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  • QUALITY: FACTS OR BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH?

    WHY AN AEP ELECTRONICS IS BETTER THAN A CHINESE CARD IMPORTED BY WHOKNOWSWHO

QUPR & EOS

Pillars of our quality system

The QUPR (Product Quality) department aims to ensure full functionality and service continuity of all AEP equipment. Tasks of the QUPR are to prevent possible defective behavior and investigate and resolve those reported by customers through the Technical Assistance Service (SAT). Among its duties, there is therefore also that of being able to issue, as in the automotive field, Engineering Change Notes (ECN) and, in the most serious cases, real recall actions. The QUPR often works closely with EOS, the department dedicated to the development of embedded operating systems. With these notes we wish to let our customers know the silent commitment of these departments, the foundation of the quality of our products.

We remind you that those who choose AEP are protected even after the warranty period, with the certainty of being able to obtain service and spare parts for ten years from the date of purchase.

Define the problem

Support for at least 10 years

The dcvices used for electronic ticketing must meet various requirements that depend on the specific application:

  • they have to operate in difficult environments due to vibrations, shocks, too high or too low temperatures, often with supply voltage not perfect or far from the nominal value.
  • they have to operate for prolonged periods of time, often even H24;
  • they must be very reliable: when, for whatever reason, they go out of service, they always cause a damage of some importance: they reduce revenues, generate dissatisfaction in the Customers, they need an intervention sometimes also on site, with the consequent need to move personnel;
  • above all, and this is the most difficult point, their support must be guaranteed for 10 years, hopefully for a longer time.

Ten years is too long?

Support for at least 10 years

In today's electronic market, where the latest model of smartphone already looks old after a few months, ten years is a long time. If many of us can afford the luxury of always showing off the latest model of smartphone, there are very few transport companies that want to decide to switch to a new ticketing system after a short time after the installation of the first one. There are many buses and installation is certainly not too easy. The guarantee of support for ten years is therefore a completely understandable requirement for the valorization of investments.

AEP guarantees the support for its products for at least 10 years after sale.

What can happen in 10 years?

The requirement of support for 10 years and more introduces completely new problems compared to consumer electronics. In one or two years, for example, some inconvenience... simply do not have enough time to emerge, while others end up being accepted by the customer, who will "change it soon".

In the case of professional devices, such as those of electronic ticketing, things are just more complex. First, there is the natural aging:  rules not different from those of us human beings are valid also for electronics. Then, in so long period, we can assume that the conditions of the context may change, for example the passage from one generation to the other of the telephone standards, the implementation of the company networks, the expectations of the Customers and so on.

There is also the possibility that the device is affected by original defects that appear only after a certain period of time. We are talking about sophisticated objects, made up of hundreds or even thousands of components and with complex software, for which it is impossible to test all combinations of conditions (sometimes faulty behavior is discovered by chance without anyone having detected it).

Who is without sin?

No one is immune from risk

Some people may believe that certain defects can only affect poor quality products. It is certain that a good concept, a good design, the careful choice of materials and correct production processes lead to a better level of quality, but it would be completely wrong to believe that this could lead to zero defects. The unexpected can affect not only the manufacturer of the device, but also all its suppliers, suppliers of suppliers and so on, including primary and renowned brands. The occurrence of these eventualities, completely physiological and predictable, is therefore not a vulnus in the Quality process. It is simply essential to foresee them and have the necessary organization to manage them.