At Minitab, we believe in following the best ideas—wherever they come from. That belief has shaped our journey for decades, and it’s what led us to Prolink: a company with deep roots in manufacturing quality and a reputation for excellence in automated data collection and statistical process control.
As we explored their technology and vision, we quickly realized this wasn’t just a partnership, it was a natural fit. Together, Minitab and Prolink offer a connected, end-to-end quality solution for manufacturers looking to drive transformation on the shop floor and beyond.
The first thing that caught our attention about Prolink was simple: they offer best-in-class automated data collection for inspection and measurement machines. And if you’ve ever worked in manufacturing, you know that collecting accurate data is the starting point for everything.
But Prolink doesn’t stop there. They also provide a modern, easy-to-use approach to statistical process control (SPC)—a cornerstone of any quality or continuous improvement program. From the moment we started looking under the hood, we saw how Prolink could help our customers solve key challenges and elevate their quality initiatives.
Prolink was founded over 40 years ago by Bruce Brigham and a small team of engineers, statisticians, and sales professionals while working at Pratt & Whitney. With approval from their employer, they launched the company slowly and steadily. Over the years, Bruce bought out the partners and built Prolink into a trusted name in shop floor quality tools.
Meanwhile, Minitab was growing into a leader in statistical software, gaining traction during the Six Sigma movement and expanding from academia into industry. So, when conversations between our teams and Jason Brigham, President of Prolink, began in 2024, both sides already had deep mutual respect.
One of the most exciting parts of this partnership is how complementary our solutions are.
Prolink specializes in getting clean, accurate measurement data off machines—without manual entry. One of their flagship products, SPC Office Pro, connects seamlessly to Minitab’s analytics tools. Soon, it will also connect to Minitab Real-Time SPC, delivering insights the moment measurements are taken.
For years, Prolink’s “Part to Chart” solution helped customers eliminate the tedious task of transferring data from equipment to spreadsheets to Minitab. What used to take hours now takes seconds—automating capability analyses, generating reports, and populating templates instantly.
This tight integration brings powerful benefits. While other providers might try to replace existing tools, Prolink and Minitab connect the dots—bringing out the best in both systems and delivering greater return on investment.
Prolink didn’t stop at data collection, they built SPC capabilities and even solved one of the biggest challenges in manufacturing: getting the right information to the right people. With QC Mobile, a browser-based visualization platform that is part of the Prolink SPC offering, engineers create dashboards, alerts, and reports, then deliver them in real time to shop floor teams, executives, or anyone who needs them. Sometimes, it’s as simple as scanning a QR code to view quality data for a specific cell or machine—right on your phone.
This producer-consumer model ensures everyone—from plant operators to managing directors—has access to live, relevant data. It's a key enabler for data-driven decision-making and helps bridge the gap between the factory floor and the boardroom.
The term “factory of the future” gets thrown around a lot—but we believe it’s built one step at a time. With Minitab and Prolink, companies can begin with automated data collection and grow into real-time analytics, predictive insights, and continuous improvement.
Whether you're checking for in-spec parts before shipping, analyzing root causes, or preparing plant-wide dashboards, our unified solutions scale with your needs. And most importantly, they’re designed to be accessible—not just for data scientists, but for quality teams and manufacturing leaders alike.
Beyond the technology, one of the things that made this partnership truly special is the cultural alignment. Both Minitab and Prolink are driven by innovation, customer success, and a relentless focus on improvement.
Since the integration began, our teams have spent time on site, in meetings, and on calls building strong relationships. We’ve even seen collaboration between Prolink and other Minitab acquisitions, like Simul8 in Scotland, where teams are exchanging insights and building a stronger ecosystem together.
As our CEO Jeff Slovin often says, “Software companies are all about people.” That’s why we’re so excited to welcome the Prolink team into the Minitab family. They bring not only incredible technology, but also decades of experience and a customer-first mindset that matches our own.
If you're a Prolink customer who hasn’t explored Minitab, or a Minitab customer unfamiliar with Prolink, now is the time to check it out. Together, we offer a complete quality toolkit—from data collection and automation to statistical analysis and real-time visualization.
In today’s manufacturing environment, every team is expected to reduce costs, eliminate waste, and improve output. That requires a smart, connected approach—and our joint solution delivers just that.
So whether you’re starting small or scaling globally, Minitab and Prolink are here to help you build better products, faster, with data that works as hard as you do.