PROSPER-TECH: Supporting Ongoing QMS Maintenance With Auditor Training
In 2019, as we were working towards fulfilling part of our strategic growth plan of entering the aerospace industry, we knew a barrier to entry was not having AS9100 certification. We were ISO 9000 certified, yet after attending several B2B events we soon realized no big companies would even talk to us without it. As part of our certification preparedness plan, we had to have a certified internal auditor on-site. We had previously worked with The Center when we were becoming NIST 800-171 compliant, so I looked on their website to see if they had an AS9100 Internal Auditor training class. I saw they offered classes and because of the confidence I had in them, I signed up. Andy Nichols did a fantastic job teaching the class I attended and the follow-up he also provided was very helpful. I reached out to him many times after the class for his advice while I was preparing for our external audit. I frequently say to our staff, we did not just implement a QMS to get a certificate on the wall – we did it for us, to make us better at what we do!
Ironically, within weeks of our final external audit, we had a phone call with a potential space customer. Their very first question was, ‘Are you AS9100 certified?’ It felt great to say, ‘Yes we are!’ Since that call, their production opportunities have justified a capital investment of a CNC lathe which was a double bonus for us, since we were able to add a new capability which also satisfied part of our strategic growth plan.
-- Heidi Devroy, Owner and CEO
Prosper-Tech Machine & Tool LLC (www.prosper-tech.net) was founded in 2007 with the mission of providing expert customized service to those with precision machining and plastic injection tooling needs. Prosper-Tech is a certified woman-owned business, offering a variety of services including general machining, production CNC mill and lathe machining, CNC EDM machining, plastic injection tooling and laser part engraving to clients in the medical, defense, aerospace and automotive industries. Prosper-Tech’s experience, quality of products, willingness to provide solutions to customers and commitment to teaching the trade are what sets them apart. They are located in Richmond, Mich., at the northern tip of Macomb County and employ 12.
Challenge
Prosper-Tech’s leadership team understands the importance of developing, documenting, training and auditing the best use of their people, equipment and resources. As part of this, Prosper-Tech’s owner and CEO, Heidi Devroy, identified a strategic benefit in completing AS9100D Internal Auditor training to help continuously maintain the integrity of their Quality Management System (QMS).
Solution
In the past, Prosper-Tech completed cybersecurity mentoring with the Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center (The Center) to reach compliance with the requirements of the Department of Defense NIST 800-171 cyber standard, subsequently earning additional government contracts. Following this success, they returned to The Center for training in internal auditing.
Through The Center’s three-day, interactive AS9100D Internal Auditor course, Heidi learned key tools on how to assess and report on conformance and contribute to the continual improvement of their QMS. As explained by Heidi herself, “I reached out to The Center many times after the class for advice while I was preparing for our external audit. I wanted to dig deep into the process myself. I wanted more than just a certificate on the wall; I wanted to ‘up our game’ and create a system that did just that.” Gaining these first-hand insights provided an invaluable advantage to Prosper-Tech, as receiving their AS9100D certification will help them earn new aerospace business going forward.
Results
- New Sales: $250,000
- Retained Sales: $60,000
- Capital Investment: $200,000
- Jobs Added: 2
- AS9100D Certification