When government customers wanted Penn Metal Fabricators, Inc., to meet higher quality control standards, the maker of custom sheet-metal products asked Catalyst Connection about ISO 9001 compliance.
As quality control engineer Matt Strait explains, “ISO 9001 is an international quality standard that basically conveys to our customers that we have a quality system in place that will ensure their product is consistently manufactured correctly. It requires making sure all of our i’s are dotted and our t’s are crossed. We have used Catalyst Connection over the last four years to get our quality system where it needs to be.”
Penn Metal’s government contracts require compliance with the ISO 9001 standard, but Matt’s company doesn’t export its products, so full ISO 9001 registration is unnecessary.
Matt praises Catalyst Connection and its consultants. He points out that many people who now work in manufacturing got their start in a culture that’s becoming almost unrecognizable. “There is no way for someone who grew up in a machine shop, or in a plant, to know about things such as lean manufacturing or quality control systems,” he says.
“Catalyst Connection has introduced a lot of things that we never thought of. They have brought a completely different perspective, based on their expanded knowledge of what is out there. I think that has been the most valuable thing they have done for us.”
One innovation involves Q-Pulse software, which Catalyst Connection recommended. “Our new quality control software puts all of our quality information in one place and stores it at our fingertips,” he says. “Our audits are much faster now. It is a great tool that streamlines our processes.”
“Catalyst Connection addresses our needs better. Where many consultants can give you by-the-book instructions, Catalyst Connection consultants seem to have the experience and knowledge to give a hands-on approach that works better. Plus they have done really well helping us implement the solutions, rather than just saying, ‘Here is a solution, figure out how to make it work for you.’ They help you make it work.”
In addition to satisfying ISO 9001 standards and increasing sales, Penn Metal has documented $300,000 in cost savings, and $10,000 in avoided investment, as results of the project.