Wahlco, Inc.

Wahlco Inc. is a leading international provider of air pollution control equipment. Based in Santa Ana, California, the company employees 57 people and services the utilities industry. They are a pioneer of Sulpher Trioxide (SO3) Flue Gas Conditioning Systems and have supplied more than 600 of these systems internationally since established in 1972.

Challenge

International consumers expressed interest in Wahlco’s products, but preferred to do business with ISO 9001 certified companies. Wahlco strategically decided to obtain ISO registration by passing a certification audit conducted by a Registrar certified with the International Organization for Standardization that verifies a company has implemented an effective quality management system meeting the ISO 9001 standard requirements. The lack of being ISO 9001 certified affected Wahlco’s international marketability of service and product. Losing sales from these clients would make it difficult for the company to sustain its staffing levels.

Solution

Wahlco contacted CMTC in 2011 about ISO certification training. CMTC worked with the company for approximately 150 hours of ISO 9001 training and implementation assistance. CMTC helped the company in developing a Quality / Operations Manual and helped them prepare the documents necessary to achieve certification. The overall project guided the company to improve and sustain their quality management system by identifying opportunities for growth and setting a plan for improvements. Wahlco also received Internal Auditor Training to prepare them on how to perform internal reviews as well as “how to be audited” training. By January of 2012, Wahlco was able to meet the requirements for ISO 9001 compliance audits and third party certification. The company was able to invest in areas that would further support growth.

“CMTC helped us realize our strategic path to growth. They were instrumental in us achieving ISO 9001 certification, leading to an increase in sales and considerable growth."

- Mike Fujita
Vice President of Development & Technology

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