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Industrial Case Study

Abrisa Glass & Coatings

Since 1980, Abrisa Glass & Coatings Worldwide has led the industry in providing Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) glass components and coatings. Abrisa manufactures flat glass, tubing and coatings for technical application in lighting, architecture and technology. Glasses are provided to companies such as Schott, Corning and OCLI. In 2000 the company moved to a new 100,000 square foot facility to increase overall production capacity. In 2002 Abrisa acquired USPG in Elgin, Illinois and combined both operations to become Abrisa USPG. Abrisa has 80 employees with annual sales of $10 Million.

“CMTC became a trusted hands-on partner. We
were able to keep key customers and grow our
business.”

Eric Selfridge
President

Issue/Needs
In order to succeed and maintain leadership in a growing market, Abrisa decided to implement a Quality Management System (QMS) that would allow the company to become more competitive and performance-driven. As an organization, Abrisa saw the need to implement a QMS because a number of their clients required ISO Certification. Achieving ISO Certification would allow Abrisa to maintain key customers and bid on new projects with potential customers who required ISO Certification.

Implementation Highlights
Beginning in April 2001, the CMTC and Abrisa project teams established the framework for achieving the new and updated quality management system known as the ISO 9000:2000 international standard. The tasks focused on; multi-level coordination and timely execution, project management planning, ISO Overview training, process and procedures development, management reviews, implementation and training on documented procedures, internal auditor training, registrar selection and an audit of readiness of the company to transition to the new quality management system. CMTC also assisted Abrisa in acquiring their ISO 9000:2000 registration, and to further monitor the system through periodic internal audits. The project ended in June of 2003.

Improvement Description
The successful collaboration between Abrisa and CMTC provided the necessary groundwork for Abrisa to effectively prepare for ISO 9000:2000 registration, which the company achieved in April 2003. The company saw immediate results in productivity and sales benefits that resulted from their commitment and effort towards maintaining their quality management system. Abrisa was able to retain sales because a number of their clients required Abrisa to attain ISO certification to remain a supplier.

Financial and Investment Impact
Achieving ISO certification helped the company increase its competitiveness and production performance. Customers requiring ISO certification remained with Abrisa and they retained $2M in sales.