Selecting the Right Quality Management System Software Provider for Your Company

ABI Research recently published a study assessing 19 Quality Management System (QMS) software providers to help manufacturers understand the options available to them and compare vendors’ positioning strategies within the broader QMS marketplace. This resource shares the top 3 innovators and top 3 implementation enablers of QMS software from the competitive ranking. Some common trends our analysts have seen among QMS software companies include low/no-code functionality, Out-of-the-Box (OOTB) capabilities, cloud-native Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) designs, and integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Graph 1: Quality Management System (QMS) Software Vendor Ranking Matrix

(Source: ABI Research)

Quality Management System Software Innovations Manufacturers Should Prioritize

Here are the factors ABI Research weighed to rank the top QMS software vendors:

• Product Capabilities: The QMS software company offers unique features, including AI functionality, which sets it apart from competitors with its innovative capabilities.
• Data Visibility, Accessibility, and Security: The QMS software is cloud-based and cloud-native, allowing data to be accessed remotely and viewed across multiple plants to support enterprise-wide collaboration. Moreover, the QMS software vendor ensures that manufacturing data are contextualized to meet the needs of various users within the organization. AI can be leveraged to analyze data, and the solution meets and exceeds security standards such as ISO 27001 and IEC62443.
• User Experience and Worker Augmentation: The QMS software product provides low/no-code functionality, enabling customers to generate comprehensive reports. Screens can be customized to be operator-specific, displaying only relevant information to the user. The QMS company also includes an embedded AI chatbot to support workers.
• Building a Digital Thread: The QMS software is supported by an extensive enterprise software ecosystem or portfolio. It includes supplier management functionality with unique features to enhance the overall solution.

Top Three Most Innovative Quality Management System Software Companies

ABI Research determined that Intellect, Dassault Systèmes, and ETQ are the top three companies in terms of QMS software innovation.

Innovation Leader: Intellect

Intellect emerged as the QMS software innovation leader, primarily due to its outstanding user interface and experience scores. The QMS platform is designed with an easy-to-use low/no-code interface, a robust and highly functional mobile application, a powerful AI chatbot, and customizable dashboards that display key data to different company personas. The QMS solution's comprehensive AI capabilities, including document review, data analytics, and real-time assistance, significantly enhance its innovative functionality.

These features, combined with strong data visualization capabilities within the Intellect Data IQ module and seamless OOTB connections with popular Business Intelligence (BI) tools, cement Intellect's top rank. The only notable weakness of the company’s QMS software solution is its limited ability to create fully comprehensive digital threads outside of third-party integrations. However, the strong supplier management application helps mitigate this shortcoming.

Runner-Up: Dassault Systèmes

Dassault Systèmes takes second place in QMS software innovation, offering manufacturers robust functionality. A notable example is the Structured Content Authoring application and industry-specific modules tailored for various markets, like License to Cure for life sciences manufacturers. This software functionality is further enhanced by excellent data visualization capabilities that leverage both real-time and historical data, allowing continuity from previous QMS solutions without the need to build ML models from scratch.

Additionally, Dassault Systèmes has heavily invested in its digital twin platform, enabling QMS customers to create comprehensive digital threads. The primary factor preventing Dassault Systèmes from securing the top spot in QMS software innovation is the current lack of embedded AI functionality.

Third Place: ETQ

ETQ ranks third for QMS software innovation with its Reliance platform, enabling customers to:

• Utilize a powerful low-code drag-and-drop application designer
• Create transparency in process operations through strong Bill of Materials (BOM) connections
• Build comprehensive digital threads with robust supplier quality control functionality and support from the extensive Hexagon ecosystem

ETQ's lower QMS innovation ranking compared to Intellect and Dassault Systèmes is due to its lack of notable AI capabilities and slightly weaker demonstration of new innovative software functionality.

Are you planning to deploy a QMS software solution at your plant? Join ABI Research’s exclusive, no-cost community of technology adopters, Innovators Network, to gain access to our latest key trends, investment forecasts, and companies within the QMS space and other technology areas. Apply Today!

Quality Management System Software Implementation Factors

ABI Research also evaluated how well vendors support the implementation of QMS software. Here are the implementation criteria:

• Bookings and Customer Base: The QMS software supports numerous global installations and has a wide range of different customers. The vendor demonstrates a growing customer base, indicating increasing adoption and satisfaction with their QMS solution.
• Time to Value: The QMS solution offers substantial out-of-the-box functionality, allowing for quick and easy deployment. The software supports rapid scalability and can be deployed as a SaaS solution. Moreover, QMS software companies must boast comprehensive integration capabilities, ensuring seamless operation within existing systems.
• Partnerships: The QMS software vendor works extensively with System Integrators (SIs) and market partners, enhancing the overall solution offering. The vendor has notable AI-focused partnerships, which further strengthen the capabilities of the QMS solution.
• Support for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs): The QMS solution is designed to effectively support smaller-scale manufacturers, ensuring that companies of all sizes can benefit from its robust features and functionalities.
• Regulatory and Standards Compliance: The QMS software helps manufacturers efficiently meet their specific market’s regulatory and compliance requirements. It provides comprehensive coverage to meet standards across different countries, ensuring global regulatory compliance for users.

Vendors That Best Support Quality Management System Software Implementation

The companies that excel the most at supporting manufacturers’ implementation of QMS solutions are Siemens, ETQ, and PTC.

Implementation Leader: Siemens

Siemens’ QMS software secured the top ranking for implementation criteria, thanks to its extensive customer base and deployment expertise. Siemens leverages its deep knowledge in both Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) with Teamcenter and QMS solutions with Opcenter, delivering swift time to value and robust scaling capabilities.

The flexibility and integration of both Teamcenter and Opcenter QMS software are underpinned by Siemens’ Xcelerator portfolio, enabling manufacturers to seamlessly integrate and advance their digital maturity for quality management. Additionally, Siemens’ vast partnership network across implementation and technology vendors solidified its position as the top scorer.

Runner-Up: ETQ

ETQ’s QMS software took second place in implementation criteria with its extensive range of out-of-the-box applications that can be easily configured to meet customer requirements rapidly. The platform's agile and adaptable design enables manufacturers to scale deployments effortlessly and align global quality processes.

ETQ's strong partnership network, supported by Hexagon’s comprehensive solution portfolio, further enhances the implementation capabilities of its QMS solutions. ETQ narrowly missed the top spot due to a slightly less competitive partnership network than Siemens.

Third Place: PTC

PTC’s QMS software achieved third place for implementation, offering comprehensive integration capabilities that facilitate easy and rapid scaling of deployments. These capabilities are further enhanced by Arena’s customer success organization. The QMS solution scored very highly for supporting SME manufacturers, thanks to Arena’s diverse pricing packages and extensive deployment support. Despite its strengths, PTC did not rank in the top two due to a relatively weaker partnership network and a lower customer base and deployment experience score.

Get the Complete Ranking

ABI Research’s Quality Management System (QMS) Software competitive ranking provides a more thorough comparison of the top QMS solution providers to help manufacturers like you differentiate the various options on the marketplace. Download the assessment today.