Automating the processing of Mill Test Certificates (MTCs)/ Material Test Report (MTR) / Certificate of Analysis (COA) presents a significant challenge due to the diverse range of chemical and physical properties found in these reports for raw materials. While MTR processing is crucial for quality assurance, it is often time-consuming. Fortunately, there is a more efficient way that can lead to substantial cost and time savings for fabricators and material customers. Let's explore the 6 Steps to Automate MTC Processing.

Explore the 6 Steps to Automate MTC Processing

Understanding Mill Test Certificates:

A Mill Test Certificate (MTC)/ MTR/COA is a vital quality assurance document that certifies the exact chemical and physical properties of a material. MTRs, also known as Certified Mill Test Reports, Mill Test Certifications, Mill Inspection Certificates, or Certified Material Test Reports, ensure that a metal product complies with specific standards set by international organizations.

Key Information in Mill Test Certificates:

Mill Test Reports typically include details such as the country of production, physical and chemical property specifications, precise size or shape dimensions, and compliance with standards organizations like ANSI, ASME, or ASTM. These reports serve as evidence of a metal product's origin, traceability, and the processes involved in its creation.

Challenges in Automating MTC Processing:

Automating the processing of MTCs is challenging due to various factors, including the vast number of fields in the reports, differing layouts among manufacturers, poor image quality from printing and scanning, and the presence of multiple languages in international distribution.

Importance of MTC:

MTCs play a crucial role in quality assurance and compliance, with ASME certification requiring them to be kept on file for up to three years after product use. Maintaining this critical data in a database is essential for tracking and reporting purposes.

Six Steps to Automate MTC Processing:

1. Digitization / Image Processing: Remove non-text elements from the digital copy of the test report.
2. Optical Character Recognition: Recognize all languages and text characters on the material test report using OCR.
3. Machine Learning / Training: Train software to identify the document as an MTC, allowing for the recognition of additional attached documents.
4. Build Data Models: Create data collection models for important information on the MTC.
5. Human Data Review: Conduct a human review to ensure accuracy and flag uncertainties for further investigation.
6. Data Integration: Integrate MTC data and the digital copy of the document with existing quality software or reporting tools.

Discover how Star Software, an intelligent document processing platform, makes automating the review processes for mill test reports efficient and effective.

Material Test Reports (MTRs) play a pivotal role across diverse industries, spanning manufacturing, construction, healthcare, aerospace, automotive, oil and gas sectors, and many more. They furnish intricate insights into the chemical and mechanical composition of materials, a crucial aspect of quality control and compliance assurance.

Nevertheless, the conventional MTR processing methods are often laborious and susceptible to errors. Extracting data manually from tables and charts can prove painstaking and unreliable. Compounding the challenge, MTRs are replete with technical terminology and complex jargon, making interpretation a daunting task.

This is where AI document automation steps in, poised to revolutionize the way MTRs are processed. By harnessing the formidable power of artificial intelligence (AI) and optical character recognition (OCR), AI document automation software emerges as a game-changer in the realm of MTR processing. It efficiently and accurately extracts data from MTRs, resulting in significant savings in both time and resources, while also mitigating the risk of errors that has plagued traditional methods.

Here are some key advantages of adopting AI document automation for MTR processing:

Enhanced Precision: AI document automation software is adept at handling vast datasets of MTRs, enabling it to extract data with remarkable precision, even from the most intricate and complex documents.
Heightened Efficiency: AI document automation significantly outpaces the manual methods when it comes to processing MTRs, liberating employees to focus on more value-added tasks rather than mundane data entry.
Cost Savings: Implementing AI document automation can lead to substantial cost savings for businesses, particularly in areas related to data entry and MTR processing.
Regulatory Compliance: AI document automation simplifies the process of ensuring that MTRs adhere to the relevant industry standards and regulations, streamlining the creation and management of these critical documents.
Beyond these immediate benefits, AI document automation empowers businesses to:
Unearth Insights from MTR Data: AI document automation software has the capability to analyze MTR data, enabling the identification of trends and patterns within the data. This valuable information can be utilized to improve quality control, enhance product development, and optimize various other operational processes.

Automate Other Document-Driven Processes: The versatility of AI document automation extends beyond MTR processing. It can be leveraged to automate a wide array of document-driven processes, including purchase order processing, invoice handling, and contract management. This versatility further contributes to improving overall efficiency and productivity.

For any enterprise seeking to elevate their MTR processing capabilities, AI document automation stands as an invaluable and forward-thinking solution.

Streamlining MTR Processing with Star Software:
At the forefront of AI document automation is Star Software, offering a comprehensive solution for MTR automation. The user-friendly software requires no coding expertise; it is as simple as uploading your MTRs, and our AI engine automatically extracts the pertinent data. This process enables you to review the extracted data and make any necessary adjustments, ensuring accuracy and precision.

Moreover, Star Software provides a range of features that enhance MTR processing compliance, including seamless referencing of ASTM and ASME standards, ensuring that your MTRs meet all the relevant standards and regulations.
For a more in-depth understanding of how Star Software can streamline your MTR processing through automation, we encourage you to reach out to us today. Discover how this technology can transform your MTR processing, making it more efficient, accurate, and hassle-free.