There are many reasons a company would want to be ISO/TS 16949 certified. ISO is the acronym for the International Standards Organization, which is a non-governmental, independent organization. The ISO publishes standards which lets consumers know they are getting the best products, services, and systems. The ISO also facilitates international trade, with consumers in all countries understanding they will get the best in quality and efficiently produced products, all while being made within specific safety standards. ISO certification is completely voluntary but has gained widely in popularity.
To date, the ISO has published over 21,000 standards in a variety of industries: from food safety to technology to agriculture and everything in between. ISO/TS 16949 is a technical specification which was developed to help aid with quality management systems. It allows for continuing improvement, while addressing defect prevention with the reduction of waste along the automotive industry supply chain. It is based on the ISO 9001 standard, and is a valuable certification to obtain if a company is looking to work with automobile manufacturers.
ISO/TS 16949 was drafted by the International Automotive Task Force (IATF) along with a technical committee made up of ISO members. This technical specification was designed to bring about regulations that are country specific when dealing with quality management systems. The ISO/TS 16949 certification is valid for three years.
As a custom manufacturer of rubber extrusions, plastic extrusions, and rubber moldings, Universal Polymer and Rubber understands the importance of being ISO/TS 16949 certified. Not only does being certified streamline the manufacturing process, but it ensures any risks or problems are addressed during the process. A benefit of this is that customers are able to have a higher rate of satisfaction by knowing they are getting a quality produced piece that was manufactured using the best methods of safety and efficiency. By using more efficient processes, which translates into a lower cost for production, which in the end saves our customer’s money. For more information on the services we can offer you contact us.
Since the recession years of the late 2000s, the manufacturing industry in the US has been working to rebound. In 2016, there are mixed signals and confusion over how the manufacturing industry is doing. Articles and reports are coming out on a regular basis, talking about how this specific market is up, while another is down and even others that are staying flat. Many of the stories seem to be written with a positive spin to show only positive numbers, looking for anyway to portray that manufacturing is as strong as it’s been in years. At Universal Polymer we work with customers in a number of markets, and have seen firsthand the differences in the health of these markets.
A recent report from the Federal Reserve said that factory production dropped 0.4 percent in August, after an increase of 0.4 percent in July. From a year ago factory output is also down 0.4 percent. This after multiple reports showing strong gains in June and July this year that seemed to signal that the manufacturing industry was beginning to turn a corner. Industrial output which includes areas like mines and utilities also dropped 0.4 percent. U.S utility output fell 1.4 percent in August after 2 consecutive months of strong gains that reflected the seasonal use of air conditioning during the hot summer weather. Mining production actually rose 1 percent, and is on a trend of increases after a long period of declines, but yet is still 9.3 percent lower than a year ago.
All of the numbers that come out in these reports seem to show that overall the industry is staying flat. Headlines saying that manufacturing output stumbled or is slumping are using the most minimal changes in output to determine that. Reporting every month does not give a truly accurate picture of the trends that are occurring in manufacturing if the difference is only 0.4 percent. In a previous blog this year we explored how auto sales have been reported to be growing at the fastest pace since 2000 this year, while production numbers have been low and manufacturers have been facing scandals. This is just another example of the mixed signals over the overall health of the auto industry, which may be considered strong or weak depending on the report you read that week.
At Universal Polymer we work with many different markets and industries and see the challenges that each is facing in today’s economy. We work with our customers to find solutions to their rubber and plastic extrusions and rubber molding needs and are the only manufacturer of the world famous Gold Line Tarp Straps. In an industry where the health and outlook seems to change every month, we are consistent in our desire to tackle new challenges and provide answers to our customer’s questions.
This year in March, Universal Polymer & Rubber attended both The Precast Show in Nashville, TN and the Mid America Truck Show in Louisville, KY. Both of these shows were great opportunities to network with potential clients and business partners, and to view the latest trends in the industry. Attendance was high for both shows with the crowd being a combination of end users and business-to-business suppliers.
The 45th annual Mid-America Trucking Show was a successful event with over 70,000 attendees and over 1,100 exhibitors. The show was competing against a major auto show occurring in Germany at the same time, and many large companies were protesting the show due to this conflict in dates. With these larger companies missing, the show was more spread out than usual with trailer spacers further apart than normal, causing more back and forth travel to be able to see everything. With a large number of truck drivers attending this show, there was also a large amount of foot traffic, which while beneficial in helping to promote to a larger amount of people, also did not lead to huge purchases and orders since truck drivers would be buying products on a smaller scale. All things considered this show was a great opportunity to see the latest innovations and the newest technology in the heavy-duty trucking industry.
The 2016 Precast Show was a great event hosted by the National Precast Concrete Association. With over 300 companies exhibiting, including Universal Polymer & Rubber, the leaders in the precast concrete industry were able to show off the latest innovations. Events included a crane operator certification update, a women in precast reception, and the Honky-Tonk Hoedown at the Wildhorse Saloon on Saturday night. Awards were also given out including the Pinnacle Award, Plant Certification Awards, Sustainability Awards and Creative Use of Precast Awards. Overall the show was a great opportunity for Universal Polymer to interact with many new potential business partners.
The next show we will be attending is WEFTEC 2016 from Sept. 24-28. For more information on the tradeshows and events we will be attending and exhibiting at next, be sure to follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.
The automotive industry in America is huge, with more people traveling by car than any other mode of transport. In 2016, automotive sales are growing at the fastest pace since 2000. Most companies are beating their sales expectations and automakers posted a 6.9% sales increase in February, compared with a year earlier. While these numbers are positive, they are not sharing the full story on the state of the American automotive industry.
While sales numbers are up, North American production is only up 4% on the year. Production is being supplemented by imports coming in from Europe and Japan. This hurts the idea that an increase in sales means an increase in the production of vehicles by American automotive companies. Also contributing to the high sales numbers are the large number of SUVs that are being purchased as opposed to smaller sedans. SUVs are hugely profitable for automotive companies compared to smaller sedans. Sales numbers are also up in 2016 due to lower price of gas. As gas prices keep dropping across the nation, automobiles become more affordable for the average American, but this could change if gas prices begin to rise again.
Though the numbers for automobile sales have been positive in 2016, there have also been a few news stories that have the potential to tarnish this good news. Volkswagen is still dealing with the fallout of its diesel emissions scandal, and other diesel car companies are having their emissions numbers scrutinized as well. Testing is becoming stricter as the European Commission works to make sure small diesel car models are not producing more pollution than allowed. Also, Fiat Chrysler is facing a lawsuit from auto dealerships alleging that its U.S. unit was offering money to falsify sales. These stories are contributing to the idea that those American automobile sales may not be as healthy as they look.
As a manufacturer of rubber molded parts, rubber extruded parts and plastic extruded parts, UP&R works with many different industries including the automotive industry. Take a look at our website for all our products and services.
At Universal Polymer and Rubber, we are guardedly optimistic about the upcoming New Year. As the company surveys the business landscape for 2014, there are definitely some positive macro-economic trends that point to continued business and growth.
In particular, automotive production is trending upward to a likely production level of 16.5 million. This is great news for our rubber molding and rubber and plastics extrusion operations.
Another trend we are seeing is in new housing starts. Although still at historically low levels, each year over the past several there has been a trend upward. An increase in the construction of new homes is important for our company with our pipe gasket products. New housing requires additional infrastructure for the new and improving neighborhoods where the new homes are being built. This is all good news for the coming year.
In addition, this increase in construction as well as automotive production means that there will be more hauling of large products to and from factories. These require strong strapping equipment to keep products stable during transportation. We see an increase demand for our rubber strapping products such as our tarp straps and rubber tie downs. Moving into the New Year, the company will also continue to look at strategic acquisitions in the Northeast Ohio area.
It is always important to be optimistic for a new calendar year. We remain so and look forward to reporting on our successes throughout 2014. Happy New Year!
A few weeks back we achieved TS16949 Certification from the Automotive Industry Action Group (AIAG). This certification is a standard recognized the world over. Here’s how AIAG defines it:
The goal of this technical specification is to develop a quality management system that provides for continual improvement, emphasizing defect prevention and reduction of variation and waste with in the supply chain.
Earning the certification meant going through a rigorous 4 day audit. If you’d walked into UP&R in the days and weeks leading up to the audit, you’d have been treated to an atmosphere akin to lawyers preparing for an important case. That preparation didn’t find us inventing new processes, but rather getting all of our notes in order. At any moment, we had to be ready for an auditor to ask us to produce our training matrix, or point to a worker and ask about their training record.
Though this is an automotive certification, the standards required benefit all of UP&R’s customers. In order to become TS19649 certified, we had to prove that we have a thorough predictive and preventative maintenance program in place in order to ensure minimal downtime. And as we mentioned, we had to provide detailed documentation of our training program. A comprehensive training program guarantees that all of our employees are working in an optimal manner.
Taken together, the TS16949 Certification is evidence of our commitment to being an efficient business, and providing the very best for our customers. We’re proud to have achieved this certification, and we’re excited to carry out the last stipulation: working towards continual improvement, so that we are always providing the best service possible.
