In a client success story published on August 4, 2021, FloridaMakes, Florida's Manufacturing Extension Partnership center, described how it helped Custom Metal Designs prepare for ISO 9001:2015 certification. At the time, CMD had close to 60 employees in Oakland, Florida, serving national and international customers with container handling systems, custom conveyors, laser cutting, custom metal products and prototyping.
The work
FloridaMakes worked with CMD's management team to review its ISO 9001:2015 procedures and run internal audits to find gaps in the existing quality management system. CMD's team made the recommended improvements, updated its documentation and passed the ISO 9001:2015 audit within the required timeframe. The case study notes that the training also gave the team more discipline in following procedures and tracing problems to their root cause.
The results
- A new contract that added $1.8 million in annual revenue
- ISO 9001:2015 certification within one year
- Eligibility for more Department of Defense and OEM contracts
- More than 20 new positions, a 30% larger workforce in under 18 months
In the case study, Ray Aguerrevere, CMD's Vice President, credits the FloridaMakes training with shortening the team's learning curve on the standard. CMD has been ISO 9001:2015 certified since 2018.