IMEC Collaborates with East Moline Machine Shop to Establish a Quality Management System to Prepare for ISO 9001:2015 Certification

EAST MOLINE, Ill., July 23, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The team at Quad City Engineering, Co. (QCE) had been relying on tribal knowledge to run daily operations. Eventually, this resulted in additional time spent searching for documents and accomplishing daily tasks, missed business opportunities, and low productivity and customer satisfaction. Jeff Hagmeier, President/CEO, and his team knew it was time to re-evaluate their processes to see different results. They wanted to establish a Quality Management System (QMS) that could prepare the organization for ISO 9001:2015 certification. So, they reached out to their trusted partners at IMEC.

Solution

IMEC experts began the process with a gap analysis that revealed business areas that needed improvement to prior to a successful registration audit. To fill those gaps, they created a Quality Manual with supporting documents for policies, processes, and procedures that meets the requirements of ISO standards, including a process map for high level processes, a SWOT analysis update, a risk assessment, and an Internal Auditor Program and Auditor training to name a few.

In collaboration with QCE, IMEC developed and implemented a Management Review procedure that defined management review responsibilities. Periodically, Top Management would review and evaluate the QMS to ensure its continued effectiveness. The Internal Auditor Program and Auditor training prepared the QCE staff to be able to provide input to Management Reviews and functions as an instrument for continuous improvement with the QMS. The process continued with an IMEC-recommended Registrar, and continued support to resolve any non-conformances. QCE is now ISO certified and has established internal processes which have led to noticeable improvements in the organization of all documents in key areas in HR, Quality, Production, and Engineering.

"IMEC has been instrumental in helping QCE to achieve a higher level of operating success not only in this Quality Management System project, but also advising on other projects that connect our company to the right resources. Our team thanks Jeff Allspaugh & IMEC for their valued assistance!" Jeff Hagmeier, President/CEO - QCE

At first, Employees were hesitant to accept process changes, but quickly realized the benefits in how they approach work. "We have definitely seen an improvement in productivity and customer satisfaction," states Hagmeier. "99% of documented customer feedback has been very positive and has led to increased business from current customers, and we were able to attract several new customers."

As a result of new business growth, they have been fortunate to hire new employees and as such, have improved their onboarding process which has led to "better employee retention with high morale as we are more prepared to take on new challenges," said Hagmeier. "Without a doubt this project has led to improved morale, customer satisfaction and just good organization of our company."

Results

• Anticipated New Sales: $500,000
• Anticipated Cost Savings: $131,000
• Anticipated New Investments: $130,000
• Jobs created: 7
• Jobs retained: 18

About IMEC

IMEC is a team of improvement specialists and technicians dedicated to providing organizations in Illinois with the tools and techniques to create sustainable competitive futures. The experienced hands-on team at IMEC works closely with its clients to plan critical business improvements in the areas of Leadership, Strategy, Customer Engagement, Operations, and Workforce. IMEC, Illinois affiliate of the U.S Commerce NIST Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) National Network, has demonstrated a return on investment that exceeds 19:1. This is made possible as organizations become more effective and efficient - and together with IMEC - excel toward enterprise excellence. For more information, visit imec.org.

SOURCE IMEC

Related Links

https://www.imec.org/