Milwaukee Firm First in Certification

Milwaukee-based Wisconsin Steel and Tube Corp. became the first small manufacturer in the state to achieve ISO 9001:2000 registration. The company distributes tubular and bar steel used in the production of outboard motors, motorcycles and heavy equipment as well as provides value added manufacturing services to OEMs, machine shops and small companies.

"We see this as an investment in our future and a way to build our customer base," said company president Michael Poehlmann. The company contacted WMEP for assistance after realizing it didn't have the internal resources to go it
alone.

WMEP helped Wisconsin Steel and Tube's 56 employees form teams, learn to effectively organize their work, and implement consistency in their processes. Cost-savings measures were introduced that improved the company's ability to deliver a high quality product to customers. These cost saving measures have been especially important during the economic slowdown, when volume is down and cost control becomes even more crucial.

Communications within the company improved dramatically. "We also learned how important each job is ... sometimes we forget about the significance each and every individual plays in our daily work routine," said Poehlmann.

8 PRINCIPLES OF QUALITY MANAGEMENT

ISO 9001:2000 is a new approach to your business based on eight principles of quality management. They are:

Customer Focus
Leadership
Involvement of people
Process approach
System approach to management
Continual improvement
Factual approach to decision making
Mutually beneficially supplier relationships

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WMEP provides technical expertise and hands-on implementation assistance to small and midsize manufacturing firms on advanced manufacturing technologies and business practices includinglean manufacturing, ISO, value chain management, and strategic repositioning services for manufacturers and manufacturing facilities located in Wisconsin.