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Quality Management Program Leads to Economic Impacts for Company
With the help of: Nebraska Manufacturing Extension Partnership (Nebraska MEP)
About
Natural Concrete Products (NCP) is an engineering and manufacturing company that produces durable and affordable building materials under the parent company, NCP Industries. NCP is a family-owned company operating out of Norfolk, Nebraska, with approximately 30 employees. They have been in operation since 2002, offering unique, cost-effective and easy-to-use hardscape products. These products enhance the living spaces of homes and includes patio pavers, fire pits, and stone siding.
The Challenge
After having discussions with the Nebraska MEP staff, NCP owners Ryan and Beau Colllison realized that they would need to develop better processes and a quality management program to help grow the company. Specifically, they wanted to examine and measure how these process improvements would be managed and the roles of management team members based on these improvements.
As a company, we knew we needed to improve our policies and processes in order to grow our business. With the right people in the right places and a partnership with the Nebraska MEP, we did just that. Every aspect of our business including manufacturing, clerical, management roles, and employee tasks was thoroughly redefined and reorganized with the help of the Nebraska MEP program and the assistance of Husker Quality Management Systems. As a group, we worked through the ISO certification process and made continuous improvements to not only our management system but our production procedures, quality, and safety standards. This process was eye-opening and incredibly helpful in laying out continuous plans for improvement and future growth as a company. We appreciate the programs and skilled expertise of the Nebraska MEP and look forward to working with the organization on future projects.
MEP's Role
The Nebraska MEP, part of the MEP National Network™, connected NCP with Husker Quality Management Systems (HQMS) who provides quality management and ISO services through the MEP. Dan Johnson of HQMS made approximately 6 visits to the facility in Norfolk to assist with setting up a quality management system.
First, HQMS went through the facility with the management team and helped them identify the areas that needed improvement, coached them in what the improvements should look like, and assisted in the creation of work instructions, flow charts and forms that would support ISO 9001:2015 compliance. In subsequent meetings HQMS and Nebraska MEP met with various management personnel and teams to assist them with projects that would contribute to the ISO certification, including the development of an approved suppliers’ list, establishing corrective actions and preventive systems, as well as assisting them in an internal audit, and preparing NCP for certification by an outside ISO audit firm.