Azurea quality" with Ellistat's APC software solution for machine tool control.

The key to success? 

Investments in high-quality production tools and the involvement of everyone concerned, notably around Ellistat's APC (Automated Process Control) solution, in use since 2020, guarantee more efficient production management.

Azurea Unipessoal LDA celebrates its 10th anniversary in 2022, with over 8 million euros invested in the Group's production facility, which boasts a total of 30 Tornos CNC bar-turning machine tools.

As Vincent Skrzypczak, CEO of Azurea Unipessoal LDA, explains: "The Group's values are innovation, independence, respect, ambition and success. The investment choices we make are technically oriented and dedicated to our customers. The Group has no sales force. The managers of the various entities are historically in direct contact with customers". As an example of innovation, he adds: "In the current context, we offer our customers services other than simply the manufacture of single components, but also more complex assemblies and functions. In addition, we make a lot of room for young people within the Group, particularly those coming from technical apprenticeships and engineering schools, in order to create a real dynamic and also to offer interesting prospects for development and careers".

While the watchmaking business is concentrated almost exclusively in Switzerland, the medical sector faces an ultra-competitive global market. It is therefore imperative for Azurea to set itself apart through the complexity and quality of the parts it produces.

Azurea Microtechnique SA is ISO 13485 certified and meets customer requirements in terms of traceability and validation of all production processes. Upstream of production, due to its complexity, a great deal of work is carried out in preparation for the realization of the part. Azurea is able to offer prototyping of around 50 parts before launching production of several thousand parts per year. Production constraints for parts and assemblies are linked to dimensional aspects, with tolerances of 5 microns, as well as aesthetic and functional aspects. The parts produced for the medical sector cover a wide spectrum, from parts for operating robotics and tools for orthopedic surgery to connectors for brain implants.

In 2020, in response to changing customer requirements in terms of part quality and precision, the company is looking for a solution to guarantee the "Azurea quality" for which it is renowned, for parts as well as for assemblies produced in-house. Indeed, a new trend is emerging - as yet anecdotal - which consists in demanding capability rather than tolerances in relation to the dimensions to be respected. This means that a drifting production process is no longer acceptable, and that we must work with "centered dimensions".

The initial project, launched in Switzerland, involved the search for a software solution to improve production control and monitoring, in order to guarantee the aforementioned centered dimensions. On the recommendation of its service provider Ovale Performance (training, organization), Azurea chose the APC software solution developed by the French publisher ELLISTAT, based in Haute-Savoie. The software is recognized for its performance, ease of use and intuitive operation. 

Two APC licenses are tested in Switzerland, followed by two in Portugal over a one-month period. The company looks at competing solutions, but they prove more complex to use and more expensive. 

The APC test period was combined with a week's training, followed by the managers who then trained the other setters. Internally, the aim was to explain the meaning of the approach and the desire to improve internal processes: the benefits of working with centered dimensions, so as to always deliver the same quality to customers; not forgetting the satisfaction of the assembly department in receiving parts with centered dimensions for optimal assembly. 

It took around 6 months to set up the solution, provide support and get staff on board. Azurea Unipessoal LDA was the first site to be equipped. As Vincent Skrzypczak explains: "We wanted all 100% employees to buy into the APC solution. It was out of the question to hear, in the event of bad programming, 'it's APC's fault'. There had to be a shared awareness of the need for improvement between users and management. The training and support provided have paid off, with the entire team using and adopting the software.

APC is easy to use and intuitive, accessible to unskilled operators. APC is used for rapid set-up and production monitoring. However, Vincent Skrzypczak insists on the need for quality production tools (measuring equipment, machine tools, etc.) and on the importance of preparing the APC program. For example, matching the number of tools to the number of correctors, indicating the dimensions involved, etc. 

Today, the Azurea Group has 60 APC licenses, one per machine. Vincent Skrzypczak comments: "All you have to do is measure the part, enter the data into APC and it automatically makes all the corrections at once. This makes our staff's work much easier. Before APC, if the drift remained within tolerance, the setter had two options: recenter the dimension, or leave it as is, within the acceptable limit. With APC, the dimension is always centred. We've achieved our quality objective and improved our productivity, since set-up time has fallen by around 50 % and the company's overall scrap rate by around 30 %."

What's more, in the event of regular drift on a machine, APC highlights the fact that there is a problem to be solved on the machining process, the risk of incorrect setting by the operator being totally eliminated with the use of the software.

APC has enabled us to produce the right quality," adds Vincent Skrzypczak. The software provides data on capability. If it's not good, we need to improve the process. Conversely, if it's very high, we need to space out the checks. For some parts, we have gone from 6 checks to just 3 a day.

To go a step further, i.e. to send corrections directly to the machine via APC, Azurea is waiting for the machine manufacturer to unlock the OPC-UA option.

Vincent Skrzypczak is also very satisfied with relations with the Ellistat team. "The work and exchanges with Ellistat, during the first six months, were of great benefit to us. Even today, if we have any doubts about a part, their support service is very responsive, and we get an answer within half a day. Regular updates ensure that the tool is constantly evolving. The ease of use of the software and the proximity to Ellistat are a real winning combination.