Maintaining Effective Measuring & Test Equipment Controls
With the high cost of purchasing Calibrated Measuring & Test Equipment (M&TE), it is more important now than ever that companies maintain an effective Measuring & Test Equipment Inventory Control Process. Replacing lost or damaged equipment, and sending test equipment for expedited calibration, is time consuming and cost prohibitive.
If you do not have a tool inventory control process, you need to develop one. Before beginning, you will need to conduct an initial meeting with your company management team to set expectations. In order to ensure the process does not linger on, a timetable with activities, assigned responsibilities and due dates must be developed.
Next you will have to review all existing company and manufacturer M&TE procedures and processes for understanding. Face to face interviews with tool technicians, and end-users will help to provide first hand information about unique identification numbers, calibration frequency, control and maintenance of each specific piece of equipment.
With this out of the way, you will need to update or prepare the 1st Draft of a Tool Inventory Control Process. Once complete, send it to all Subject Matter Experts (SME) for review and comment. Incorporate comments where applicable, notify SME and send to the responsible manager or director for concurrence and subsequent approval.
Finally, you will need to conduct a closing meeting with all involved personnel to review this new process, and answer any questions they might have. Ensure this updated process is implemented and distributed to all controlled copyholders. If you do not have one, consider utilizing an audit consultant to assist your team, or perform this for you, so that you can focus on what’s most important to you - your customers.
At Storti Quality Consulting, we take pride in helping our customers use quality management practices to enhance results and increase profits. If you’d like to talk about Quality, please call us at 215.657.0837, send an email to ralph.storti@storticonsulting.net, or visit our website, www.storticonsulting.net.
