ISO Certification Secures and Expands Manufacturer’s Customer Base

BACKGROUND:

Paterson, New Jersey, Crown Roll Leaf, Inc. produces over 60 million linear feet of finished foil products each month and ships them 7 days a week from its 150,000 sq. ft. headquarters. The company’s unique products defeat forgers with its breakthrough advances in multi-level ID security technology. The Crown Roll Leaf’s quality assurance programs have built a reputation for consistent, reliable decorative materials, security devices and value-added products. The company which has a customer base from 50 countries employs over 200 people in what is the largest foil manufacturing facility in the United States.

CHALLENGE:

Many of Crown Roll Leaf, Inc. customers were asking the company to become ISO 9001* certified. Without certification, management anticipated a decline in sales which would result in reducing its workforce. Having an ISO 9001 system in place would provide its customers with the assurance that its products meet the highest standards.

Faced with this challenge Butch Florentino, Quality Control Manager of Crown Roll Leaf, contacted New Jersey Manufacturing Extension Program, Inc. (NJMEP)through its website to schedule an appointment regarding ISO certification service.

SOLUTION:

NJMEP met with the company to discuss Crown Roll Leaf’s needs then prepared a plan to train 10 employees in ISO Quality System/ ISO 9001 and 30 employees in understanding the system. These employees would be responsible for implementing and overseeing the company’s quality system throughout the organization. To help reduce training costs, NJMEP recommended applying for a Skills4Jersey grant as the company met the criteria for qualifying.

With NJMEP assistance Crown Roll Leaf completed the grant application and submitted it. Once notification of the award was received, training began and one year later at the close of the grant NJMEP and Crown Roll Leaf began phase two of the implementation process.

Crown Roll Leaf is able to ensure its customers that its manufacturing practices meet their quality requirements and is now able to go after new business that had not been available to them because of lack of certification. The ISO 9001 training helped Crown Roll Leaf put in place the proper procedures so each employee has a detailed understanding of the way the company manufactures and operates. In addition, Crown Roll Leaf, Inc.:

• Developed a quality manual for long term success
• Retained employees that could have been let go
• Hired 18 new employees at the close of the training grant

RESULTS:

When completing the third party NIST survey at the close of the two ISO projects Crown Roll Leaf reported:

• Increased Sales of $500,000
• Achieving an overall cost savings of $130,000
• Invested $46,601 in training
• Saved $22,000 in training costs as a result of the Skills4Jersey investment in the company
• Matched $24,600 in as part of the Skills for Jersey grant requirements

When completing the NJDOL grant close-out report, Crown Roll Leaf’s Gene Schnaidt reported, ‘‘We were extremely pleased with NJMEP and the service we received during the ISO training. We found their expertise to be invaluable during the challenging ISO certification.’’

NJMEP’s Main Service Areas:  

• Business Development Services
• Contingency and Emergency Planning
• Destination Innovation
• Energy Alliance Program
• ExporTech™
• Human Resources Solutions
• Lean Business Solutions
• Quality Management Systems & ISO
• R&D Tax Credits
• Six Sigma
• Supply Chain, Transportation and Logistics Services