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QMD Certification -- a Major Breakthrough in Standardizing Quality Measurement Data for all Industries Worldwide

Posted on: Tuesday, 9 December 2008, 14:49 CST

SOUTHFIELD, Mich., Dec. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- For the first time ever, companies in hundreds of business sectors globally will have the ability to share electronic measurement data utilizing one simple, seamless and generic format. Quality Management Data (QMD) certification offered remotely via the Automotive Industry Action Group (AIAG) website (http://www.aiag.org) presents gage and solution providers with official certification that their systems are compliant to the QMD specification, a global standard for measurement data. The QMD Certification program is on schedule to launch the first quarter of 2009.

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The QMD specification provides a legible, accurate and non-proprietary format for the transfer of measurement data from virtually any product from milk cartons to fuel injectors. The certification process is completed electronically through a test harness accessed from the AIAG website. The program will tabulate the information, send a report, and upon completion QMD compliance will be issued to those seeking certification. By obtaining the certification, customers (OEMs) will be provided validation that quality measurement reporting tools are in compliance with the QMD specification, resulting in customers receiving a quality product from QMD certified companies.

The application was initiated to eliminate the pains of the manufacturing industry in translating over 1,500 proprietary formats to suit limitless customer requirements. QMD puts an end to wasted time and redundancy from continual data re-integration for gauge and reporting solution providers and creates zero loss of quality data.

National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), an arm of the US Department of Commerce, played an active role in developing the QMD specification. "If broadly adopted, a complete, correct, and unambiguous open, non-proprietary standard for quality measurement data can eliminate translation and other costs related to data format incompatibilities," said John Horst, Metrology Interoperability Project Manager at NIST. "QMD format translation costs SPC suppliers worldwide roughly five million dollars per year. This estimate is for SPC software support to all industries. The estimate does not include quality measurement data format translation costs borne directly by OEMS and their tier suppliers, which could be substantial," he added. Horst continued to say, "QMD is on its way to becoming a standard and deserves the support of OEMs and tier suppliers worldwide."

A large supporter of QMD is Mitutoyo, the world's largest manufacturer of precision measuring tools and instruments. Robert Brown, Manager - Information Technology and Application Development for Mitutoyo and Co-Chair of the QMD work group said, "(QMD will provide) cost savings for our development initiatives and reduce integration costs for our customers. It allows us to focus on our core competencies and not one-time integration of a myriad third

party system." Brown added, "(QMD) is a necessary convergence for the industry."

Dane Barrager of ASI DataMyte, a company that specializes in Statistical Process Control (SPC), chaired the QMD validation pilots. "QMD is the first and only standard agreed on in the SPC industry," said Barrager. "It serves two purposes; reducing the cost of converting data and making data more accessible," he added.

Other OEM and SPC software supplier companies actively involved in putting forth the QMD effort include StatPoint, Siemens PLM Software, Infinity QS, Minitab, QMC and ProLink. These companies have written implementations of QMD into their software and have proven, through public interoperability demonstrations of production and consumption of quality measurement data, conducted at several technology shows including Quality Expo 2007 that QMD is a success.

About AIAG

The AIAG is a globally recognized organization founded in 1982 by a group of visionary executives from Chrysler, Ford Motor Company, and General Motors. The membership has grown to include prominent automotive OEM and suppliers such as Nissan, Toyota, Honda, Caterpillar Tractor, John Deere Corporation, International Truck Corporation, Daimler, PACCAR and others. Their purpose: To provide members an open forum to cooperate in developing and promoting solutions that enhances the prosperity of the automotive industry.

AIAG members play a unique role in the development of new technologies and the standards that govern their usage. Under the auspices of AIAG, volunteers from all layers of the supply chain work together to resolve issues critical to the automotive supply chain. For more information, please visit the organization's Web site at www.aiag.org.

SOURCE AIAG

Source: PR Newswire

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