Zontec Welcomes the Following New Customers!

From a plethora of industries, Zontec is proud to welcome the following companies from various geographic locations that have purchased our product.

• Batesville Casket Company, is a leader in the North American death care industry through the sale of funeral services products, including burial caskets, cremation caskets, containers and urns, selection room display fixturing, and other personalization and memorialization products.
• Engbrecht Tools, the mission of Engbrecht Tool is to provide superior precision machining, pricing, and service. We are an ISO 13485:2003 certified company that has been assisting the medical device industry in the Silicon Valley and beyond since 1995. By constantly upgrading our skills and expanding our machining capabilities, we continue to provide the highest quality prototyping and production services. Our expertise with 4th and 5th axis milling, conventional and Swiss style turning, and 3D profiling is what sets us apart from other shops.
• Fastco Industries, as Fastco heads into the 21st century, it stands ready and poised for substantial growth. Committed to excellence and continual improvement in all aspects of its operation, Fastco is committed to becoming the best producer of special fasteners in North America. “We began looking at Zontec because our SPC System we developed in house was not meeting our customers’ expectations. After a thorough search of the competitors, with input from our customers and vendors, we selected Zontec. We really liked the ease of use for our operators while providing the charting and reporting needs we were looking for. We believe the e-mail alerts when a process is out of specification or out of control will be very helpful once we complete our implementation” said Jim Wolters, Quality Manager for Fastco.
• GKN Driveline, is the world’s leading manufacturer of automotive driveline components. GKN Driveline has 18,000 people in more than 40 facilities in over 20 countries working in partnership with vehicle manufacturers to develop driveshaft and geared component technologies for the future.
• Pleasant Precision is proud to be considered a world class moldmaking, molding, design and product development facility.
• Stanley Black & Decker, an S&P 500 company, is a diversified global provider of hand tools, power tools and related accessories, mechanical access solutions and electronic security solutions, engineered fastening systems, and more. Zontec welcomes the HHI Mexico location.
• NSK Precision America, was established in 1916 and headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. Operating in the Americas, NSK Corporation has a network of sales and engineering teams working in partnership with customers to deliver high performance products, application-specific solutions, superior technical support and exceptional service to the Americas market.“NSK Precision America is constantly trying to improve our processes and one of them is a big push to work towards Six Sigma,” said Mike Arney, Technical Specialist at NSK Precision Americas Franklin Indiana location. “Our company did not want to reinvent the wheel. We learned that another division in NSK was using the product, so we decided to look at what the product had to offer. What we like about this software is that it is very easy to set up and the support on the product is very good.”

Zontec Releases Synergy 3000 v 3.1 to Enable Customers to Save Time and Money

Zontec Inc. the international developer of Statistical Process Control (SPC) software solutions, today announced an update to its Synergy 3000™ for its customers worldwide. “Zontec customers know that they consistently receive new enhancements from us that enable them to make production corrections easily and in a timely manner,” said Zontec President Warren Ha. “We are just leveraging the possibilities of this product because it is built on Microsoft® .NET™.

Here is a brief list of these cutting-edge new features:

• A new Scorecard report that enables a user to instantly get a snapshot of their vital production metrics for up to 6 characteristics.
• Any videos related to the production can now be viewed within the application.
• Users now have the ability to define an often-referenced file as a “hyperlink” for one-click access to documents, images, websites or other software applications that are pertain to the product.
• To view more information about a specific data point, users can simply rollover it with their mouse.

SPC Cloud Computing is Here

Zontec has announced that its Synergy 3000™ SPC Software fully supports the cloud computing model. Designed from the outset so that users can gather organize and report on the huge data sets required by real-time statistical process control over the Internet, Synergy 3000 in a cloud computing environment satisfies a business’ need for a complete quality collaboration tool, enabling any authorized computer user anywhere in the world to:

• collect data
• monitor process status
• react to adverse events
• manage and troubleshoot the process
• prevent problems from being passed along to the next link in the supply chain
• track and trace
• exchange information with others and
• make sound business decisions based on accurate and reliable SPC data in a secure computing environment

That information service takes place via a “private cloud,” established and maintained by the organization’s own IT resources.

Download Zontec’s Cloud Computing White Paper

Synergy 1000 Version 7.0 Scheduled for December Release

Zontec has announced approximately 10 new features, enhancements and program improvements for its Synergy 1000™ Version 7.0 Statistical Process Control (SPC) Software that will be available for general release on December 1, 2010.

Synergy 1000 is designed for standalone PC implementations and local workgroup users. The application runs on Windows® XP, Windows Vista™ and Windows 7 operating systems.

The new release includes Windows 7 compatibility, easier setup for part, process and characteristic files, traceability tags, assignable cause and corrective action notes, as well as enhancements to the intercharacteristic math calculator, control limit calculations and control trend test alarm settings. Click here to review the complete list of new features.

Synergy 1000 users currently covered under the Annual Service Agreement Plan will receive the Version 7.0 software update prior to the official release date as one of their contract benefits.

Book of SPC Second Edition in Print

Zontec’s new and updated second edition of The Book of Statistical Process Control (ISBN 978-0-9720994-1-7) is now in print as a softcover publication.

This definitive guide for understanding basic statistical process control (SPC) methods has been a convenient “go-to” reference for quality assurance personnel since its original publication in 2002.

For the second edition, Zontec has added new material on pre-control, Six Sigma, multi-plant implementations, SPC interoperability with plant floor systems and supply chain SPC.

The 208-page handbook is replete with examples, charts, tables, diagrams and tips that enhance the reader’s comprehension of SPC.

Quality professionals worldwide commend the book for its straightforward approach and comprehensive treatment of the subject.

The Book of Statistical Process Control: Second Edition is priced at $34.95USD plus shipping, and can be ordered online or by calling (866) 955-0088 or (513) 648-9695.

New Zontec Customers Span Cross-section of Industry

With increased frequency, manufacturers are choosing Zontec SPC software as the foundation for their strategic quality management initiatives.

Zontec is therefore pleased to announce the addition of the following companies to its rapidly growing user community

• Olin Corporation, a manufacturer of bleach, caustic soda, chlorine, hydrogen and hydrochloric acid used in pulp, paper, textile, pharmaceuticals, food processing, nylon and semiconductors
• A second facility for Veridiam, a contract manufacturer of precision tubing and metal components for nuclear power, aerospace, medical, industrial and other highly critical applications
• Three facilities for Bay Valley Foods, a provider of private label foods and food service goods including pickles, non-dairy coffee creamers, salad dressings, sauces, puddings, soups and egg substitutes
• Burt’s Bees, a manufacturer of more than 150 natural personal care products for lip, face, hair, body, dental and baby care, men’s grooming aids and outdoor remedies
• Penn United Technologies, a specialist in precision metal manufacturing with capabilities that include tooling and precision die design and manufacture, stamping, plating, grinding, carbide manufacture and product assembly
• Multi-circuits, a manufacturer of high reliability printed circuit boards for medical, defense, aerospace and commercial markets
• NSK Americas Steering Systems, an automotive supplier for motion and control products, satisfying the driver’s need for precise, responsive steering, safety and comfort
• Menshen Packaging, a leader in flexible packaging systems featuring a wide range of closure options for medical, pharmaceutical, chemical, food service and customer products
• Barrette, one of the largest manufacturers of wood and vinyl fencing, lattice, arbors, shed and railings for the construction industry and outdoor living product consumers

Zontec Achieves SAP Certification

Zontec today announced that its Synergy 3000™ Enterprise SPC System has achieved integrated certification with SAP Business Suite.

SAP certification signifies that Synergy 3000 software has been developed and tested in accordance with strict guidelines for best-built applications that integrate with SAP.   According to the SAP Integration and Certification Center, Synergy 3000 is able to successfully exchange critical data with instances of SAP ERP applicaton Release 6.0.

Now SAP software users can complement their Quality Management functions with Zontec’s production floor-based SPC activities for real-time data collection, process monitoring, alarms, charting, lot traceability, analysis and reporting for all critical quality characteristics. The Synergy 3000 Quality Management Interface has been designed to align specifically with SAP Quality Planning, Quality Inspection, Quality Certification, Quality Notification and Quality Control modules. The combined strengths between Zontec and SAP technologies enable manufacturers to improve quality, raise customer compliance and lower costs through timely detection, troubleshooting and resolution of quality issues.

“Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) like Zontec play a vital role in the SAP ecosystem, where we share a common goal: customer success,” says Forrest Hu, SAP Integration & Certification Center Consultant. “Seamlessly integrating partner content with SAP software increases the scope and value of a SAP solution.”

“More and more Zontec customers are implementing SAP software solutions to run their businesses,” says Zontec President Warren Ha. “Integration with SAP Business Suite is a key element of our strategic plan to augment the quality assurance capabilities of SAP with far greater functionality than ERP was meant to deliver. Therefore, manufacturers will become much more competitive and profitable by responding to process variation the precise moment it occurs.”

Zontec User Community Continues to Expand

Across a broad spectrum of industrial categories, Zontec SPC Software has become the most popular choice of quality professionals.

Most recent customers include:

• Sahale Snacks, a producer of all-natural nut blend and glazed nut gourmet snack foods
• Kwikset, a Black & Decker Company that specializes in door locks and door hardware manufacturing
• Precision Edge Surgical Products, a contract manufacturer for fine surgical components, cutting tools and accessories
• Tolomatic, a supplier of electrical linear motion and pneumatic actuators
• Ulti-mate Connector, a manufacturer or micro interconnection devices used in aerospace/defense, electronics, telecommunications, oil/gas and medical industries

“Zontec SPC software users represent some of the most successful businesses in the world,” says Marketing Manager Richard Morris. “They consistently choose Zontec for its rapid implementation, flexible query and reporting capabilities, straightforward gage interface, fast program response time, ease or use, minimal maintenance and support requirements, and finally, Zontec’s on-going commitment to R&D to advance its technical prowess.”

Five Manufacturers Choose Zontec SPC in December

Five manufacturers across a variety of industries chose an SPC program from Zontec’s Synergy product family during December 2009.

The companies are:

• Valley Machining, a manufacturer of precision-machined products and assemblies
• Automotive component supplier, YH America, for a second plant location using Zontec software
• Domestic Fastener & Forge, a supplier of cold-headed, hot-headed and CNC short-run fasteners
• Hamilton Company, an industry leader in the design of robotic products for fluid measuring
• Karl Storz Imaging, an international producer of medical instruments and devices

“The technology investment of all these organizations confirms the tremendous value Zontec brings to the quality assurance function from a cost-avoidance and continuous improvement perspective,” says Zontec Marketing Manager Richard Morris. “Plus it indicates that industrial spending is bouncing back from the global economic crisis that has plagued manufacturers over the past couple of years. The most astute companies are realizing that they will recoup their investment very quickly and continue to reap benefits well into the future for proven solutions like Zontec.”

Three Printpack Facilities Go With Synergy 3000

Printpack Inc., one of the largest flexible and specialty rigid packaging converters in the U.S., has upgraded two of its Virginia facilities to Zontec’s Synergy 3000™ SPC software. In addition, Printpack has implemented the software in a third manufacturing facility that recently opened in Suzhou, China.

The upgrade to Zontec’s latest and most advanced SPC technology was prompted by the need to migrate the company’s quality assurance data to an SQL database environment. The two Virginia locations had been using an earlier Zontec software product for a combined total of 17 years.

The Suzhou implementation included on-site training conducted by Zontec’s software architect from the U.S. and Zontec’s China representatives.