Acerta Analytics on working with Hexagon and the future of quality in manufacturing
Oli Johnson speaks to Acerta Analytics Founder and CEO Greta Cutulenco about the company's predictive quality software and Hexagon's Sixth Sense program.
In October, Canadian start-up Acerta Analytics was selected by Hexagon’s Manufacturing Intelligence division to be one of the nine companies in the third Sixth Sense cohort. Hexagon’s Sixth Sense program was launched in January 2022 as a way to assist manufacturing start-ups by providing them with access to Hexagon’s extensive resources.
The start-ups in the latest cohort presented solutions which could solve critical manufacturing challenges, with a particular focus on sustainability and digital reality.
Acerta Analytics leverages machine learning and AI to turn manufacturing data into actionable insights. The company says its LinePulse software helps precision manufacturers improve part quality, accelerate root cause analysis, and reduce scrap and rework.
Greta Cutulenco, Founder and CEO of Acerta Analytics, told MQ: “We help manufacturers leverage the data that they’re collecting during production for all of their parts. So we look at process data, testing and quality data, product data, and basically combine it all together to help manufacturers identify early indicators that they’re introducing defects into their parts, that something in their production might be causing scrap or rework and help them proactively avoid it and deal with it much faster through the use of data.”
Manufacturing teams that aim to reduce scrap typically focus on controlling processes through the use of statistical process control (SPC). Acerta Analytics says that its predictive quality software goes beyond SPC, and that parts that do not meet SPC control limits can be signed off by the quality department and shipped, as long as they still meet engineering specifications. Acerta says its software detects anomalies in manufacturing in real time, saving quality and manufacturing teams time and energy spent on manually analysing data.
Most of Acerta’s customers come from automotive and off-highway industries. The company says that’s partly due to those companies typically dealing with high production volumes, and a need to comply with strict margins. Cutulenco told MQ how working in this area has been a valuable launch pad for predictive quality technology as it looks to enter other discrete manufacturing industries such as heavy industry, medical devices, and electronics in the near future.
Speaking to MQ about being selected to be a part of Hexagon’s Sixth Sense program, Cutulenco said: “Hexagon is a very well-established organisation in the industry, and they provide a number of applications within the quality domain. One we’ve got to know very closely is their ETQ organisation, that looks at workflow automation within the quality sphere.
“So this was a really exciting opportunity for us to work together and create a solution where we leverage the strength of Acerta in analysing real time production data and supporting that quality control and resolution, but work hand in hand with a system that is automating more of the workflows and the documentation around those quality events.”
Acerta Analytics, along with the other start-ups that are a part of this latest cohort, embarked on a 16-week journey of collaboration with Hexagon to refine ideas. After this, up to three winners will be selected and will be awarded with access to Hexagon’s resources with the aim of achieving global expansion. The resources may also include funding, worldwide office space, and Hexagon’s suite of products and services. The winners will also be showcased on the Nexus platform, which will provide the start-ups with access to world-class companies according to Hexagon.
Hexagon was founded in 2000 and since then, has become one of the major players in metrology and autonomous solutions. The company launched its Nexus open cloud platform in February 2023, which is designed to unlock innovation bottlenecks with tools for metrology reporting, material measurement and design for additive manufacturing (DfAM). Nexus enables users to build on their existing portfolio of technologies by promoting the discovery of new tools, training, and support.
As part of the launch of Nexus, Hexagon launched a cloud-based metrology trend reporting software for quality professionals and manufacturing teams. The software automatically acquires and processes real-time data, allowing manufacturing teams to quickly analyse and report on key quality control metrics and in turn resolve issues sooner.
“Ultimately I think the Sixth Sense and Hexagon personnel are excited about the opportunity for what this might mean in terms of our go to market together, and so we’ve been working on the programs to really realise that,” Cutulenco added. “I’m really excited that they chose us and I think it will mean great things for both companies.”
Acerta Analytics recently published a whitepaper on its predictive quality software, which can be found here.
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