In a total production area of approximately 3,500 square meters, over 150 employees develop and produce fasteners made from rust-proof, heat resistant, and durable alloys as well as special materials. Kolb has changed its production over time to accommodate customer needs. Clients requested that Kolb develop and manufacture specialty items which fit precise parameters and specifications. These requests motivated Kolb to change its area of specialization and production. Kolb recognized that there was a demand for custom products and decided to concentrate on this market niche and convert its production line to accommodate specialized fasteners.
Today, the company focuses on the production of alloy materials which are used predominantly in the area of automobile manufacturing. Customers approach the Wuppertal department for development all the time and request specialized items. Based on exact measurements, Kolb develops and produces special fasteners for a variety of purposes.
The demands on production items are high. Quality and performance capacity of each individual fastener determines whether Kolb’s hard-to-please customers will continue to work with the company. “Up to 50 Million pieces of one product constitute a large order”, declares Ronald Löhde, QMB and CEO at Kolb. “We cannot afford to make any mistakes.” Kolb delivers according to the 0-PPM-principle, i.e. for every million pieces that are produced (parts per million) not even one faulty piece may occur. Otherwise the manufacturer looses its high quality rating which eventually leads to cancelled orders. In order to satisfy such high quality demands, Kolb GmbH, as one of the first companies in North Rhine Westphalia, has decided to become certified.
In 1991 Kolb received a quality certification according to DIN EN ISO 9002. In December 2003 it also received the ISO 9001 certficattion. Currently, Kolb is in the process of obtaining the ISO/TS 16949 certification which applies to automobile manufacturing.
These high demands for product quality affect Kolb’s entire production process. In spite of the large number of pieces that are manufactured daily, every single fastener is tested for possible quality defects. At every production line 80 pieces per minute are tested automatically according to their specifications. Subsequent random sampling confirms again basic make-up of a particular production batch.
Anyone referring to Kolb knows that the company’s customers consistently receive quality products. This quality assurance is based on the high production standards as well as the reliance on a flexible software system for quality control. When it comes to quality control software, Kolb depends on CAQ AG Factory Systems in Rheinböllen.
Cooperation in matters of quality between Kolb GmbH and CAQ AG Factory Systems was forged overnight. When there was a sudden failure of Kolb’s quality control system in 1995, Ronald Löhde, QMB and CEO at Kolb, had to act quickly. He had to find a system which offered a broad spectrum of services at a moderate price, and it also had to come from a provider with experience in the metalworking industry.
Ronald Löhde, a certified engineer, found out about CAQ AG Factory Systems through his research at the German Fasteners Association and by requesting offers from several software providers. CAQ AG Factory Systems offered Mr. Löhde a software system which included an expansive basic configuration. Due to its modular make-up, Kolb was able to choose supplementary modules which custom fit the Wuppertal company’s needs, resulting in a virtually custom-made software solution for Kolb. To date, almost two-thirds of Kolb’s workforce uses CAQ’s quality control system and 90 employees working in production possess their own inspection workstations.
Kolb trusts its software for quality control.
“The money we spent initially to purchase the basic system and the TSP (Top Service Pack) was invested well”, explains Mr. Löhde. If we weren’t all convinced in our investment in the software system, our financial supervisor would have terminated any further use of the software by now.”
Therefore, Kolb depends on its extensive use of the CAQ quality control software. Ronald Löhde points out, not without some pride, that Kolb uses all of CAQ AG Factory Systems software modules in existence. Kolb’s complete reliance on CAQ AG Factory Systems includes TSP which is a maintenance service. Kolb has been using its connections at CAQ AG to arrive at certain agreements and encourage software revisions, but the company also recognizes the clear advantage that software updates for individual modules and training sessions afford. CAQ AG Factory Systems offers both at regular intervals.
Renowned customers especially demanding in the area of quality and environmental management describe their success stories and serve as guarantors and references for software that yields high performance and is reliable and fair.
From mid-size companies to multi-national corporations, CAQ AG develops innovative, integrated software solutions that satisfy the highest demands and meet all requirements of quality management.
Furthermore, CAQ AG software supports all quality-related processes pertaining to any value added chain, production companies, and service providers. We attach special importance to compliance with standards as well as 100% release-capability of all of our software solutions without any restrictions – all this while retaining the maximum degree of customization to satisfy customer-specific demands.
Although CAQ AG software solutions are installed on thousands of systems worldwide, we guarantee that you can update your version automatically, no matter how many updates and upgrades you have installed previously. All upgrades function with minimum servicing time and effort onsite. Updates install automatically without requiring you to consult or involve our service staff. Updates neither change nor impede any customer-specific configurations. This principle ensures the full value of your investments.
In all of our efforts our most important goal is not just to satisfy you, but instead to thrill you! One thing is essential to realizing this goal – and we are very proud of our accomplishments on this front: We have a highly motivated, engaged, and competent team in which and with which working is fun!
It is a matter of course for us here at CAQ AG that our employees in development, support, customer service, sales, and management, in addition to having university degrees as well as practical experience, have completed the training courses for “Quality Manager GFQ-IHK” or “Quality Assistant GFQ-IHK” and stay up-to-date by continuously completing training programs.
