Advanced Machine wins 2010 CEDC "Best Process Improvement" for Small Shops
Life has a way of getting busy and complicated. When you operate a business, you can triple that and still have it be an understatement. Advanced Machine, Mike, and Liz have had their hands full these past 6 months. It’s good to be challenged, but (and there is that proverbial “but”) it’s frustrating as well. I think what we are experiencing at Advanced Machine is growth, which is, by the way, the point of our endeavors. So why complain?
As prepared as we like to think we are for growth, it still catches us by surprise. It’s called a “Double Edged Sword”, cutting on both sides and leaving a significant mark on our 2010 Business Plan. The plan is, in theory, good, but suddenly it seems like I ought to rip it up and start over. More honestly, I would like to take a big red sharpie, cross through all the wording, and replace it with one big question mark. As in, how ? How does one get all these parts working together seamlessly and practically? That is, without tearing out one’s hair or turning into an incredible hulk. (Actually, turning into the Hulk might work!) All business operators out there know what I’m talking about. Hiring new employees, buying new equipment, shoring up operations to fit new business, and keeping the fiscal bottom line healthy and intact – it’s all part of the game. You just wish you weren’t always the coach. Ah well, someone once said (about many things, growth included) “it’s a problem you want to have.”
This brings me to the part of this blog where I stop complaining and start updating you, my readers. Thanks to Gaston College and Cardin Quality Training Associates, Advanced Machine completed its rigorous AS9100 training in March of this year. It was 12 months of studying that which I can only define as “the thing you most avoided in the first place.” Like calculus or physics (personally speaking). ISO (International Organization of Standards) makes absolute sense and I am convinced that sooner or later, certification will be required of all 2nd and third tier suppliers. ISO also forces you to look at every aspect of your operations in terms of delivering excellent product to your customer and being able to prove to them that’s exactly what you can do. For Advanced Machine, this has meant establishing new procedures, cleaning up the old, and documented them from A to Z. It all sounds so easy until you start doing it, and then it becomes increasingly more complicated.
One of the problems we encountered upon completion of training was the decision of which revision level of AS9100 we would actually certify to, B or C. Having completed our training in March for Revision C, we were anxious to get the ball rolling, hire a Registrar and set a Third Party Audit date. But one little problem exists. The Audit Checklist for Rev C has not been completed and, as of this date, not expected to be available until sometime in 2011. Notably, Advanced Machine would have been one of the first companies trained and certified to this revision, so the question became a serious one. B or C? Wait or go ahead? Ultimately we decided that with the training fresh in our minds and the processes in place and working, we would go ahead with Revision B. Naturally we are excited about certification and don’t want to put it off any longer, but also there is this: AS9100 certification will be new benchmark against which we will test our mettle. The pressure is on, but I’ve always believed that Advanced Machine performs well under the gun. Now is the time to find out. Our Third Party Audit is scheduled for mid-October, 2010.
I want to wrap up this blog with the biggest piece of news. All our hard work paid off on June 23, 2010 when Advanced Machine & Fabrication, Inc. was presented the 2010 Advanced Manufacturing “Best Process Improvement” award by Minds That Manufacture and the Centralina Economic Development Commission. The awards recognized excellence in manufacturing in three separate categories: Process Improvement, Innovation, and Green Process Improvement. Teams of judges who were experienced practitioners or subject matter experts were used in each of the categories. Each category was judged by a separate team of judges. Applications were reviewed for content using specific judging criteria. We prepared a slide presentation based upon this criteria, and I have to say – it is a lovely piece of work! Again, we can’t thank Gaston College and their team, Diane Metcalfe, Virgil Cox, Doug Bradley and Dr. Linda Greer for their support and enthusiasm in nominating our shop for this prestigious award. Another big thanks goes to Vail Carter and David Hollars of the Centralina Workforce Development Board, for without their support and funding, small shops like Advanced Machine would not easily find the resources to undergo large training endeavors such as AS9100. For all of you who labor long and hard over business, please do not overlook all state and local resources available. As we discovered, they are truly a champion for our success!
Please take a look at our award winning slide show presentation: minds that manufacture
