But Accuride’s existing testing system offered limited data and processes. So as a Plex customer for almost 10 years, Devin and his colleagues had high expectations when they started to look for new testing center software. “It was all just kind of bland. There wasn’t anything comparable to what we knew Plex could do on the plant floor. We really wished we had the Plex equivalent for testing.”
That’s when the team started to re-think what encompasses manufacturing. “The more we had implemented Plex and had seen the power and versatility of the MES (manufacturing execution system) product overall, the more we realized that product testing and validation is part of manufacturing and production. It’s an extension of engineering and continuous quality control.”
With an expanded view of what’s possible, Accuride used Plex’s multi-tenant model to provide each of its test labs with their own specialized routings and non-standard manufacturing processes. All without impacting plant operations but still providing integration and visibility. That innovative application and reimagined approach is why Plex named Accuride its 2022 Product or Technology Innovator Award winner.
Aside from the Plex implementation helping Accuride achieve and sustain ISO-17025 certification, the company has seen other benefits, “including the overall data quality,” Devin notes. “We're able to see, track and record when overall testing process defects occur. So, we can do more in depth analysis than we ever could with our other system.”
And as a cloud-based solution with an easy setup process, Accuride used Plex to establish new testing and validation centers at recently acquired locations in Germany and France during the pandemic. “We were able to implement those test facilities remotely with no onsite presence or expertise. The fact we were able to do that and that it all went smoothly just speaks volumes to the intuitiveness of the product.”
Watch Devin’s full interview and learn more about how Accuride used Plex to enhance product validation and testing.
