AS9100 – ISO9001 Quality Management Systems Certified Fabricator & Distributor

“The only thing that is supposed to come back is our customer”

I recently read that more than 32,000 companies Quality Management Systems are certified to the IS0-9001 certification.  Of the more than 32,000 companies, United Seal & Rubber would be included within that list.  Taking the ISO9001 certification to the next level, and only about 1/3 as many companies Quality Management System have achieved the AS9100 certification as well.  Again, United Seal & Rubber is included on that list.  So, what does all of this IS0-9001 and AS9100 certification talk mean to you, our customers or potential customer?

We have a sign in our plant that states, “The only thing that is supposed to come back is the customer”.  This sign states what our goal is; a desire for repeat business and zero rejections.  We are committed to exceed our customer’s expectation and strive for zero returns.  We have less than 30 employees, yet we have 3 that are full time employees in our quality department.  We believe that quality isn’t just the job of our quality department employees but it is everyone’s job.  An example of this is when we hired an outside vendor to provide APQP, PPAP, FMEA, SPC and MSA training; we didn’t just have representative of the quality department go through the training…  We had our operations manager and representatives from sales go through the training.  Including myself…

When AS9100 certification is mentioned, most people think gaskets and seals for the aerospace, military or defense markets.  However, the additions to the ISO9001 standard will benefit all of our customers, regardless of the industry.  In addition to the ISO9001 standards, this is the difference in the two:

• 1.0 Scope – includes a reference that the standard includes ISO9001 requirements.
• 2.0  Normative References – Same.
• 3.0 Terms & Definitions – Additional definitions are included with the AS9100 standard.
• 4.0 Quality Management System – Reference to statutory and regulatory requirements.
• 4.2 Document Requirements
• 4.2.1 General – Organization’s personnel are aware & have access to QMS documentation & changes.
• 4.2.4 Control of Records – Additional reference to suppliers.
• 5.0 Management Responsibility
• 5.2 Customer Focus – Additional reference to on-time delivery.

At United Seal and Rubber, we work with many of the top primes in the aerospace – military markets.  We take pride in our commitment to deliver quality product to the companies in this industry.  However, we do take the same pride and follow the same quality processes when working with our customer outside of the aerospace – military industry.  So whether our customer is aerospace or general industrial, we have the same quality focus for both.

An additional benefit of working with a company like United Seal & Rubber Company is the suppliers that we have aligned ourselves with are quality focused as well.  Names like Parker Seal (recently changed to Parker Engineered Material Group), Parker Chomerics and other recognizable brands in the industry.  Just like United Seal & Rubber, many of our suppliers Quality Management Systems are also ISO9001 and AS9100 certified.  In addition to those two certification, we work with suppliers who’s Quality Management Systems have TS16949 certification.   This creates a win-win situation for our customers and provides additional piece of mind.

Finally, not only do we have systems in place to continuously improve our processes but we are focused on other areas of improvement.  Recently, we adopted a 5S program that has help everyone sort, set in order, shine, standardize and sustain their work areas.  Everyone from our machine operators to our office personnel practiced the 5S and have taken great pride in the principles of 5S.  Again, it goes back to quality is everyone’s job.  In closing, if you are looking for a quality gasket and/or seal supplier, give us a try.

Our sample area after 5S…