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TRA Certification - ISO 9000, TL 9000 and ISO 14001
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		*News* Dec-O-Art Achieves ISO9001 Latest Certification for T.M. Morris Manufacturing Alliance Provides Korean Reach Conquering Telecommunications Showing Its Colors (Elkhart Brass) Helping Steer Bishop to Success Monopanel Proves Their History of Quality
		Dec-O-Art Achieves ISO9001: 2000 Certification 25 February 2002, Elkhart, Indiana In a presentation this afternoon, employees of Dec-O-Art Inc. joined in celebrating their ISO9001 certification. John Mitchell, one of the lead auditors for TRA Certification, was on hand to congratulate the staff and present the certificate. Dec-O-Art is actually one of the first local companies to be audited to the latest standard, specifically the ISO9001:2000. Previously, companies were held to the 1994 standard. Founded in 1971, Dec-O-Art has become a leading provider of custom marking products for regional industry. Products include graphic overlays, decals, logo markings, control panels, faceplates, and polymer capping. Their standard inventory includes over one million safety labels for the recreational vehicle, manufactured housing, and utility trailer industries. Dec-O-Art came into the ISO certification process already well prepared with it’s own internal quality management system. “We have always focused on continuous improvement,” explains Dec-O-Art president, Tony Dosmann. “We had structured work processes. We did have to do some rewriting and pull our evidence together, but most of the system was already in place.” Tony went on to explains the firm’s motivation in seeking this registration: “In part we were responding to the demands of our customers and ISO seemed the most expedient way to meet their demands. We also realize that there is a potential loss of business without this recognition. In addition, for new customers, the certification helps speed up the vendor qualification process.” Carl Dosmann, project manager at Dec-O-Art for the ISO Registration explains the process. “The entire process came together fairly smoothly, taking about 7 months in all. We contacted TRA through a personal contact there last July. Then we contacted Gary (of Gary A. Murray Business Consultants) who guided and pushed us through the process. He performed a GAP analysis and prepared us well for the initial and final audits. We knew what to expect and, as a result, there were no surprises.” “First and foremost, we’d recommend Gary to others seeking certification,” says Tony. “But the staff at TRA was also very helpful and knowledgeable—from Linda Trotter on the phone to Joel Pecoraro and John Mitchell during the audit. I wouldn’t hesitate in recommending TRA Certification.” John Mitchell (center), of TRA Certification, presents the ISO9001 certificate to Dec-O-Art President, Tony Dosmann (left). Carl Dosmann (right) was the company’s management contact for the ISO project. For further information about Dec-O-Art telephone 574-294-6451 or fax 577-295-6534
		T.M. Morris Adds to Certification Prowess 7 February 2002, Logansport, Indiana T.M. Morris Manufacturing Inc. recently completed another step in it's journey toward total quality system management. With the assistance of TRA Certification, T.M. Morris has just achieved certification to the ISO/IEC 17025:1999 standard. This standard is specifically designed for the testing of electrical and mechanical assemblies. For almost 30 years T.M. Morris Manufacturing has been a leader in the design and production of reliably-engineered and manufactured custom wiring systems for leading U.S. automakers, appliance manufacturers and electronics firms. This latest certification is actually the latest step in an aggressive plan. Previously, T.M. Morris had received QS9000 certifications in response to the demand of one of its primary markets, the automotive industry. Now that the latest goal has been achieved, the folks at T.M. Morris are setting their sites toward ISO 14000 registration. Gary Brandt, Management Rep at T.M. Morris praises the staff at TRA: "They've bent over backwards to help in this latest lab certification. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them to other companies seeking registration services." Bob Hayes (center), Lab Manger at T.M. Morris, receives a certificate signifying compliance with the ISO/IEC 17025:1999 standard from Rob Podawitz (right), Marketing Director at TRA-CD as Gary Brandt, T.M. Morris' Management Rep looks on. For further information about T.M. Morris Manufacturing Company, contact them via e-mail: info@tmmorrismfg.com or call 1-800-451-9577.
		Alliance Provides Korean Reach 2 January 2002, Elkhart, Indiana & Seoul, South Korea TRA Certification (TRA-CD) announced today the formation of TRA Korea, Ltd. (TRAK) making quality system registration services of TRA-CD available in Korea through an alliance with a Korean firm. In response to inquiries from firms in Korea, TRA-CD began to explore partnership possibilities in mid-2001. Korean firms were being lured by the appeal of increased export sales through partnership with established U.S. firms. However, as the inquiries came in, TRA-CD personnel approached the possibilities carefully. “Our philosophical approach to the registration process is one that is quite distinct from our larger competitors,” says John Mitchell, TRA-CD’s lead auditor. “We focus on service to the client. We look for positive attributes of their system. We note, of course, the non-conformances but we’re not on a "witch hunt." Our goal is to establish a mutually beneficial working relationship with the client.” “Therefore,” Mitchell continues, “we set out to find a Korean company which was both competent and compatible with our approach.” Near the end of October 2001, TRA-CD President, Thomas R. Arnold, signed an marketing alliance agreement to form TRAK. Then, the process of training the new firm’s personnel was undertaken. “We feel obligated to provide the training in the TRA Way,” explains Arnold. TRAK functions as a marketing partner for TRA-CD. It acts as an agent in soliciting certification contracts and identifying qualified local auditors. Meanwhile, the actual registration process is handled through TRA-CD corporate offices in the U.S. All relevant quality standards can now be certified through this alliance including, for example, ISO 9000, QS9000, ISO 14000, TL 9000, and others. TRA-CD is accredited by the Registrar Accreditation Board (RAB). TRAK is now fully functional and the first clients are being signed up. TRA-CD is confident that TRAK will provide a springboard into other international markets.
		TRA Certification Conquers Telecommunication Industry 20 November 2001 With a solid foundation in various ISO related standards and years of experience in various industries, TRA Certification (TRA-CD) announced today that it has registered it’s first client to the new 2000 3.0 edition of TL 9000 quality system standard. WireAmerica of Indiana, Inc. of Fort Wayne, Indiana achieved it certification on 20 November 2001. “This action represents a significant achievement for us,” says TRA-CD President, Thomas R. Arnold. “We have had our TL 9000 accreditation in place for some time and made the necessary investment in the personnel training. Now, that investment is beginning to pay off.” TL 9000 requirements were developed by the QuEST forum (The Quality Excellence for Suppliers of Telecommunications Leadership), comprised of leaders in the telecommunications field. The QuEST forum used ISO 9000 as a baseline and the requirements of existing industry standards and practices in developing the TL 9000 requirements. The development of sector-specific requirements for hardware, software and services quality system and metrics requirements is an essential part of TL 9000. The standard applies to all suppliers of telecommunications hardware, software and services. WireAmerica specializes in providing value added supply chain management services that facilitate the timely production, distribution and deployment of technologies and services through the virtual supply chain.
		*Showing Its Colors* 26 June 2000, Elkhart, IN The scene outside the corporate offices of Elkhart Brass Manufacturing Company got a bit more colorful recently. The company took advantage of its recent ISO 9001 registration and the beautiful weather to start flying a new flag proclaiming its ISO success. Elkhart Brass designs, manufactures, and sells, fire fighting equipment as well as other brass and aluminum components. This venerable manufacturer has been "providing the best in fire fighting equipment for nearly 100 years." Continued product development and improvement along with its desire for ISO registration, demonstrate that Elkhart Brass is not stuck in the past however. Rusty Ashbaugh coordinated the registration process for the company. "We certainly had to jump through some hoops. But the experience with TRA Certification was both positive and productive." For more information about Elkhart Brass, check out their web site at www.elkhartbrass.com.
		*Helping Steer Bishop to Success* 12 May 2000, Indianapolis, Indiana With a motto of "We Steer Ideas to Success," Bishop Steering Technology, Inc. would seem to know how to navigate the paths to success in the transportation industry. And, indeed, their business has proven successful for many years. As proof, consider that Bishop technology is used in over 20% of all passenger vehicles produced globally each year. Recently, however, TRA Certification (TRA-CD) helped steer Bishop to even greater success by registering their quality system. As of May 12, Bishop joined the growing list of companies who sought out TRA-CD to certify that their quality system was up to world-class standards. TRA-CD issued Bishop a certificate signifying their compliance with ISO 9001 and QS-9000 standards. Bishop Steering Technology (a member of the Bishop Technology Group established in 1957 by Dr. Arthur E. Bishop) is a leading innovation company, marketing, supplying, and supporting leading edge steering technology worldwide. With offices servicing Europe, Asia-Pacific, North and South America, Bishop offers original equipment manufacturers and component suppliers integrated product and manufacturing solutions. Bishop competes in an ever-changing market where vehicle and component manufacturers continually strive to create more efficient, higher performance, and safer products, while reducing costs. Bishop steers to success by drawing on more than 40 year's experience and over 500 patents and patent applications worldwide. In particular, Bishop earned certification for the design and production of their variable ratio (VR) steering racks and their gauges. Originally developed by Bishop, VR technology allows the rack to mesh with the pinion at a variable pitch radius. Bishop VR technology achieves a high meshing quality with no geometric compromises. Bishop's Tammy Borden was the on-site contact throughout the certification process: "We've grown significantly in recent times and as we experienced that growth we realized that we needed a quality management system in place and the ISO 9000 & QS-9000 systems were certainly appropriate for our business." Asked whether she was pleased with TRA-CD services and whether she'd recommend TRA-CD to others, Tammy said, "Absolutely. They were very thorough and did not cut us any slack (and we wouldn't have wanted them to). At the same time, however, they were quite courteous. They went out of their way to put our staff at ease during a time when we might tend to be on edge. Overall they worked well with us and felt like part of our team." For more information on Bishop Steering Technology, visit their web site at www.bishopsteering.com.
		*Monopanel Proves Their History of Quality* 9 May 2000, West Allis, Wisconsin ISO 9002 registration became a reality for Monopanel Technologies, Inc. today. The Wisconsin firm manufactures custom membrane switches and switch assemblies as well as printed circuit boards for numerous applications including appliances and medical equipment. As a former division of Philips, Monopanel had, for many years, a good quality system in place with complete documentation. "Perhaps, too much documentation," explains Marty Hedrich, Monopanel's President. So why look at ISO? Marty continues: "It was market driven. We started investigating ISO certification some time ago, back in 1992. In more recent times, we were seeing negative market forces at work because we did not have ISO certification. In addition, going through the registration process was good for us internally. It gave us the chance to review our documentation, revise needed forms and work instructions, and eliminate many obsolete items." As Monopanel searched for a registrar they reviewed information packages from several third party agencies. TRA Certification stood out for two primary reasons. First, Mr. Hedrich and his key staff looked at the existing list of clients of various registrars and saw, in the TRA-CD list, similar classifications as their own in terms of industries served. Second, there was the proximity factor. TRA-CD is especially strong throughout the Midwest and Monopanel saw advantages in a registrar close to their own facility in Wisconsin as well as close to some of their key accounts in Indiana and Michigan. Mr. Hedrich went on to site the "non-adversarial" nature of the certification process. "TRA Certification was helpful and fast to point out areas where some minor adjustments were needed. Their representatives were congenial. And they talked to not only our professional staff but many operational folks as well." For more information on Monopanel Technology, visit their web site at www.monopanel.com.