Aerospace & Automotive Corrective Action (CAPA) Software Systems

MasterControl Aerospace and Automotive Corrective Action (CAPA) Software Systems for ISO / AS 9000 / ISO 14000 Certification

An Automotive or Aerospace Corrective Action and Preventive Action System is designed for the overall effort to investigate and correct quality issues to prevent recurrence in the aerospace industry. It is an important requirement for aerospace and automotive manufacturers and related engineering firms, suppliers, and contractors that are ISO-certified. Both ISO 9000 and ISO 14000 require an aerospace CAPA system / automotive CAPA system to correct nonconformances, prevent their recurrence, and help improve overall product quality.

Watch Videos View ISO 3-Minute Demo (3:00) Deere - Hitachi (6:29) Using MasterControl for ISO Certification (2:17)

How can Automotive CAPA Software / Aerospace CAPA Software Benefit You?

MasterControl's Automotive & Aerospace corrective action and preventive action software is a robust, easy-to-use solution designed to effectively manage the corrective action / preventive action process and integrate it with other processes critical to ISO 9000 / AS 9000 certification, such as change control, audit, and customer complaints.

Here's how MasterControl's Aerospace & Automotive CAPA System addresses some of the major challenges that aerospace, defense contractors, and automotive manufacturers face in establishing and maintaining effective corrective and preventive action processes:

CAPA Management Challenges		MasterControl CAPA Software Solution
Inefficient CAPA System Paper-based and hybrid aerospace & automotive CAPA systems are inexpensive initially. In the long term, however, these systems are inefficient, requiring tremendous man-hours in terms of routing CAPA tasks and other documentation, obtaining approval and signatures, and manual search and retrieval of documents during inspections and audits.		Efficient CAPA Process Management Software MasterControl's automotive & aerospace CAPA system automates routing, notification, delivery, escalation and approval of CAPAs and all related documentation. It automates management of entire CAPA process, from initiation to investigation and all the way through closure. Provides a secure, centralized, and Web-based repository for all CAPA documents.
Disconnected CAPA Processes A CAPA may be triggered by ISO quality audits, customer complaints, or some other source. With manual and hybrid aerospace corrective action and preventive action systems, these sources are not connected, making data collection slow and incomplete. Without connectivity, critical information may fall through the cracks, and the root cause investigation is likely to be unreliable.		Connected CAPA Management Software System MasterControl integrates the CAPA process with the rest of the quality system for a holistic approach. For example, the resolution of a corrective action will trigger an engineering change, an SOP change, and retraining of employees on the new SOP.
Poor CAPA Reporting When customer complaints, deviations, adverse events, and other incidents that can trigger CAPA are collected manually, there's no guarantee that all critical information will be captured because it is easy to misplace (and time-consuming to update) paper reports. A hybrid automotive CAPA system requires re-entering data from hard copy into an electronic system, a process prone to delay and mistakes.		Efficient CAPA Reporting A CAPA form can be launched directly from another form (i.e., customer complaint, etc.) to streamline the CAPA process and avoid mistakes during re-entry of data. Links are maintained so users can review a completed process and easily see what triggered the CAPA.
Lack of Oversight Poor implementation of an automotive CAPA system may stem from the lack of ability to track and monitor open CAPAs and proactively improve the CAPA process.		Increased Oversight MasterControl tracks quality incidents that can escalate into a CAPA, such as customer complaints, audit findings, etc. Provides advanced analytics and reporting capability, including customizable reports and online charting. Through the reports, managers get a real-time view of the CAPA process and can be more proactive about improving their quality system.

Features of an Aerospace & Automotive Corrective Action and Preventive Action Software

Here's a summary of MasterControl CAPA's powerful features:

Best-Practice Forms:MasterControl provides best-practice electronic forms and workflow routes that can be used as is or customized based on a company's needs. The solution includes:

• An "8D" process to guide the quality team through every step of an automotive CAPA system implementation, from identification of the problem to investigation of root cause through correction of the problem and prevention of recurrence.
• A CAPA form that can be configured to show the initiator only the relevant information to this step and to require completion only of fields related to data entry.

Connected Quality Processes: MasterControl's aerospace & automotive corrective action and preventive action software is designed as a "closed loop" solution, streamlining processes, interconnecting different quality subsystems, and tracking quality incidents that can escalate into a CAPA. For example:

• A CAPA form can be launched directly from another form (i.e., customer complaint, audit findings, etc.) to streamline the CAPA process. Links are maintained so users can review a completed process and easily see what triggered the CAPA.
• Relevant data from a form that could potentially require a corrective action is automatically entered into a CAPA form, reducing data entry and eliminating errors from manually transferring information.
• Through the Internet, customers, vendors, and others outside the company can submit a form, such as customer complaint or product issue report, that could lead to CAPA. Off-site and traveling users can also complete forms pertaining to the CAPA process without being connected to the MasterControl automotive CAPA system. They can complete forms offline and then upload.
• CAPA can be integrated with the training application for a more efficient system. A CAPA that causes a change in product design or function will invoke training tasks upon approval of the change. MasterControl can automate distribution and grading of online exams, which can be used as proof of personnel competency during ISO audits.

Advanced Analytics and Reporting: With MasterControl, CAPA coordinators can monitor the entire quality management lifecycle, from input to closure. They will get a complete picture of the quality system with the help of the following reporting capabilities:

• Ability to dynamically capture, trend, and link data needed to solve problems, improve processes, and implement preventive measures. A variety of reports (issue summary, aging/overdue, cycle time, etc.) come standard. You can customize reports for issue review, problem prevention, etc within the MasterControl aerospace corrective action and preventive action system.
• Data can be grouped together by a date interval and then charted over a date range. For example, the number of customer complaints can be totaled for each week and charted for the last year. Data can be summarized in multiple levels, so CAPAs can be reported by product, department, and root cause.