How Armstrong Reduced Manufacturing Inspection Time by Approximately 50%

Since its founding in 1934, SA Armstrong Ltd. has pioneered an uncompromising range of fluid-flow pumps and heat exchangers for global markets. The Armstrong name is a benchmark for quality n design, engineering and manufacturing, and its products are internationally recognized for design efficiency, long service life and operating economy. As part of Armstrong’s extensive range of services, it offers its customers access to expert, personalized engineering support. Their experienced staff addresses all questions and provides individualized technical assistance. From product selection to providing installation and operating instructions, SA Armstrong is a leader in technical service.

Customer	SA Armstrong Ltd.
Industry	Pump and heat-exchanger manufacturing
Use case	Assembly-line quality assurance and customer inspection reports
Verified outcome	Approximately 50% less inspection time with reports generated within seconds

Reduction In Inspection Time

Approximately 0 %

Daily Manufacturing Volume

About 50 Units

Report Generation

Within 100 Seconds

THE CHALLENGE:

Every manufactured unit carried a multi-page paper checklist

SA Armstrong manufactures fluid-flow pumps and heat-exchanger systems for residential, industrial and commercial markets. Its custom solutions combine standard parts and components selected and configured for a specific application. Every finished pump and heat exchanger requires a quality inspection before shipment.

The checklist previously travelled with each unit along the assembly line and was completed on paper at multiple stations. After production, managers manually entered the handwritten information into a computer report. The paper process also made it difficult to include photographs, even though visual evidence could help validate product quality and support later warranty claims.

At the time of the project, Armstrong produced approximately 120 units per day and expected that volume to double within several years. The company needed a workflow that could scale without doubling paper handling, manual data entry and record-storage demands.

“Our primary goal was digitizing our inspection process, which originally consisted of a multi-page, hard-copy checklist for each manufactured unit (daily volume is approximately 120 units and is expected to double in a few years). In addition to the obvious environmental benefits, our objectives were to improve the inspection speed & accuracy of our inspection process, introduce additional inspection features, and enable digital/cloud-based storage & retrieval.”

THE SOLUTION:

Station-specific digital checks and mandatory photographs

Field Eagle provided a tablet at each assembly station and a central company portal for inspection management. Managers created the complete quality checklist in the portal and assigned it to the tablets on the manufacturing floor.

Assembly-line workers saw only the questions assigned to their station, helping each person focus on the checks required at that production stage. They could attach photographs as proof of quality, and important photo requirements could be made mandatory.

At the end of assembly, the completed checklist synchronized to the Field Eagle cloud. Managers accessed the collected data through the company portal and generated an inspection report to accompany the finished pump.

THE RESULT:

Faster inspections and reports produced within seconds

Armstrong eliminated the need to re-enter completed paper forms, saving hours of administrative work. Missing answers were flagged before submission, reducing incomplete inspections and supporting more accurate records.

Inspection time was reduced by approximately 50%. Reports that previously required manual preparation could be generated within seconds for customers. Photo evidence captured at key manufacturing stages also created a stronger quality record and helped reduce warranty-claim risk.

The digital process replaced long-term paper storage with centralized cloud-based retrieval, giving managers and authorized users faster access to each manufactured unit’s inspection history.

"By leveraging the Field Eagle app, as well as the tremendous support from the F.E. team, we were able to achieve all of our original objectives and more! By the time the project is completed early next year, we will be able to eliminate all the paper that needed to be filled out and stored for several years, reduce our inspection time by approximately 50%, and minimize inspection errors. We will also improve the quality of our inspections via the inclusion of mandatory photos taken at key stages of our manufacturing process and to allow our customers access to their respective inspection reports via a web-based portal."

A CLOSER LOOK AT THE IMPLEMENTATION:

What changed on the assembly line

A tablet was placed at each assembly station and workers saw only the questions relevant to that stage. Managers created and assigned the master checklist through the company portal. As each unit progressed, answers and mandatory photographs accumulated in one record instead of travelling with the product as a multi-page paper form.

Why the result matters

Armstrong expected its daily volume of roughly 120 units to double within several years. Continuing to re-enter paper records would have increased administrative work at the same time as production. Digital capture removed that duplicate step, improved checklist completeness and created evidence that could support customer reports and warranty review.

Best fit for this approach

This model fits manufacturers producing pumps, HVAC components, engineered systems or other assembled equipment that passes through several workstations. It is especially useful when each station owns different checks, photographs are required for proof of quality and a finished inspection report must ship with the product.

How Field Eagle connects the inspection workflow

Field Eagle brings mobile data collection into one Inspection Management Software workflow. Teams can use Field Inspection Software at the point of work, maintain asset-specific histories with Asset Inspection Software, and configure the broader Inspection Software process around required forms, evidence and reports.

For organizations that need connected business systems, review available Integrations. Teams can also use structured records to support internal standards and external Compliance requirements.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is manufacturing quality inspection software?

Manufacturing quality inspection software replaces paper quality-control sheets with structured digital checks completed at the production line. It can assign questions by workstation, require evidence, flag incomplete items and generate a traceable report from the same inspection record.

How can manufacturers digitize assembly-line inspection checklists?

Start with the checklist already used for the product, then map each question to the workstation responsible for that check. Armstrong used one centrally managed form while showing workers only the questions relevant to their assembly station.

Can manufacturing inspection software require photo evidence?

Yes. Photographs can be attached to specific inspection items and configured as mandatory before submission. Armstrong used photos at key production stages to strengthen quality verification and support customer and warranty records.

How does digital inspection software reduce manufacturing reporting time?

The inspection data is captured once during production and used to generate the finished report. Armstrong eliminated paper-to-computer re-entry and produced customer inspection reports within seconds.