Case Study: Rockwood Pigments achieves real-time SPC and faster lot traceability with Northwest Analytics' NWA Quality Information System

Rockwood Monitors Pigment Performance Around the World

Rockwood Pigments, a global manufacturer of iron-oxide and inorganic color pigments, faced limited quality-control capabilities from relying on Excel for records and Minitab for ad hoc SPC charts. This made recordkeeping cumbersome across many product codes and process steps, delayed lot traceability (which could take several days), hindered visibility and control of production, and prevented automated Certificates of Analysis. To address these issues, Rockwood selected Northwest Analytics’ NWA Quality Information System (QIS) as the central application in an IT upgrade for its Taicang and Shenzhen plants.

Northwest Analytics implemented NWA QIS to provide configurable data collection, instrument data downloads, real-time SPC control charts and alarms, integrated batch-flow of test results, and SQL-based lot traceability and reporting. QIS also reads corporate product specifications, generates Certificates of Analysis, and is maintainable by plant staff. As a result, Rockwood gained near–real-time monitoring and warnings, faster lot traceability (down from several days), improved productivity, and more effective process analytics—benefits that technicians and managers attribute directly to Northwest Analytics’ solution.

Rockwood Pigments

Dale Gu

Technical Director