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Internal Audit Aides in Retained Sales for Metal Research, Inc.
With the help of: Alabama Technology Network (ATN)
About
Located in Guntersville, Alabama, Metal Research, Inc., is a machine shop in business since 1964. Metal Research, Inc, serves the aviation, space, defense, oil and gas industries. They have two facilities with 100,000 square feet of manufacturing space at both locations. The company offers customers 5-axis machining, CNC milling & turning, welding and fabrication services, and an inventory management system to better suit customer needs.
The Challenge
ATN, part of the MEP National Network™, first began working with Metal Research, Inc., because the company was preparing for certification to the AS9100 quality management system standard. They were pursing the AS9100 certification to better position themselves in the aviation, space and defense market. The company needed a gap assessment to ensure that they were meeting all the requirements of the standard and identify any areas that needed correcting before their certification audit. Following the gap assessment, Metal Research, Inc., did go on to successfully achieve their certification. As part of maintaining an AS9100 certification, the standard requires that companies perform internal audits. Metal Research, Inc., requested the assistance of ATN to perform their internal audit.
We recently had an excellent experience with our AS9100 internal auditor, Chris, who was both thorough and professional throughout the audit process. From the beginning, Chris demonstrated a deep understanding of the aerospace industry standards and our specific operational procedures. ATN provided clear guidance on areas where we were excelling and constructive feedback on opportunities for improvement. Their approach was collaborative, ensuring that our team felt comfortable discussing various aspects of our quality management system (QMS). Chris's ability to balance a rigorous evaluation with a positive, solution-oriented attitude made the process smooth and educational for everyone involved.
MEP's Role
ATN met with top management to outline a plan of delivery. Next, ATN assisted Metal Research, Inc. by performing an internal audit of their quality management system in accordance with AS9100 requirements. The audit pointed out deficiencies and included opportunities to make their processes better. Both quality and efficiency issues were discovered and discussed during the audit by ATN personnel. By maintaining their registration to AS 9100 through the internal audit, Metal Research, Inc., has been able to maintain current customer sales that require this certification and increase sales with other customers in the aviation, space, and defense industries. The AS9100D quality management system has allowed them to standardize their processes and enables them to quickly satisfy their customers’ needs.
Created October 16, 2024