There are many benefits of routine quality audits in manufacturing businesses. They aren’t just about maintaining conformance with external manufacturing standards.
They also help manufacturing companies establish the most effective and safe manufacturing processes and procedures.
Here are six key benefits of regular internal quality audits of manufacturing processes and procedures.
1. Standards non-conformance and CAPA tracking
Regular audits, especially using auditing software, can help a business track and record non-conformances using accurate metrics. These include where in the manufacturing process the non-conformance falls and whether it’s minor or major.
The audit will also mean any data relating to corrective and preventative action (CAPA) is recorded for future reference. This may well be a compliance consideration when your internal audits are referenced during external audits for ISO or FDA standards.
2. Increased efficiency and productivity
An audit isn’t just about complying with external standards. Not all manufacturing businesses have the same compulsory ISO or FDA standards to comply with. Sometimes, an audit focuses more on manufacturing processes and where they can be improved.
An audit will study materials, machinery and processes to identify gaps where productivity can be improved, and costs can be reduced. It can identify whether staff are fully qualified for their positions and if extra training is needed.
3. Predicting and preventing future quality issues
Audits – and clear records of their findings and outcomes – can help manufacturing companies predict where any future shortcomings might arise. They can help businesses prevent these issues well in advance.
Part of manufacturing intelligence is capturing data and using advanced analytics to provide insights into any manufacturing weaknesses.
This can only happen with internal audits that scrutinize current processes and record this data in a centralized system for easy reference.
4. Maintaining health and safety
Internal quality audits are essential for ensuring your manufacturing plant or factory is abiding by health and safety regulations. An audit will identify any shortcomings and if injuries are happening in the manufacturing process.
It will identify what needs to be done to rectify these shortcomings so that they don’t happen again. Some large manufacturers use internal quality audits as often as every 60 days to ensure health and safety standards are being met at every step of the manufacturing process.
5. More control over the auditing process
Prepping for external audits by doing regular internal audits helps ensure the right things are being audited. This ensures any non-conformances are identified and rectified long before an external audit happens.
Using auditing software that forms part of a larger quality management system makes it easier to track when non-conformances have been addressed so that the audit can be completed and recorded as successful.
6. Centralized quality management
Using a cloud-based auditing software ensures that all the data relevant to compliance, CAPA, improving processes, and health and safety are accessible to everyone in the organization in a centralized quality management system.
Without regular digital audits, it would be impossible to use the data compiled by these audits to the greatest affect. The findings of an audit are only useful if they’re accessible by the relevant people and departments.
Quality auditing software from isoTracker
Routine quality audits help manufacturing companies ensure their quality management is on track and that they’re ready for external audits. Auditing software streamlines this process and ensures the audits integrate with the rest of the QMS.
With isoTracker’s auditing software you can:
All our quality management software is modular and subscription based. You don’t pay for modules you don’t need.
Get free support to make sure your internal quality audits are serving the right purpose. Sign up for a free 60-day trial and get full access to our full QMS software system.
