ISO Training Prepares Gear Manufacturer for Certification and Bolsters Its Bottom Line

BACKGROUND:

State Tool Gear Company, Inc. (STG), which is located in Newark, New Jersey is a small family-owned enterprise that was founded in 1962 by Philip Insabella. Over the years, he established a reputation for providing excellence in precision parts and dependable service. The company, which provides on-the-premises training for their 14 employees, is now run by his son, Michael and daughter, Camille. Quality gears and dependable service, along with fast turnaround, and delivery for rush repairs, has made STG a valuable supplier for its clients.

CHALLENGE:

Since clients’ needs and markets change State Tool Gear wanted to position itself to respond to these changes. ISO Certification would meet its clients changing needs and would enable the company to expand into new markets. They would be able to quote work that requires the manufacturer to be ISO certified.

SOLUTION:

NJMEP and STG have a long history so when Michael and Camille wanted to introduce ISO training they turned to a familiar resource. In addition to developing the training plan, NJMEP recommended and assisted STG in applying for a New Jersey Department of Labor training grant, Skills4Jersey. The grant was submitted, approved and the plan was put in place.

Over the course of one year, STG employees participated in the ISO certification training that included:

• ISO Management Overview Training
• Quality Policy & Objective Training
• Process Review Training
• Documentation & Records Control Training
• Quality Manual Development Update-1 Day
• Procedure Development & Implementation Training
• Internal Auditor Training
• Management Review & Workshop

STG employees now know the importance of quality procedures and proper quality documentation. They better understand that quality is the responsibility of all employees through the entire manufacturing process.

The training not only allowed STG to prepare for ISO Audits/certification, it initiated a new focus on quality as a process. Each of the STG employees now contribute to the growth of the company because they understand the ISO quality process and the impact it delivers to the company’s clients.

STG is currently preparing for its first internal audit. Once the certification process is complete, ISO 2001:2008 will ensure STG’s ability to be competitive and to quote work they were not able to prior to this investment by the State in the training.

RESULTS:

As a direct result of work with NJMEP STG:

• Saved $36,400 in training costs as a result of the NJDOL investment
• Invested $36,400 in workforce development as required by NJDOL investment
• Hired two new employees
• Increased Sales by $100,000
• Retained $100,000 in sales that were at risk
• Invested $13,000 in new processes

When asked about the project, Mr. Insabella replied, “Our work with NJMEP has been very successful. Their resources are topnotch and the guidance we’ve gotten from them has been invaluable. Achieving ISO Certification will position us to grow our business by both retaining our current clients, who we might have lost, and expanding into new markets. We couldn’t have done it without NJMEP’s assistance both in the training and securing the Skills4Jersey investment in our company.”

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