Helpful Tips
This Month's Topic: Maintaining High Quality
July 2004
What does "poor quality" mean to you? While most in the graphic arts industry will define it as a deficiency in the physical product, poor quality can be found anywhere in the production process. At Allied Bindery, we define "poor quality" as anything that negatively impacts the customer. That's why we've worked hard to create a quality-driven atmosphere. As an ISO 9001-certified operation, we adhere to strict quality-control standards for all manufacturing processes. However, we have also implemented additional quality-control measures that are aimed directly at improving all aspects of our service to our customers.
The Benefits of ISO 9001 Certification
ISO 9001 is a series of government-sanctioned quality-control standards that seek to achieve the highest quality possible from manufacturing processes. To achieve ISO 9001 certification, Allied Bindery has standardized every aspect of our workflow, from estimating to packing and delivery, to adhere to strict, documented procedures. From the customer's standpoint, ISO 9001 certification offers an assurance that their specific requests and quality expectations will be met at every step of the production process.
As part of the ISO 9001-approved workflow, all aspects of a project are shared throughout the plant. At each production stage, client-approved samples are used to ensure production quality meets customer expectations. Time-stamped samples are also pulled regularly during production, allowing us to isolate any product that doesn't meet our stringent quality demands.
A Reliable CAR
In addition to following ISO 9001-certified production processes, we also solicit feedback from customers on all aspects of their experience with Allied Bindery, ranging from estimating and production issues to billing and shipping. When we receive feedback, we then issue an internal Corrective Action Request (CAR) that sets in motion a procedure for pinpointing the cause of any problems and determining what corrective action should be taken. Once a decision is made, the customer is notified of the results. As an extra quality-control measure, we hold quarterly meetings to review any CARs from the previous few months to see if there are quality-hindering trends to address.
The Allied Bindery Advantage
With our unique capabilities and commitment to quality, Allied Bindery is well-positioned to handle all of your post press production needs. In addition to PUR adhesive, perfect and mechanical binding, we also offer large- and small-format folding, cutting, shrink-wrapping, wafer-sealing and a host of other services. Feel free to contact Allied Bindery today to start turning your creative ideas into high-quality products!
