Beurer is a leading provider of health and well-being products, offering a wide range of solutions for medical care, relaxation, and fitness. Known for their commitment to innovation and quality, Beurer has established itself as a trusted brand globally. Beurer is navigating in a market with high documentation requirements for audits and different certifications e.g. ISO 13485. Therefore one system was necessary to keep track of all this information and make it easily accessible to everyone at Beurer.
This is where Qarma enters the picture. By using both our Quality and Compliance tool, Beurer has been able to collect, organize and centralize all their data in one place.
Alina Kaupp, who is responsible for supplier management and Jonathan Schmuck, who is a project manager in purchasing at Beurer explain how the suite of Qarma tools have helped simplify and validate their data collection – significantly reducing the time, they previously spent preparing for audits and certifications.
Managing both internal and external audits, Jonathan elaborates on how the full process of supplier and certificate management has been automated with Qarma.
One tool for collaboration
Previously, Beurer relied on multiple reports and emails to manage compliance and quality tasks. Information was scattered, making it hard to keep track of everything – especially when preparing for audits or managing supplier data and certificates. Processes were time-consuming, and ensuring that everyone had access to the right information at the right time was a challenge.
The goal was clear: move away from scattered reports and emails towards one shared tool where colleagues across the company could easily access and have an overview of the status of inspections, audits and supplier statuses – whether active, inactive, potential or blocked. Everyone who needed the information should be able to get it.
Meeting requirements like ISO 13485 and Medical Device Regulation, the need for a tool to manage these certifications was a high priority. Alina explains how they need to be in charge of what they have to control:
“Our ISO 13485, MDR and further regulations set the framework for our quality management and supplier management – what we have to control. This forms the basics of everything we do.” she elaborates “Since we manage multiple certificates and standards, including BSCI and evolving medical regulations, we need a structured certificate management system to track all suppliers and certificates”
Alina elaborates on how they check suppliers through initial audits to ensure they meet the requirements. Medical suppliers should have ISO 13485, while non-medical suppliers are required to have the ISO 9001. As new certificates and regulations emerge, they use Qarma for audits and for managing certificates.
All data and documentation in one place even faster
Since onboarding Qarma, Beurer has cut down the time it takes to prepare for audits by 50%. All the supplier related documents and data are stored in one place, making it simple to find and share.
“We sought a solution that could store checkpoints, pictures and comments in one place”. Previously, the images had to be manually assigned to the checkpoints. “There was a longer period between when audits were performed and when I received the results” Alina explains.
When audits occur, Beurer can now quickly show everything required for certifications, documentation, and supplier overviews. Having all the information in one system has made the process smoother and more transparent.
Supplier management has also improved: All suppliers and production units have their own status. If they are approved for active business and has passed the audit, their status is set as active, making it visible across the company. Likewise if a supplier is inactive, everyone is aware that purchase cannot currently be made.
“It’s much better now that we are tracking the status and any missing information” Alina adds.
Setting the context with pictures in QC
Inspectors no longer have to deal with endless communication threads across channels or scattered information. Everything they need is in one place, saving them time and making their work more efficient.
One feature that stands out is the ability to include pictures in reports. This makes it much easier to explain issues, create context and take action quickly. The visual context provided by photos has reduced misunderstandings and sped up the QC flow.
Simplified workflow and validated data in audits
With Qarma, Beurer has achieved what they set out to do: simplify their workflows, having their data in one place, and improve collaboration across the company. The tools have not only saved time but also brought validated data and greater transparency to their processes, making audits easier to manage as everybody knows where to access data, certificates and supplier information in one place.
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