Affordable group training coming to Rockford area to introduce quality concepts and tools

IMEC (Illinois Manufacturing Extension Center) is launching a new series on June 6th in northern Illinois for small and mid-sized manufacturers to learn about quality concepts fundamental to operations. This group training on quality essentials for manufacturers serves as a cost effective way to bring together several different areas, and specific topics, to address quality concerns under one project. The various courses will detail and demonstrate the fundamental Quality Management System concepts and principles enabling manufacturers to reap maximum benefits.

IMEC Colleague Mark Baer and I recently attended a three day training session in Kokomo, Indiana focused on Internal Auditing of ISO 50001, the Energy Management System standard.  The basic principles for auditing ISO 50001 are the same as for the ISO 9001 Quality Management System, and the ISO 50001 standard is structured similarly to ISO 9001.  The key difference for ISO 50001 is the requirement to measure and audit energy performance.

Energy savings and cost reductions are on the minds of many companies as they look to save money and the environment.  These companies are reaching out to third parties for support in implementing energy saving solutions but ISO 50001 is not a tool for simply reducing energy costs.  A key aspect of ISO 50001 is better management of energy consumption. 

Agility [uh-jil-i-tee] – the power of moving quickly and easily.

In business terms, being agile is being able to adapt efficiently and effectively to changes. Each time IMEC visits a manufacturer or provides a solution, the experience is different. We all adapt. We need to exercise business agility.

Recently, I began working with a manufacturer that was experiencing some significant quality problems. Their processes were individual and discrete. From what we observed, there were no characteristics that could be measured from which to adjust the process, no dwell time to adjust to bring their process into control. Statistical Process Control (SPC) seemed to be a viable option, but we wondered how we would adapt traditional SPC methods to a discrete process. Even if variable data was collected, no adjustments made would affect the next piece produced. How could we decide if the process was truly stable and in control?

Company

Dixon, IL

Employees

400

Last month, my colleague Karen Vecchio and I joined 45 other business women for a tour of the Eli’s Cheesecake Factory in Chicago.  The event was a part of TMA’s Women in Manufacturing series. 

Eli’s Cheesecake has been a Chicago institution since 1940.  It’s the only operational facility for the company, with over 200 skus covering a vast selection of cheesecakes, pies, and other desserts.   It became clear to me that the cheesecake business is more complex than one might imagine, and the company’s dedication to training and continuous improvement is a big reason why Eli’s is the internationally recognized brand that it is.

Crystal Lake’s Alpha Star Tool and Mold Gets International Certification

In a record five months, a family-owned Crystal Lake tool and mold maker obtained ISO 9001:2008 registration which will allow it to diversify its customer base and do business with major corporations.

Alpha Star Tool and Mold, Inc. is a manufacturer of high-end precision tooling and molds.  According to Vice President Matt Thurow, the business started by his parents in 1988 is a “well-oiled machine, highly respected in its industry.”  Like other small manufacturers fighting to adapt to the economic downturn, Alpha Star knew that building a diversified customer base, from consumer goods to laboratory equipment to aerospace and energy products, was essential.  To do this they needed the credibility only an ISO registration can bring.

Prioritized Growth Strategy Brings New Life to Southwestern Illinois Manufacturer

After losing two of its largest customers to off-shoring in 2004, times only got tougher for Roesch, Inc., a leading manufacturer of component parts for OEMs in the HVAC, white goods, fireplace and barbeque industries. Continued downward pressure on sales, increased material costs and reduced shop-floor productivity had the 95-year-old company struggling to define its identity and its future. Enter IMEC.

Roesch’s relationship with IMEC began in the late 1990s with a successful ISO registration and continued over the years with a variety of quality, information technology and workforce training initiatives. So when IMEC approached Executive Vice President Debbie Voges-Schneider with a proposal to help the company create a prioritized strategy for growth, she was receptive.

New standard will put Illinois manufacturers on the path to Energy Efficiency

Utilizing the Plan-Do-Check-Act process for continual improvement, the International Standards Organization (ISO) has officially introduced the ISO 50001 standard for enabling organizations to reduce energy consumption.  As part of a pilot demonstration project at a large Illinois manufacturing company, IMEC specialists have been directly involved in developing and testing the new standard.

Deadline to Register to Rev C Standard is July 1, 2012

According to the International Aerospace Quality Group’s (IAQG) timeline, manufacturers currently certified to the AS9100 Rev B standard must upgrade to the Rev C requirements by July 1, 2012.  After this date, the current Rev B standard will no longer be recognized.  AS9100 Rev C (AS9100:2009) incorporates the ISO9001:2008 changes, expanding the scope to include Aviation, Space, and Defense as well as land and sea based systems.

Here are a few of the key changes required under AS9100 Rev C (AS9100:2009):