From Analog Effort to Digital Excellence

For over a century, Karcoma has been manufacturing a wide range of precision parts and fittings for various industries. These include transmission parts and assemblies for electric drive trains in the automotive industry, decompression valves, including for chainsaws, as well as fuel taps for historic BMW motorcycles, passenger cars and the defense industry. The origins of the company lie in the production of the first drain cock – an innovative development that laid the foundation for numerous other inventions and continuous product improvements. The functional assemblies are used in the automotive industry, utility equipment industry, construction equipment industry and many other areas.

More than ten years ago, however, Karcoma was at a turning point: quality processes were still mainly managed using Excel spreadsheets, as was unfortunately common practice in many companies. However, this method was neither efficient nor audit-proof. As an automotive supplier, the company is obliged to comply with strict standards such as IATF 16949, which require, among other things, complete documentation and efficient processes. The realization that the previous way of working in quality management was far too complex and time-consuming led to the decision to introduce a specialized QM software – and the choice fell on the comprehensive BabtecQ solution. Three criteria were decisive in the selection of the quality partner at the time: seamless integration into the existing ERP system enables smooth data exchange, the ease of use of the software ensures a high level of acceptance among employees and the positive feedback from existing Babtec customers also contributed significantly to the decision in advance. 

The software was then implemented in several phases: First, the team (consisting of the responsible employees at Karcoma and the project managers from Babtec) concentrated on individual areas such as in-production inspection, incoming goods inspection and supplier assessment. These pilot phases made it possible to put the software through its paces and get to know its many advantages. Since 2018, the use of Babtec has been continuously expanded and almost all available modules have been integrated. Karcoma's high level of vertical integration – from mechanical processing to plastics production and assembly – benefits enormously from the comprehensive functionality of the Babtec software and the integration of the individual modules. 

As mentioned, one of the biggest challenges in the automotive supply industry is compliance with strict quality standards – thanks to Babtec, this is no longer a problem. The software enables end-to-end documentation and traceability of all processes, which is of crucial importance during audits. Thanks to the digital recording and management of data, users can respond quickly and efficiently to audits and ensure that processes comply with requirements. 

The use of Babtec software has therefore enabled Karcoma to automate and standardize the quality processes to such an extent that not only has efficiency been increased, but the accuracy of the data has also been improved. In addition, manual sources of failure were minimized and throughput times were significantly reduced. In short, the integration of the software into Karcoma's existing system landscape has meant that almost all production processes now run smoothly. 

"Quality-oriented thinking and action should be a matter of course for everyone. This also includes the conscious use of our environment's resources," Karcoma explicitly states in its quality policy. Against this backdrop, another important aspect is the support provided by Babtec with regard to the company's sustainability goals. BabtecQ helps to act with foresight and sustainability by enabling users to design all processes efficiently with the solutions. In-production inspection in particular plays a decisive role, as it enables rejects to be quickly identified and avoided in the long term. 

The ability to monitor important key figures in real time is also a significant advantage in this context. The dashboard covers all facets of quality management, from incoming goods inspection to production monitoring and final inspection. The software provides detailed reports and analyses that help to identify weak points and implement improvement actions – all in the spirit of continuous improvement and a sustainable way of working. The following applies: quality concerns everyone and is not delegated to a few responsible persons in the company. All departments therefore have access to the dashboards at all times via prominently placed store floor boards, allowing them to maintain an overview. 

Karcoma attaches great importance to process organization, which encompasses all processes as well as their temporal-logical coupling. In all areas, the principle applies that processes can only be effective if they are actually lived. The fact that the Babtec software can also help here is the proverbial cherry on the cake. Previously, the company worked with a solution from another provider, but this is now gradually being replaced by Babtec's process management due to the large number of useful functions. 

Process management provides comprehensive support for Karcoma's Quality Management System (QMS), as the process map describing the core, management and support processes is essential in this context. By considering all processes (and not just the quality processes), the software is also suitable for supporting other specialist areas and management systems in addition to the QMS. In practice, the new solution is therefore changing the way Karcoma designs and optimizes its processes. With its intuitive modeling function, the module enables a precise and transparent representation of processes and responsibilities. The central management and automatic versioning of process documents ensure compliance with standard requirements. In addition, the Babtec software facilitates the identification and analysis of optimization potential. 

Thanks to clear visualization in the form of easy-toread flowcharts and comprehensive documentation, process management creates a new level of transparency and efficiency that makes a decisive contribution to competitiveness. Incidentally, this consistent documentation of processes is particularly valuable when onboarding new colleagues, who can familiarize themselves with the work processes much more quickly. Which brings us to another factor that Karcoma considers to be a key component of a sustainably successful company, namely employee management. 

A company can only operate well if its most important resource is used effectively: people. The qualification matrix in the Babtec software ensures exactly that. It makes it possible to centrally record, manage and continuously update employee qualifications. This enables Karcoma to ensure that all employees always have the necessary qualifications and training to perform their tasks in accordance with the company's qualification requirements. This also makes a significant contribution to guaranteeing compliance with standards (such as ISO 9001 and IATF 16949) and increasing the efficiency of work processes. 

Before using the software, qualifications and training courses were laboriously managed using numerous Excel spreadsheets, which was understandably error-prone and not very intuitive. With Babtec, all relevant information is now easily accessible, which makes the planning and tracking of training courses much easier. Detailed qualification profiles, for example from job descriptions, are created in no time at all. Deviations from the target status are always recognizable at a glance, which enables targeted development and re-qualification. The development documentation ensures that all progress and changes are traceable. Last but not least, potential and training requirements are quickly identified and specifically addressed using the filter function. 

Reading these paragraphs, it becomes clear that for Karcoma, quality is more than "just" product quality. Requirements, sustainability, processes, employees, document control – all areas of the company reflect the company's high ambitions, not just to meet standards because customers demand it, but to create real added value. Audit compliance is still an absolute must, but the numerous advantages that result from using Babtec software ensure a better quality of work in every respect. Above all, the browser-based user interface BabtecQ Go makes it possible for all employees to participate in quality – for example, by sending relevant documents or actions to be taken directly to them.

The software, which was once introduced for the reliable, digital assurance of product quality, is now also setting the course for the effective expansion of an Integrated Management System. Central administration, automation and better integration of processes mean one thing above all: greater efficiency in everyday work. Continuous adaptations and expansion of the software also promise further improvements and even closer integration of the individual software modules. Karcoma is therefore convinced that it will be able to master future challenges with Babtec software and further consolidate its position as a leading manufacturer of high-quality fittings. And this includes challenges that not only affect product and process quality, but also the further development of the entire organization.