Quality Excellence Award HQW

HQW from Kürnach in Bavaria is one of the 16 companies to receive this years Quality Excellence Award. By using CAQ.Net, the company was able to achieve considerable increases in efficiency regarding its overall quality management processes.

Profile: HQW Precision GmbH

HQW Precision GmbH is a world-class manufacturer of high precision ball bearings and assemblies, operating from state-of-the-art production and testing facilities at the companys headquarters in Kürnach, Germany. The plant is certified in accordance with ISO 9001 and specializes in low volume, customized products for applications and industries ranging from high speed machine tool spindles and medical devices through to vacuum pumps and the food and beverage processing industry.

Awarding Excellence – HQW in Kürnach

Out of our more than 1,200 customers, HQW was one of the few companies, that came out on top in this year`s award process:

Our jury was particularly impressed by the increase in efficiency of quality-related processes and the streamlined interaction between departments achieved through the use of CAQ.Net software in the company. A 25% improvement in CPM over the last 2 years, better capacity utilization of over 30% in incoming goods inspections, and a 70% improvement in related throughput times are figures that speak for the highly professional use of our software solutions.

Sophie Schreier, Steffen Meder, David Wendel, Matthias Walther, Volker Schabbehard, Stephen Collier

High Level of Vertical Integration

HQW lives the idea of configurable standard software and is ideally equipped when it comes to future-proofing its quality management:

We introduced the CAQ.Net software because we needed a stable system that was nevertheless configurable to a certain degree. Previously, we had documented and evaluated data from quality assurance and quality management using Microsoft Access. Due to our high level of vertical integration, these databases were quickly overloaded. There was also a lack of service, as only a few people in the company were able to program the databases. CAQ.Net was chosen because it covers all the necessary processes with its wealth of modules. We now have one employee who takes care of the administration/training - CAQ AG and its experts provide the service.
– Matthias Walther, HQW –

A Success Story

The measurable success of the system not only led to an improved overview, but also to an increase in customer confidence. One of the greatest successes is the in-depth evaluation of weak points in the processes:

All information on deviations flows together centrally and can be regularly analyzed and reported. This helps to sustainably improve precisely those weak points that have the most impact. Another success is the effect on customer confidence. Those customers who get an impression of this system (e.g. in audits) are downright enthusiastic about the possibilities and the comprehensible handling.
– Matthias Walther, HQW –

Last but not least, the software has improved the processes and demonstrably increased the maturity level of the quality management system - as a result, the company has significantly more external audits without deviations than before the introduction.