Precision Products Inc. increased its annual sales by more than $3.5 million
after working with Georgia Manufacturing Extension Partnership.
DALTON, Ga. — Precision Products Inc. obtained a new quality management certification that has allowed the Northwest Georgia-based company to serve the aerospace industry, invest in its plant, and create jobs.
The certification — AS9100C — followed Precision Products’ work with the Georgia Manufacturing Extension Partnership (GaMEP), which helped the company create and continuously improve its quality management system.
A program of the Georgia Institute of Technology, GaMEP works with manufacturers across the state to help them reduce costs and increase growth.
AS9100C certification is part of a widely adopted and standardized quality management system for the aerospace sector.
Since the AS9100C certification, the company has increased annual sales by more than $3.5 million, invested in excess of $1.5 million in new equipment, and hired several new employees specific to the aerospace market to help meet the increased demand.
“The quality management system implementation process allowed us to work with Precision Products to help analyze and problem solve their daily operations, communication systems, and documentation efforts,” said Craig Cochran, a project manager at GaMEP, which has worked with Precision Products for the past 10 years.
The GaMEP was instrumental in Precision Products obtaining an earlier certification — ISO 9001 — which allowed the company to then pursue the AS9100C designation.
ISO 9001 is the international standard for quality management systems that helps organizations ensure they are in compliance with the needs of their customers while simultaneously adhering to statutory and regulatory requirements related to a given product or service.
That certification led to more opportunities for new customers in several different industries, including the aerospace sector for Precision Products.
The aerospace sector was a perfect business expansion target for Precision Products because the company’s core competencies of tight tolerances and exacting specifications are critical in aerospace.
However, the company soon realized some aerospace manufacturers require even more stringent controls depending on the types of parts being supplied. So, the company worked with GaMEP to pursue and obtain AS9100C certification.
“This additional certification opened up an entirely new market for us,” said E. Don Smith, Precision Products’ senior sales engineer. “It has increased our business substantially because it has allowed us to attend trade shows and get new customers we would not have been able to serve prior to the certification.”
Since the company had already adopted a mindset of continual improvement and employee involvement, “the aerospace certification was remarkably easy,” Cochran said. “Precision Products holds itself to much higher standards than any auditor would.”
About the Georgia Manufacturing Extension Partnership (GaMEP)
The Georgia Manufacturing Extension Partnership (GaMEP) is an economic development program of the Enterprise Innovation Institute at the Georgia Institute of Technology. The GaMEP is a member of the National MEP network supported by the National Institute of Standards and Technology. With offices in 10 regions across the state, the GaMEP has been serving Georgia manufacturers since 1960. It offers a solution-based approach to manufacturers through coaching and education designed to increase top-line growth and reduce bottom-line cost. For more information, please visit gamep.org.
About Precision Parts Inc.
Founded in 1993, as a family/woman-owned business in Dalton, Georgia, Precision Products Inc., is a high precision parts manufacturing company. They make parts to order, either based on provided specifications or through reverse engineering, to support manufacturing operations in a variety of industries. For more information, please visit ppiparts.com.