What Does it Take to Be an ISO Certified Machine Shop?
We’re thrilled to share that our Georgia machine shop recently underwent an ISO audit and received ZERO non-conformances!
Anyone working for an ISO certified manufacturing company knows how stressful audits can be—and how tough it is to make it through one without any marks against your shop.
But our auditor had nothing but praise for our facility, even using the term “seasoned programming” to describe how we run things here.
Truthfully, these results didn’t surprise us. At Arbiser Machine, we live what we call an “audit lifestyle,” meaning we come to work every day ready to be audited.
Why Is ISO Certification So Important?
Let’s quickly review what ISO certification entails and why it’s so important in the world of manufacturing.
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO), located in Geneva, Switzerland, holds all manufacturers to exacting quality requirements, no matter where they are located in the world. Only companies that meet these stringent specifications receive ISO 9001:2015 certification—and they must be able to pass ongoing audits to remain in full compliance.
Most high-stakes industries like medical, nuclear, and aerospace will only work with shops that are ISO certified. But even industries that don’t require ISO certification benefit from the mark of excellence that it promises.
What it Takes to Be an ISO Certified Machine Shop
Here’s what living an audit lifestyle means at our Georgia machine shop:
Process-driven and document controlled. We have pre-established processes in place that all employees are required to follow. Documenting and outlining each step of every task ensures that there’s a clear set of directives and leaves no room for questionable interpretation.
Consistency of results. Shops that aren’t process-driven have a hard time guaranteeing consistent results. Our processes allow us to produce consistently well-made parts for our customers.
Traceability. We keep every piece of documentation for a project and have been known to pull information from as far back as two decades. Tracing back to where a problem started helps us troubleshoot and permanently fix it.
Tooling inspection. We have our tooling inspected regularly to ensure validity and accuracy. Rather than self-certifying our quality equipment, we use third-party inspectors to certify to NIST standards.
Commitment to quality. We’re committed to quality every step of the way. No part leaves our Georgia machine shop unless it has been fully inspected to ensure that it meets all specifications.
Efficiency. Nobody in our shop ever wonders what comes next in a manufacturing process. Thanks to our process-driven workflows, we can anticipate needs before they arise. This foresight helps us work faster and more efficiently.
Safety nets. We check customers’ processes to make sure they’re working with the latest revision of a machined part. Our team reviews each purchase order for errors and confirms that all items, quantities, and costs are accurate.
Preventative action. Preemptive maintenance is built into our ISO processes, as well as our programming. We make sure machines never break down due to negligence so we can execute on our quoted lead times.
Proactively anticipating customer needs. Through ongoing due diligence known in the ISO world as “management review,” we regularly evaluate every aspect of our business, including individual jobs. This practice helps us anticipate and prevent any potential roadblocks or bottlenecks.
At the end of the day, our audit lifestyle demonstrates that we’re a machine shop customers can trust. We do what we say we’re going to do—and we can prove it. We made over 60,000 parts last year. Over 99.5% of those parts were perfect!
Do we need to say more? If you want excellent parts, come to a shop that practices excellence day in and day out. Request a quote!