NWA SPC Update is a newsletter from Northwest Analytical (NWA), the world's leading provider of statistical process control software. Here you will find the latest SPC news and solutions for manufacturers and laboratories.

NWA Product News

New NWA Quality Analyst® Version 6

NWA has completed a significant update to NWA Quality Analyst, Version 6, and will be shipping it very soon. Version 6 provides many important new capabilities that will help you to meet your enterprise quality needs and also provide better integration with corporate manufacturing information systems and supply chain quality management systems.

Major new features include:

Assignable Cause / Corrective Action (AC/CA)

NWA Quality Analyst 6 allows you to add pre-defined or ad-hoc assignable cause/corrective action information to any data point, supporting quality initiatives and compliance programs such as Six Sigma, ISO9000, and CAPA.

More Powerful Presentation of Chart Data

New graphics viewer - It is now easier to present information within your charts so you can better explain your process performance. Graphics viewer includes unlimited data points on SPC charts, text output in groups, ability to save groups as plot files, user-defined plotting symbols, improved call-outs, direct editing of headers and footers, better font and color control, and point-and-click zoom.

Rainbow Charts

Configurable Green/Yellow/Red zone options for SPC charts.

More Graphic Formats

Creates JPG, PNG, BMP files to enable mixed text and graphics reporting.

Improved Access to Underlying Chart Data

You can now view descriptive information, rule violations, comments and assignable cause/corrective action with a single mouse-click.

XML Graphics and Parameter Files

All configuration, parameter and output files use XML formats to simplify integration with enterprise applications such as ERP, MES, and LIMS.

Automatic Specification Lookup

Read specifications from external databases, support centralized specification management and improve integration with corporate information systems.

SPC Parameters Synchronized with Databases

Automatically links comments, Assignable Cause/Corrective Action, SPC limits and tagged data with external databases.

Other Enhancements

We have incorporated many more new features in NWA Quality Analyst 6 to meet requests from NWA's user community.

For more information on NWA Quality Analyst 6, contact us at 503-224-7727 or toll-free at 888-692-7638.

What's New in NWA Quality Analyst Version 6 Brochure
What's New in NWA Quality Analyst Version 6 Product Tour
NWA Quality Analyst Version 6 Press Release

Industry News

New Business Partners

NWA continues to add to its worldwide network of business partners to better meet demand for its leading SPC software technologies. In this issue we announce relationships with the LIMS vendor Accelerated Technology Laboratories, and with ICR3 CIENTIFICA, who will distribute and support NWA software in Brazil and the rest of South America.

New NWA LIMS Partner: Accelerated Technology Laboratories, Inc.

Accelerated Technology Laboratories, Inc. (ATL), has incorporated Northwest Analytical's SPC software technology into ATL's Sample Master® 8.0 LIMS. ATL has used NWA QAx, a suite of ActiveX components that generate NWA Quality Analyst functionality, to embed SPC capabilities into Sample Master®. Sample Master users can now directly create SPC charts from their LIMS data, including Capability Histogram, Pareto, Regression, Run Charts, Scatter Diagrams and Variable charts. This allows ATL's users to better manage their processes and increase efficiency and productivity.

ATL, Inc. pioneered Windows-based LIMS with Microsoft SQL Server and Oracle data management solutions. ATL offers the Sample Master™ LIMS for use in many industries, including environmental, water and wastewater, R&D, manufacturing and public health laboratories. ATL also offers ScreenIT™ Pro for manufacturing and NeoMate™ for clinical data management.

ATL Website

New NWA Reseller in South America: ICR3 Cientifica

Northwest Analytical, Inc has completed agreements with ICR3 Cientifica to distribute NWA SPC software in South America. ICR3 is headquartered in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and will provide localized sales, training and support for NWA's suite of SPC software solutions. Manufacturers and laboratories in South America will now have a single source for all their quality and laboratory automation needs.

ICR3 Cientifica provides laboratory automation and instrumentation to the petrochemical, pharmaceutical and tobacco industries in Brazil. ICR3 is also the South American distributor for LabWare LIMS, another NWA partner. The agreement with NWA allows ICR3 to deliver more value to its customers by expanding its business to provide complete laboratory automation solutions.

NWA/ICR3 Cientifica Partner Press Release

ICR3 Cientifica Website

Rockwell Automation MES and Manufacturing Systems Professional Joins NWA as Vice President of Sales

We are pleased to announce that Phil Schreiber has joined NWA as Vice President of Sales. Phil brings a strong track record of success with his 15 years of experience in the manufacturing software industry and extensive experience operating in the International arena. At NWA he is responsible for the global sales organization, including Value-Added Reseller channels, OEM partnering and alliances.

Most recently, Phil was a Practice Manager with the Information Solutions Business for Rockwell Automation, where he was responsible for managing design, delivery and integration of MES and manufacturing process control software and hardware systems.

Previous to Rockwell, Phil was with Sequencia Corporation where he served as Global Director of Consulting Engineering Services, managing the delivery of engineering and consulting services in the US and Europe. Phil also led the Systems Sales and Services efforts at R.S. Stover, a Fisher-Rosemount Manufacturing Representative firm, and had responsibilities as a Corporate Design Engineer and Plant Maintenance Engineer with Dow Corning Corp.

Phil graduated from Kansas State University with a B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering. He has worked with the World Batch Forum since its inception, including presenting papers, training tutorials, and serving on several managing committees. Additionally, he has co-authored articles, and training courses on the application of the ISA S88 and S95 Standards.

Upcoming Product and SPC Training

Applied SPC with NWA Quality Analyst

Date: June 13-14, 2005
Location: Philadelphia, PA

Participants gain expertise using NWA Quality Analyst while applying statistical quality control techniques in classroom exercises. The class then works in teams to solve problems in a simulated manufacturing process. Attendees learn how to maximize their use of NWA Quality Analyst while brushing up on SPC.

Full course description

Accommodations and registration information

New NWA Quality Monitor Administrator Workshop

NWA Quality Monitor users have asked for a structured training program covering design and maintenance of NWA Quality Monitor data collection systems. To meet that need, NWA is pleased to provide a two day on-site workshop to train NWA Quality Monitor administrators. The workshop is a combination of lecture and interactive hands-on activities.

The lectures provide an overview of NWA Quality Monitor and its role in the NWA suite of SPC software, and how NWA Quality Monitor integrates with the total manufacturing monitoring system. The hands on workshop will review how to:

1. Create, modify, and optimize data entry screens
2. Connect to measurement devices and data collection systems
3. Integrate with external databases to look up information, read specifications, and write data
4. Get the most out of NWA Quality Monitor's alarm capabilities
5. Set up and maintain Help and Standard Operating Procedure systems
6. Use advanced functions to create adaptive designs, enhance security, etc.

The workshop will also address topics of specific interest to the attendees.

This workshop is an ideal way for new users to rapidly develop competence with NWA Quality Monitor. It is also an excellent way to refresh and expand the skills of current NWA Quality Monitor administrators or to train new staff assuming the administrator role.

This two day workshop is an excellent training solution for companies with multiple NWA Quality Monitor administrators or multiple locations using NWA Quality Monitor. Please call Lynn Theis at 503-224-7727 (888-692-7638 toll free US) to schedule your workshop.

Events and Publications

Web Seminar: Supply Chain Quality Management

NWA just kicked off its new SPC Web Seminar Series with the seminar "Supply Chain Quality Management". In the seminar, Jeff Cawley of NWA discussed supply chain quality monitoring and the SPC tools and systems that ensure its successful execution. Steve Olson of the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service then followed up with "Look Who is Ahead of the Curve! - The Role of SPC in the USDA National School Lunch Ground Beef Purchase Program". In this presentation, Steve outlined the USDA's ground beef vendor certification and lot quality reporting system and the results he was able to achieve; higher quality and safer meat delivered to the school lunch program with greater control of value.

Supply Chain Quality Management web seminar archive coming soon. Please check back again.

New NWA Quality Monitor Product Tour: Automate Your Data Collection

If you are looking to add to your plant floor data collection capabilities, NWA Quality Monitor is today's premium software solution. If you have not yet seen NWA Quality Monitor and all the things it can do for you, please see our new self-running product tour to get a complete feel for NWA Quality Monitor in action.

NWA Quality Monitor Product Tour

NWA China Activity Featured

The article, "China Holds Promise of New Business for U.S. Companies", features NWA as one of the small to medium sized US companies finding business opportunities in China. This reflects our business relationship with China's largest software company, CA-CSS and our work with the Chinese facilities and contract manufacturers for our U.S. and European customers.

China Holds Promise of New Business for U.S. Companies

Current NWA Product Release Numbers

Users frequently ask us for the most current software release numbers so we publish them on our website.

View current product release numbers

Northwest Analytical (NWA) is the leading provider of SPC software with more than 50,000 licenses shipped to over 5,000 companies. NWA software is recognized for its ease-of-use and ability to integrate with other software and systems. The NWA SPC software suite includes plant floor quality data collection, enterprise-wide SPC charting and analysis, Web-based reporting and embedded SPC.

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© Northwest Analytical, Inc., all rights reserved. NWA Quality Monitor, NWA Quality Monitor Supervisor, NWA Quality Analyst, NWA Quality Analyst Web Server, NWA QAx, and NWA SPCx are trademarks or registered trademarks of Northwest Analytical. *All other company and product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of those respective companies.

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