapped with standard applications. The simple process modeling, which is possible with ConSense, here offers us a lot of leeway, "said Graf would
Optimized workflow, standards and guidelines under control
ConSense IMS was installed in December 2011 Tüschen & Zimmermann and first introduced from January 2012 alongside the existing quality management system. Only the QA department was incorporated, then gradually others joined. It was an orderly distribution rights. This approach has proven useful to find Manfred Graf: "The challenge for us as a production company was to win the people to use. We have achieved this through the successive introduction. So first forms and mails were abolished for information distribution and change messages sent only via ConSense to the employees. So that they could all get used to the regular use of the system. "Meanwhile, a lot of information in the system is set. The distribution to the concerned employee is automated. Everyone always has access to all necessary data. Due to the constant availability of the current quality-related manufacturing instructions, the execution time of many projects has been optimized - which motivates the consistent use and is taken very positively by the customer.
One of the central tasks of the new Integrated Management System IMS ConSense counts the support of the various standards and guidelines that govern the production in Tüschen & Zimmermann. In addition to meeting all requirements of the quality management standard ISO 9001:2008 for the Sauerland company are a number of other industry-specific standards and guidelines of particular importance to ensure safety in the mining industry. One of them is for example the so-called ATEX Directive 94/9/EC of the European Union, which applies to devices and systems that find application in hazardous areas. "Their observance is particularly important for us because underground would lead to a glowing disc of a disaster," says the quality manager. In addition, customers of Tüschen & Zimmermann also require compliance with other standards, eg DIN EN 1090 and DIN 3834 ff, mainly concerning pure welding shops usually. Their reliable standards-compliant compliance in all process steps now governs ConSense IMS.
Major support by measuring and test equipment management
Be particularly valuable for the work of the company's Quality Manager estimates the module measuring and test equipment management, the ConSense has one of the few providers in the program. For reliable test equipment are an essential component of quality assurance: To consistently achieve the highest product quality, this a regular and systematic control must be subjected to the inspection of manufactured products later leads to valid results. Until the introduction of IMS ConSense this was very costly conducted based on Excel lists distributed with the QA department of Tüschen & Zimmermann as printouts to the appropriate departments. The module now provides all the necessary functions for transparent management and control of measuring and test equipment. The employees of Tüschen & Zimmermann are thus at any time by pressing a button the current values are available - a considerable relief, as this information is constantly needed in everyday work of all departments.
Approximately one year after the start of IMS ConSense Manfred Graf draws positive balance. Here, the gradual development of the new system goes on: As of spring 2013, the ConSense system is added to the module qualification management at Tüschen & Zimmermann. "We need to do a lot of training, including first aid in a two-year routine. Too, we have so far led Excel lists. With the newly introduced qualification management and our training activities should become more transparent: The module automatically shows us what training for which employees are paid and who has completed them successfully at what time. "
Customers Tüschen & Zimmermann from the international mining industry may be so in the future on the highest quality products leave "Made in Germany". For support of a reliable integrated management system, the company contributes with its clutches and brake systems to secure investments for the global reduction of fossil fuel in coveted.
Dr. Iris Brunswick, ConSense Management GmbH, Aachen
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