Manufacturers must document every element of parts produced in order to substantiate the quality of raw materials purchased, the tolerances met and the steps taken to ensure the highest quality level has been attained. “The industry requires 100 percent traceability,” explains Greg Dederick, IT Manager for Acutec Precision Aerospace of Meadville, Pa. Depending on the part or assembly, the documentation produced can run to 100 or even 1,000 pages.
While the documentation department is a heavy user of scanners, he reports that Acutec uses scanners in finance, receiving, quality control, human resources, and manufacturing as well. Altogether, the two Pennsylvania plants, which are under Dederick’s IT management, have 15 scanners, including four Epson WorkForce DS-860 color document scanners and 11 older models from the previous manufacturer.