zwissTEX

In the cars of tomorrow, no one will sit behind the wheel unless they want to. And when the car drives itself, the vehicle interior becomes all the more the centre of attention. The high-tech textile manufacturer zwissTEX is ready for this: with innovative textiles that can replace entire design and construction concepts.

The history of zwissTEX dates back to 1828. Even then, a predecessor of the GmbH recognised the signs of the times and produced textiles from natural fibres. Over the decades, zwissTEX has continuously reinvented itself and its product range. Today, the company is a sought-after partner thanks to its high-tech textiles.

The company’s headquarters are located in Gerstetten, between Stuttgart and Munich. With new composite materials, warp-knitted and spacer fabrics, and many other products, zwissTEX supplies not only the automotive industry, the clothing sector, and medical technology, but also the aviation industry and the field of ultra-lightweight construction.

However, working in an industry closely linked to the automotive sector is not only exciting and inspiring. It also requires comprehensive documentation of work processes. Quality management (QM) is another crucial factor, and every vehicle manufacturer has its own specific requirements that suppliers like zwissTEX must meet.

Digital invoice processing

Product

600

Employees

consumer goods

Industry

zwissTEX initially relied on paper, Word and Excel for quality management

“As an automotive supplier, we have extremely extensive documentation requirements in quality management,” says Mark Seewald, Head of Integrated Management at zwissTEX. Quality management encompasses methods that allow companies to consolidate requirements for quality, environmental protection, occupational health and safety, security, and more within a unified structure. Workers on the production floor must have access to the latest documents at all times and must adhere to the regulations.

For a long time, zwissTEX relied on paper documents as well as Word and Excel to manage the extensive tasks involved in quality management. For example, at least three people at zwissTEX must sign off on a regulation before it can come into effect. “So, one employee would create a regulation,” explains Mark Seewald, “make a copy, and walk across the entire site to circulate the paper.”

If a regulation for production was changed, the updated version had to be physically delivered to the department head and the shift supervisor before reaching the production floor. “In the past, it would take about a week for a revised regulation to circulate,” says Seewald. Up to 900 paper-based regulations circulate within the company, and whenever something changed, the analogue process would begin again. This kept employees busy for many hours each week.

“zwissTEX GmbH had previously used a file system with Word documents,” recalls John Stender, Project Manager at Digital Life Sciences GmbH, the competence centre of d.velop AG for quality management and partner of edoc solutions ag. zwissTEX was not alone in this: “Many companies use similar structures, such as folders with documents and Excel spreadsheets, to track versions and validity.”

As an automotive supplier, we have extremely extensive documentation obligations in quality management. In the past, it took about a week for a revised regulation to circulate. We looked at many solutions to optimise our processes. But once we saw what the digitalisation solutions from d.velop Life Sciences could do, we stopped searching. Everything is now transparently documented, version-controlled, archived, and traceable.
Mark Seewald
Head of Integrated Management
zwissTEX GmbH

zwissTEX is looking for: an electronic quality management system

There came a point when the manual effort involved in handling paper-based documents for quality management became too much for zwissTEX. Approving, distributing, and keeping documents up to date was time-consuming. As a result, the company began searching for an alternative – a system for digital quality management.

“We looked at many solutions to optimise our processes,” says Mark Seewald, “but once we saw what the digitalisation solutions from d.velop Life Sciences could do, we stopped searching.” The key advantage: zwissTEX was already using d.3ecm. For six months, the company had been working with d.velop AG’s system for digital invoice processing in SAP, digital files (supplier and customer records), and legally compliant email archiving. With these tools, zwissTEX had already digitally optimised workflows and processes, reducing search and processing times. This gives employees more time for their core, creative tasks.

Digital foundation laid by edoc solutions ag

Here, edoc solutions ag from Weilerswist – the largest d.3ecm partner of d.velop AG – had already laid the foundation. In 2018, edoc implemented the document management system at zwissTEX. “A partner company recommended us, and during zwissTEX’s evaluation process, we were able to convince them with our ECM portfolio,” recalls Alexander Ferrauti, Account Manager at edoc. Until 2018, many processes at zwissTEX still relied on paper documents. With the introduction of the document management system, documents such as quotations, orders, or receipts were automatically archived in the customer or supplier files within the DMS.
Alexander Ferrauti explains: “After manual filing, automatic document archiving from the SAP system, or scanning, the system automatically assigns the documents to the corresponding digital process.”

Thus, d.3ecm was one of zwissTEX’s first steps in its digitalisation strategy. “It wasn’t just about making documents digitally accessible,” Ferrauti explains, “but also about introducing the first digital workflows and processes – such as digital invoice processing.” Since the DMS was implemented by edoc solutions ag, zwissTEX employees have always been able to track the current status of documents. Invoices – and other documents – can now be reviewed and approved at any time, even remotely.

Starting signal for digital quality management at zwissTEX

After becoming familiar with the d.3ecm system, zwissTEX commissioned edoc solutions ag to expand the existing setup. The goal: employees should be able to digitally edit, view, and update quality management (QM) documents. “We were able to build a very effective interface on the d.3ecm system that allows us to meet the specific requirements of quality management,” explains John Stender.

The joint project to implement and customise the digital quality management system began in January 2019. Only minor adjustments were needed to tailor the solution to zwissTEX’s needs. In the medical sector, for example, companies must comply with extensive regulations known under the term GxP. “zwissTEX is not a typical GxP client,” says Stender, “but the requirements are similar, as zwissTEX has aligned its quality management with GxP standards.”

In their daily work, zwissTEX employees must create, update, and approve many digital QM documents – some of which require a digital signature. The introduction of digital document management was only the first step.
Unlike working with Word and Excel, the quality management solutions from d.velop Life Sciences provide a structured framework that guides the workflow. Employees are assigned different user roles, giving them access only to the documents and areas they actually need. This not only ensures clarity and organisation – it also eliminates a potential source of error.

Lead times reduced from one week to one day

Each employee now has a personalised dashboard showing all tasks, deadlines, and documents at a glance.
“At the beginning, we first mapped our organisational chart in the DMS,” recalls Mark Seewald. After that, users were already able to assign tasks – such as reviewing or approving a document, or completing a root cause analysis. Tasks are assigned deadlines and due dates, and responsible individuals receive notifications via Microsoft Outlook. If a document’s validity expires, a quality management officer is automatically notified.

From the project launch in January 2019, it took just six months to go live. Seewald adds: “We also built an employee qualification module that tracks which colleagues need to be trained on which documents, and which training sessions have already been completed.”

Thanks to the new software, it’s now much easier to keep track of documents and deadlines – even in the hustle and bustle of daily operations. Users are automatically reminded when a deadline is approaching. Accessing relevant documents is also faster and more convenient. No one has to flip through folders anymore – with full-text search, the right document is just a click away.

Seewald: “Previously, new production regulations could take up to a week to circulate. With digital quality management, it’s done within a day – two days at most in rare cases.” Since its introduction, 350 employees now work with the digital quality management system – including staff at the zwissTEX site in Mexico.

Previously, new production regulations could take up to a week to circulate. With digital quality management, this now takes just one day – two at most in rare cases.
Mark Seewald
Head of Integrated Management
zwissTEX GmbH

How digital quality management works at zwissTEX

zwissTEX has divided its digital quality management into five process groups:

“We chose d.velop,” says Mark Seewald, “because all five components and solutions we needed were already integrated into a single software platform. And the software is expandable – for example, to include contract management.” As early as July 2019, shortly after implementing the document management system, zwissTEX introduced a digital change control system based on d.3ecm.

The reason: Before the introduction, zwissTEX employees were overwhelmed managing changes. Some change requests came via email, others were mentioned in passing between the coffee machine and the desk – and some even arrived on sticky notes. Seewald: “We needed a digitally controlled change management system – also to meet the requirements of the International Automotive Task Force (IATF).”

Example: A zwissTEX customer changes a recurring order – they now need yellow parts instead of red ones. zwissTEX must now produce yellow parts, which affects multiple departments – from production and invoicing to delivery notes and label printing.

“With d.velop’s document management, our employees can keep track of everything,” says Seewald, “and we avoid friction losses.” The digital change control system automatically creates a task list for all involved or responsible employees and tracks progress. Employees receive notifications via Outlook when new tasks are assigned or when action is required. For example, production staff can upload a photo of the first yellow parts to confirm that they are now producing them – fulfilling the customer’s change request.

The other areas of quality management work in a similar way – such as CAPA. It’s not enough to simply communicate a change request. Employees must translate that request into concrete actions and ensure those actions are completed – on time and in the correct format. And finally, any complaints must be tracked and processed via Deviation Control.

Seewald: “A big thank you to Jacqueline Gollan, Quality Manager at zwissTEX. The rapid implementation of an electronic quality management system would not have been possible without her – she played a leading role in driving the project forward.”

“We collected all regulations on paper”

“The major advantage of digital quality management,” says John Stender, “is not just the direct access to documents, deadlines, and tasks – it’s above all the real-time accuracy. Documents are always up to date, which is a huge benefit for production staff. They no longer have to worry about whether they’re working with the correct and current instructions.”

In this way, zwissTEX eliminates a great deal of friction – and a great deal of paper. “We collected all paper-based regulations,” emphasises Mark Seewald, “and there are no longer any paper regulations in the entire production area.” All process descriptions, work instructions, procedural guidelines, and the entire quality management department have now been digitised. Seewald: “Everything is now transparently documented, version-controlled, archived, and traceable.”

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