Uster’s Quality Management Platform makes huge difference to shopfloor personnel

Looking for vital information in a busy textile mill can be quick and easy – or a tedious job, turning minutes into hours. Heavy e-mail traffic can just add to the burden. That’s why leading Vietnamese producer Hoa Tho Textile chose Uster Quality Expert, to give fast access to centralized key data and drive major efficiency benefits.

Founded in 1962, Hoa Tho is part of one of Vietnam’s largest and longest-established textile and garment enterprises. Operating a number of mills, the company wanted to ensure that quality standards were equal across all of them – and equally high, to serve customers in demanding markets such as the USA, Europe, Japan and South Korea. So quality management must be comprehensive, including data from different locations as well as various instruments and systems, for quick reports and smart analysis. 

One-stop quality data

Uster Quality Expert is the Quality Management Platform for advanced process optimization across yarn manufacturing processes. A single system provides full transparency and complete control, securing fiber, yarn and fabric quality. All information is in one place – definitely a valuable benefit of Quality Expert. Hoa Tho connected its Uster AFIS Pro 2, Uster Tester 6, Uster Tensojet 5 and Uster Quantum 3 yarn clearers to this one system.

With Quality Expert in place, the mill managers now have a common reference to compare quality levels in each mill. They can now access quality information very easily. Previously more time was needed to create quality reports, which were then distributed by email. “The information took too long to reach the right people and was not always up to date. Now, the latest quality results are available in real time and any required action can be taken immediately,” says Nguyen Huu Khanh, Manager of the Yarns Technology Department at Hoa Tho Textile.

The all-round view

Connecting to Uster Quality Expert is the route to effective all-round process optimization in textile mills. The system expands its insightful analytics with valuable intelligence, as each additional instrument is connected. It is the ultimate Quality Management Platform to drive consistent quality in every part of the spinning process. That’s what decided the Vietnamese spinning mill to invest. “It is very important for us to control the quality in yarn clearing in combination with the quality results from blowroom, carding and roving,” says Nguyen. With Quality Expert, a combination of 100% in-line monitoring, precise laboratory testing and integrated intelligence delivers the power to predict potential faults and prevent claims.

Data-based preventive measures are a tremendous asset in yarn production, but Uster observes that customers also greatly appreciate the single Value Modules of Quality Expert. Each of these five modules is based on Application Intelligence, offering advantages in specific fields. 

The Alarm Center creates awareness and triggers action – with problem-solving suggestions – in case of issues. Mill Analysis offers insightful analytics for data-based decisions, and Yarn Prognosis raises the spinner’s reputation to a new level with customers. The ‘star’ elements among the Value Modules are Total Contamination Control and Ring Spinning Optimization. TCC balances ejections in the blowroom with clearer cuts in winding in the most advanced way. RSO brings improved spinning performance with quality transparency from top to bottom of the cop.

Feelgood: efficiency and control

Nguyen has a secret favorite among Uster Quality Expert benefits: “The Uster Mobile Alert App is a great tool to access information while on the road, or away from the spinning mill. The personnel and I can be notified, and so solve most issues faster on the shopfloor. Our mill management has better control and this results in fewer problems needing to be escalated to me,” he says.

The Quality Management Platform was developed for decision-makers – but the biggest fans are actually the operators and managers working with the system on a daily basis. “Personally, I have a better view of the quality produced in our mills, while spending less time to get the information I need. I would not want to go back to the era before Quality Expert at any price,” says Nguyen.   

Uster Quality Expert comes in two distinct versions – both with no compromises in ultimate analysis. It’s integrated within Uster Tester 6 and also available as a standalone solution.