Thermal processing systems for automotive suppliers Requirements for CQI-9 compliant automation

In this essay, CQI-9 HTSA will be the guideline for discussing a number of special requirements the automotive industry places on industrial thermal processing equipment. The automotive industry's ultimate goal is a system that provides for continual improvement, emphasizing defect prevention (zero defects), and reduction of variation at lowest costs. Yet, it is left to the supplier's discretion how to achieve this goal, which will either be by organizational measures or in the form of special design of the thermal processing systems in use. The main topic in this article is automation systems for continuous industrial thermal processing systems, and how organizations supplying heat treated automotive parts can satisfy the automotive industry's highly specific demands.