Replacing Manual Data Collection

When it comes to manufacturing, efficiency and precision are critical for maintaining a competitive edge. Yet, many companies still rely on manual data collection methods, which can lead to errors, delays, and inconsistencies. As production demands increase, these outdated practices hinder the ability to meet quality standards and maintain smooth operations. The solution? Automated data collection systems. These systems not only streamline the gathering of test results but also enhance standardization, consistency, and real-time tracking when integrated with production applications.

 

The Drawbacks of Manual Data Collection

Manual data collection is inherently flawed due to its reliance on human input. Errors in recording or transferring data can result in costly mistakes, from production delays to defective products reaching customers. Additionally, manual processes are time-intensive, slowing down production lines and creating bottlenecks. These inefficiencies make it challenging for manufacturers to adapt to fluctuating demands and rigorous quality control requirements.

The Benefits of Automated Data Collection

Automating data collection brings a host of benefits to manufacturing quality control. By using sensors and digital tools to capture data directly from work areas, manufacturers can reduce errors and ensure accuracy. Automation also accelerates the collection process, allowing operators to focus on more critical tasks. Beyond efficiency, automated systems provide real-time insights, empowering decision-makers to address issues before they escalate. This ensures that production stays on track, with consistent quality and minimal downtime.

Integration with Production Applications

The real power of automated data collection lies in its integration with production applications. This synergy allows for seamless data standardization, ensuring that all test results and quality metrics align with regulatory and internal standards. Integrated systems enable manufacturers to track data in real time, offering instant feedback on production performance. Any deviations from set standards are immediately flagged, enabling swift corrective actions. Moreover, this connectivity enhances traceability, which is essential for audits and compliance in industries like automotive, aerospace, and pharmaceuticals.

How FileMaker Can Help

FileMaker offers a powerful, customizable platform for managing automated data collection and integration with production applications. Its flexible interface allows manufacturers to design tailored solutions that meet specific quality control needs. From real-time tracking to automated reporting, FileMaker streamlines the entire data management process, ensuring consistent results and reducing operational inefficiencies. With FileMaker, manufacturers can quickly adapt to changing demands while maintaining high standards of quality.

Conclusion

Replacing manual data collection with automated systems is a transformative step for modern manufacturers. These technologies streamline processes, improve data accuracy, and provide real-time insights that drive better decision-making. When integrated with production applications, automation ensures consistency and enhances overall efficiency. Interested to learn more about how FileMaker can solve for manufacturing quality control? Reach out to Kyo Logic here.

Integration with Production Application

In today’s manufacturing landscape, maintaining high standards of quality control is essential for staying competitive. Yet, many companies struggle with quality checks that are disconnected from their production processes, leading to inefficiencies and inconsistencies. Integrating quality control with the production application offers a seamless solution that automates testing, ensures consistent standards, and improves overall efficiency.

Why Integration Matters

Quality control processes that operate independently of production can introduce variability, leading to inconsistent test results and compromised product quality. By integrating quality control directly with production applications, manufacturers create a unified system that ensures every stage of production adheres to the same standards. This connection enables real-time monitoring, which helps identify and resolve issues immediately, reducing waste and minimizing downtime.

Benefits of Automation in Testing

Automation is a game-changer in quality control. It replaces repetitive, manual tasks with reliable, technology-driven solutions that streamline the testing process. Automated systems not only ensure precision but also enhance the speed of quality checks, enabling manufacturers to meet high production demands without sacrificing accuracy. Moreover, automation eliminates human error, providing confidence that each product meets stringent quality standards.

How FileMaker Supports Integration

FileMaker is an ideal platform for integrating quality control with production applications. Its customizable interface allows manufacturers to design solutions tailored to their specific needs, including automated workflows, real-time data tracking, and seamless communication between quality control and production systems. With FileMaker, companies can standardize their quality checks, ensure data accuracy, and enhance traceability—critical for industries that require compliance with strict regulations.

Conclusion

Integrating quality control with production applications transforms the manufacturing process by automating testing and maintaining consistent standards. This seamless connection improves efficiency, reduces variability, and ensures products meet the highest quality expectations. Interested to learn more about how FileMaker can solve for quality control integration? Reach out to Kyo Logic here.

 

Plowshare

Plowshare

Location
Nationwide
Time Frame
20+ Years
Industry
Media & Communications
Contact Us

Overview

Plowshare, a subsidiary of Publicis, is a media placement & communications agency . What makes them special isn’t just their offerings, it’s their clients. Plowshare works exclusively with the federal government and nonprofits, seeking out and supporting clients that work to drive social good and meaningful change. They’ve worked with dozens of impactful clients, including the Wounded Warrior Project, Girl Scouts of USA, March of Dimes, The US Marines, and the Special Olympics.

The Challenge

For the past 20+ years, Plowshare have worked tirelessly to get their clients ad time for a fraction of the traditional cost. This meant either leveraging the cause and finding broadcasting networks that wanted to champion that particular nonprofit, or finding blocks of unpurchased ad space and negotiating a reduced or a free “donated” rate.
Given the nature of the clients, stretching media budgets is crucial . And in instances where it isn’t, money saved on marketing and ad purchases can be used for great causes elsewhere. While Plowshare had found tremendous success with their current processes and models, there were opportunities to optimize data sets– media monitoring, campaign tracking, and data analysis services would provide more value for client’s media budgets. Furthermore, it would mean lower overall costs, higher efficiency, and faster results. While Plowshare recognized the benefits of implementing these practices, they didn’t have a path forward with their current toolset and infrastructure.

The Task

Plowshare contacted us to see how customized tools could help streamline and optimize their media monitoring & campaign performance measurement processes. New technology is critical in their space, and any kind of new offerings, particularly in tracking ad placements, would give them an edge.

Our Process

We worked very closely with internal teams to identify needs, pain points, and potential blind spots. Over the course of development, we shared progress with the Plowshare team to allow them the opportunity to give input and redefine goals as needed. This iterative process allowed them to continuously shape the direction of the project as new needs were identified.

Impact

Not only were we able to streamline their processes, we created a new system that automated virtually all of their back-office performance reporting & campaign tracking work synchronizing fresh data to the web on a weekly basis. On top of this, it allowed clients real-time access to previously unavailable data. This powerful system ensured that their clients were always receiving up-to-date reporting on the success of their resources. This system was, in part, what led them to be acquired by the media giant Publicis in 2017.The system continues to be used to this day and is a backbone of their offering.

Real-Time Access

to campaign results data

Full Automated

web synchronization

Company Success

purchased by Publicis in 2017

Plowshare Group was only successful because of the technology tools Kyo Logic developed. In our industry, we need to keep up with the times, report live, and constantly develop things no one else is doing. Our biggest clients have stayed with us because we have maintained this standard.

Tom Derreaux
Executive Vice President, Plowshare

Haccah

Haccah

Location
Nationwide
Time Frame
6 Months
Industry
Education
Contact Us

Overview

Haccah provides testing, analysis, and organization applications for professional psychology, therapy, and psychiatry practices. Their testing, typically behavioral testing, is administered to end patients by teachers, agencies, or psychologists.
Haccah’s application gathers these tests and assesses the applicants against specific diagnoses, analyzing them in large data sets and ultimately producing an output with detailed feedback.
Haccah uses a central FileMaker system to store test results and assess patients against specific diagnoses. The system leverages large data sets to produce test outputs with detailed feedback.
This application supports several hundred tests that cover a broad range of behavioral testing, including psychological, academic, medical, and more.

The Challenge

Haccah’s clients needed additional utility from the platform: More tests, forms, and responses. Unfortunately, the system was not designed for such an expansive suite of options and ran slowly.
The application itself took several minutes to open. It would often freeze during use and be prone to crashing. Clients expressed concern about the application’s performance: the content was valuable, but the system needed a revamp.
Haccah considered replacing the entire system at a significant cost and major disruption to their business. The system incorporated thousands of hours of accumulated knowledge and expertise and had significant business value if saved.

The Task

Before creating a new system from scratch, Haccah tasked Kyo Logic with reviewing and, if possible, overhauling the existing platform to improve performance and preserve their valuable data.

Our Process

Kyo Logic’s initial analysis showed that the existing system structure incorporated too many internal dependencies for Haccah’s older FileMaker system to handle at scale. Every change in the system caused a cascade of internal recalculations amounting to tens of thousands of real-time updates. These recalculations created major performance bottlenecks.
Luckily, fixing the internal dependencies would cost a fraction of replacing the entire system and could be completed in a few hundred hours of work. After demonstrating how dependency fixes could reduce load time from minutes to seconds, the Kyo Logic team worked on 4 – 5 high-impact change areas.
The focus was first to tackle the most used sections of the application. This process showed immediate results and improved the application to a point where results were apparent internally and with end clients.

Impact

 
With the recommended changes, the time to output final reports was reduced from 7 minutes to 17 seconds – a 1400x improvement. The time to open the application was reduced from over 1.5 minutes to 5 seconds.
 
Haccah saved their application and core business at a fraction of the cost of developing a new database application.
 
Working with a skilled internal team allowed Haccah to make required large-scale changes rapidly. Significant impact was experienced quickly by focusing on the most trafficked areas first.
 
Moving forward, the Kyo team looks forward to optimizing Haccah’s system and leveraging the power of Claris’ newer suite of tools to offer even more powerful functionality, ease of use, and value.

1400x Speed Increase

7 minutes to 17 seconds

1.5 Minutes to 5 Seconds

Time Taken to Open Application

6 Months Training

From Project Start to Launch

I don’t know of another program that can integrate quite like FileMaker does.

Kyo is very pleasant to deal with, listens well and communicates at a level that meets each person’s (client’s users) level of understanding.

Dr. James R. Harrison
Clinical Director

OceanX

OceanX

Location
Worldwide
Time Frame
4 Years
Industry
Marine Science
Contact Us

Overview

 
OceanX is a nonprofit organization with an admirable mission: explore the world’s oceans, and bring their findings back to the world. Of course, this incredibly talented teams working both on the mainland and in vessels. Their OceanXplorer is one of the most advanced marine vessels ever constructed, equipped with cutting-edge research and multimedia equipment. Among other accomplishments, OceanX was the first to explore the deep Antarctic sea, the first to film a giant squid in the deep, and their crew discovered the Galapagos catshark.
 

The Challenge

 
The OceanXplorer is an advanced science vessel crewed by incredibly talented people doing very important research. However, this research effectively mandates the crew be isolated hundreds of miles into the ocean, far away from their fellow OceanX teammates… and just as far away from a reliable internet signal. The OceanXplorer needed to be able to send critical information back to home base. Just as importantly, the servers on the vessel and the servers at headquarters needed to have their data synced.
 

The Task

 
Develop a sophisticated application that collects and manages vital logistics information on land and synchronizes this information with an identical system collecting real-time information at sea. Capture this information and allow the two systems to synchronize their data via satellite. Deploy this system in a manner that the ship’s crew could manage communication with minimal effort and complete accuracy.
 

Our Process

 
Through a detailed, collaborative process, Kyo Logic developed a method to accurately sync the two servers using native Claris FileMaker technology— near real-time ship to shore communication via satellite. It was critically important that the Kyo Logic team gain a deep understanding of the needs of the OceanX team and visiting scientists. This knowledge allowed Kyo Logic to build a platform that addressed all of OceanX’s needs.
 
Claris FileMaker’s flexibility and raw power allowed Kyo Logic to create a system that made the syncing of these remote servers virtually seamless. You can learn more about how Kyo Logic harnessed the power of Claris’s FileMaker to solve this problem in the video below.

Impact

We were able to create the world’s-first custom solution that could ensure everyone was working within the same information, even when the OceanXplorer was out of internet range. While we can’t share the details of how the system operates, it’s been able to save employees hundreds of hours, minimize risk, and ensure accuracy. It’s all thanks to the power of one custom application.

90% Increase

in reporting accuracy

100s of Hours

saved on work processes

Synchronized Data

across thousands of sea miles 

We needed to organize our information and data to run our operations in a more effective way. We now spend less time working on specific tasks and our operations and communication are more efficient. Kyo Logic was excellent with their level of flexibility and support, and their response times have been great. This felt like a real partnership.

Vincent Pieribone
Vice Chairman