Video: Control, Fulcrum's Modern Quality Management
Control: Improving Manufacturing Quality from Plan to Report
At Fulcrum, every new product starts with a simple question: does this meaningfully improve our customers’ businesses? Control, our new quality management product, is built around that principle. It is not compliance for the sake of compliance. It is about improving production, reducing friction, and driving measurable outcomes on the shop floor.
In a recent walkthrough, Alex Troesch, who leads product at Fulcrum, demonstrated how Control connects inspection planning, execution, and reporting into one continuous workflow.
Smarter Inspection Plans with Less Data Entry
The workflow begins in the quality plans section, where managers can see what requires inspection plans and drawing annotations. From there, users move into the bubbling interface.
Control minimizes manual data entry by using AI to assist with annotations. As users add bubbles and highlights to drawings, the system reads dimensions, tolerances, grid locations, and symbols in the background. It captures critical dimensions, flags first article requirements, and allows teams to define sampling plans and associate inspection points with downstream operations.
Feature control frames and drawing notes are also captured, ensuring nothing is missed and that required acknowledgments flow into reporting automatically.
A key capability in development is auto-bubbling. With one click, Control scans the drawing and identifies inspection points automatically. Over time, the system is designed to learn user preferences and mirror common bubbling patterns, further reducing setup time.
Seamless Execution on the Shop Floor
Once inspection plans are built, they translate directly to the shop floor or quality lab. Operators see required notes, sampling plans, and inspection checkpoints tied to the job.
Clicking a checkpoint zooms into the exact drawing location. As measurements are entered, the interface provides immediate visual feedback. In-tolerance values display clearly, while out-of-tolerance results are flagged instantly.
Every measurement includes traceability. The system records who performed the inspection, when it was completed, and which calibrated tool was used. Inspection data flows back to the job dashboard in real time, giving teams visibility without waiting for paperwork to catch up.
Built-In Reporting and Documentation
Control makes reporting a natural extension of the workflow. Inspection data collected during production can be used to generate formal reports, including the AS9102 First Article Inspection report.
Beyond individual forms, Fulcrum consolidates required documentation into a single packet. First article reports, certificates of compliance, and raw material certifications can all be combined for customer delivery. Whether shared digitally or printed, the documentation is complete and organized in one place.
Calibration and Full Traceability
Quality control depends on calibrated tools. Control includes a built-in tool database that tracks measurement devices, calibration frequency, last calibration date, and historical records.
Automated alerts notify teams when calibration is due. Tools are traceable back to the jobs where they were used, strengthening audit readiness and simplifying investigations when needed.
Just the Beginning
The walkthrough highlights a complete end-to-end quality workflow, from drawing annotation to final report. But this represents only the foundation of what Fulcrum plans to deliver in quality control.
The broader goal is clear: connect quality directly to production, eliminate redundant manual work, and ensure that compliance supports operational performance rather than slowing it down.
Control brings inspection planning, execution, traceability, and reporting into one connected system. And this is only the start.
Transcript
Introduction
Hi, I’m Alex and I lead product at Fulcrum. I’m excited to show you our new quality product. Before I jump in, a little background. Everything we build at Fulcrum is focused on functionality that actually improves our customers’ businesses. This product is no exception. It’s not compliance for the sake of compliance. We’re focused on improving production and driving positive outcomes.
In this demo, I’ll walk through creating quality plans, bubbling drawings, conducting inspections, and reviewing that data back on the job and in reporting. We’re just scratching the surface, but this gives a clear overview of the workflow.
Creating Quality Plans
We start in the quality plans section. Think of this as a to-do list for a quality manager—showing which jobs need inspection plans created and drawings bubbled.
From there, we move into the bubbling interface. Our goal is to minimize data entry while still creating accurate inspection plans. You can add bubbles, highlights, and annotations directly on the drawing. In the background, AI reads dimensions, tolerances, grid locations, and other details automatically.
You can flag critical dimensions, indicate first article requirements, define sampling plans, and associate inspection points with downstream operations. That association ensures the right person performs the right inspection at the right time.
We also support bubbling feature control frames and notes. Highlighting a note captures it so it can be included in reports and acknowledged downstream.
Auto-Bubbling and AI Enhancements
One major feature in development is auto-bubbling. With a single click, the system scans the drawing and attempts to identify inspection points automatically.
Over time, we plan to add more intelligence so the system can learn how you typically bubble drawings and replicate your preferred patterns, further reducing setup time.
Executing Inspections on the Shop Floor
Once the quality plan is set up, it translates directly to the shop floor or quality lab.
Operators see required notes and sampling plans as defined earlier. Clicking a checkpoint zooms into the exact location on the drawing. As measurements are entered, the system provides immediate visual feedback—green for in-tolerance and red for out-of-tolerance.
Traceability is built in. The system records who performed the inspection, when it was done, and which tool was used. Inspection data appears in real time on the job screen, where you can drill into details, export data, and review the full inspection history.
Reporting and Documentation
Reports can be generated directly from collected inspection data. Today, the system supports the AS9102 First Article Inspection report, with additional templates being added.
The necessary forms, including Form 3, are populated automatically using inspection data. Documentation such as certificates of compliance and material certifications can be consolidated into a single packet for customer delivery, whether shared digitally or printed.
Tool Calibration and Traceability
The system includes a built-in tool database for measurement devices. It tracks tool details, last calibration date, calibration frequency, and maintains a full history.
You’ll receive alerts when calibration is due, and tools can be traced back to the jobs where they were used.
Looking Ahead
That’s the end-to-end workflow—from creating inspection plans to generating final reports and managing calibration.
We’re just scratching the surface of what we plan to deliver in quality control, and there’s much more to come.
What's covered in this walkthrough:
Chapters
00:00 - Introduction to Fulcrum's focus on improving manufacturing quality
00:30 - Overview of the quality management demo and key workflow areas
0:57 - Creating and managing inspection plans with AI-assisted annotations
1:25 - Features of bubbled annotations and automating inspection steps
2:19 - Auto-bubbling capabilities and future AI enhancements
3:08 - Shop floor integration and real-time data visualization
3:37 - Role of traceability in inspections and tool management
4:06 - Connecting inspection data back to the job dashboard for analysis
4:36 - Generating reports, including the AS9102 First Article Inspection
5:03 - Combining inspection forms and documentation for customer delivery
5:29 - Tool calibration tracking and alert system
6:26 - Future plans for expanded quality control features
