A real-time information system for multivariate statistical process control

Statistical process control (SPC) is widely used in process industries to monitor variations in process attributes. Typically, automatic devices capture a multitude of measurements on process and product characteristics every few seconds. Operators and engineers commonly monitor only a small subset of these. Multivariate SPC has been proposed to fully utilize the available data, however, interpretation of multivariate information is often too complex for most line operators. This paper describes the design and implementation of a real-time multivariate process control system that features a graphical user interface (GUI) and provides useful information for both line operators and engineers. The information system described in this paper should provide large-scale manufacturers with better access to information for identifying opportunities in continuing to improve processes performance and business competitiveness. (C) 2002 Published by Elsevier Science B.V.