In this interview, Thierry Palud, Project Quality Coordinator at MSL CIRCUIT, part of the ALL Circuits group, shares his experience and the benefits he has seen from using Skill Software's solution, Skill FMEA Pro. With global responsibility covering several international sites, he explains how this dedicated software has helped standardize and optimize risk analysis processes within his organization.
The interview highlights the initial motivations behind the choice of Skill Software, including recommendations during IATF audits and the need for a more efficient solution than Excel. You'll also discover details of the software's advantages, such as the significant reduction in working time thanks to pre-established templates, and the guarantee of process homogeneity. Finally, beyond the solution's pure functionality, emphasis is placed on the quality of technical support, the flexibility of the solution, and the relationship of trust established with the Skill Software team, which actively responds to the company's evolving needs.
"Currently, I'm Project Quality Coordinator at the MSL CIRCUIT site, which is part of the ALL Circuits group. My role involves the deployment of quality in the industrialization phase of products for the automotive industry, including standards, technology and quality monitoring, as well as taking into account customer requirements when creating new products.
At the same time, I'm the FMEA referent for the whole group, so I'm responsible for ensuring that the Skill FMEA Pro software is used consistently across our sites in France, Tunisia, Mexico and China. We've been using this software for risk analysis for around ten years."
FMEA software that can be used by several of a company's sites, particularly internationally, is of fundamental importance in guaranteeing the standardization of risk analysis processes. This standardization ensures consistency in risk assessment and management across all production sites. By centralizing FMEA analyses in a single system, it is possible to create a shared knowledge base, enabling teams at different sites to benefit from collective experience. This facilitates the identification of potential risks and proven solutions.
What's more, standardizing FMEA processes facilitates internal benchmarking and thus continuous improvement, as performance can be compared and best practices identified across the organization. Change management also becomes more fluid, as process or product modifications can be rapidly communicated and implemented at all sites concerned.
Multi-site FMEA software also contributes to traceability and regulatory compliance. In sectors such as the automotive industry, where quality and safety requirements are particularly stringent, such software makes it possible to rigorously document analyses and corrective actions, thus simplifying audits of compliance with international standards.
In this context, multilingual management is essential for companies operating internationally. FMEA software must therefore offer robust multilingual capabilities, enabling analyses to be carried out in the local language of each site, while facilitating communication with customers and auditors.
Resource optimization is another major pillar of FMEA software. By using a common software package, training and technical support costs are reduced, while expert resources are better allocated. This encourages international collaboration, as teams can easily share results and best practices.
What were your initial motivations for choosing Skill Software as your FMEA software publisher?
"What prompted us to choose Skill FMEA Pro was that we wanted to move towards a dedicated, more efficient solution than Excel for managing our FMEAs. During IATF audits, various software names were recommended to us, including the one from Skill Software.
We were looking for software tailored to the requirements of the automotive industry, capable of supporting multi-site and multi-lingual use, while offering great ease of use. Skill FMEA Pro was the obvious choice thanks to its intuitive interface and instant language switching capabilities, which are essential for our international sites and customers."
The recommendation of expert auditors in the choice of FMEA software is important to ensure optimum compliance with industry requirements, particularly in the automotive sector. These experts have in-depth knowledge of standards, such as IATF 16949, and can provide valuable advice on the most suitable tools to meet specific company needs. In particular, their expertise enables them to identify solutions that promote effective risk management, while meeting the required quality standards.
When it comes to implementation, easy-to-use FMEA software is of major importance. An intuitive interface reduces the time needed to train users, facilitating adoption of the tool within the organization and improving the quality of analyses, as users are more inclined to make full use of the software's functionalities. A user-friendly solution also fosters collaboration between the various departments involved in the risk analysis process, which is decisive in an environment where several teams have to work together. In addition, the management of FMEA revisions and updates is simplified by the use of accessible software. This enables teams to keep their analyses up to date without undue effort, thereby reducing the risk of errors.
Can you tell us about the benefits and results of using Skill Software's solution?
"The main advantage is the considerable time saved. Today, 80% of FMEA work is completed in an hour, thanks to our pre-established templates (monitoring plans and others), in both French and English. This is a big plus both for us and for the other sites we work with. In particular, it eliminates the need for double entry to translate data.
In terms of quality, the tool provides us with a common basis for all our processes and analyses, guaranteeing consistent quality, and facilitating the exchange of information between our different sites.
Although the initial investment in this tool may seem high, it is more than made up for by the rapid return on investment thanks to productivity gains and remarkable efficiency."
The use of dedicated FMEA software offers a number of technical and strategic advantages for industrial companies, not least time savings. Thanks to pre-established models, FMEA software can reduce the time initially required to carry out an FMEA by more than half. This efficiency is particularly beneficial when analyses have to be carried out in several languages, such as French and English, thus avoiding double entry and translation errors. This speed of execution enables teams to concentrate on higher value-added tasks, improving overall productivity.
Data consistency is another major advantage. FMEA software provides a common base that guarantees the homogeneity of processes and analyses across all production sites, whether located in France or abroad. This uniformity is essential for maintaining consistent quality and facilitating the exchange of information between different sites. A centralized database also makes it possible to capitalize on accumulated knowledge and experience, enhancing the effectiveness of risk analyses.
In terms of return on investment, FMEA software can quickly pay for itself through the productivity gains it generates. Although the initial investment may seem high, the savings in time and effort quickly justify the expense. Reducing errors and inconsistencies, and improving product quality, also contribute to a positive ROI. What's more, the ability to generate consolidated, company-wide reports enables better strategic decision-making, strengthening the company's competitiveness.
Which elements of the Skill FMEA Pro solution and Skill Software support do you find most beneficial?
"The quality of the support and the relationship of trust with the Skill Software team are great assets. We have benefited from personalized training and regular follow-up sessions to ensure that our teams have optimum mastery of the tool. What's more, the Skill team is very responsive and provided us with strong support during critical periods.
The software offers great flexibility, with functions and options that can be upgraded to suit our needs. It's very practical and easy to implement, we discuss our expectations and Skill offers us tailor-made solutions. The Skill team is very attentive to our suggestions for improvement as users."
The importance of proactive customer listening in understanding customers' needs and changes in functionality lies in the ability to propose tailored solutions that precisely meet their expectations. By listening carefully, we can identify specific user requirements, anticipate necessary changes and customize software functionalities accordingly. This translates into greater customer satisfaction and loyalty, because the solutions we propose are in line with real market needs.
Proactively listening to customers also provides valuable feedback, which can be used to continually improve the solution. User suggestions, based on their day-to-day use of the software, offer unique insights that developers can incorporate to optimize software performance and ergonomics. This leads to more relevant updates and ongoing evolution of the solution, ensuring that it remains at the cutting edge of technology and industry requirements.
At the same time, the importance of a highly responsive support service cannot be underestimated. Efficient, rapid technical support is essential to intervene in the event of difficulties, minimizing service interruptions and the negative impact on customer operations. Responsive support enables technical problems to be resolved quickly, ensuring business continuity and optimum productivity.
A responsive support service also helps to reinforce customer confidence in the software supplier. Knowing that a dedicated team is available to meet their needs and resolve their problems in a timely manner reassures customers and encourages them to make full use of the software's features. This can also facilitate the adoption of new features, as users know they can count on support when needed.
In a few words, how would you describe Skill Software and their Skill FMEA Pro solution?
"Risk management at the click of a button."
